Meet Kristyn Borglum | Artist and Tattooer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Kristyn Borglum and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Kristyn, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
When I first started tattooing, I was working at a shop that require I work specific hours – 11-7, 5 days a week to be exact. In the beginning, as a new tattooer, I found this be a great way to build up a good work ethic and it gave me a sense of consistency. Though it was difficult. At this time in my career I was very new to the industry, still working on building up a clientele, and also going to school full time to study studio art. I am grateful I pushed myself to do both at once, as it taught me how to push myself when I need to, but I also appreciate that once I graduated and had established a solid base of clients I was then able to move to a new shop which gave me the responsibility of choosing my own schedule. This finally gave me the chance to actually have a work/life balance. Instead of tattooing 40 hours a week, going to classes before and after work 3-4 days a week, and finding time for homework and design work whenever I could, I had the chance to decide for myself how much work I could reasonably handle, and how much free time I wanted to be able to enjoy my other creative and explorative interests. Today, I typically only work 4 days a week and do one or two tattoos per day. I’ve also found that when given enough time to really sit and take my time making a design up to my current standards, I typically spend about the same amount of time (if not sometimes more) drawing the design as I do tattooing it! So with 4-6 tattoos a week, depending on the size, it adds up to 40+ hours of total work time, not just tattooing work time. This has given me time to reconnect with nature, which is one of my greatest inspirations artistically, as well as reconnect with a lot of other creative hobbies I have, spend actual time with my partner without being entirely drained of energy, and build up friendships I never had the energy for previously.
Overall, I am thankful for the harder years, as they taught me how to get through the times where I really need to grind and put all the hours in. But I am equally, if not more so thankful to be at a point now where I can have control of the balance in my life, and adjust it as needed.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I think, compared to the journey other’s have had coming into tattooing, I have been particularly fortunate. When I originally decided I wanted to become a tattooer, I had planned on going to school to study art first, get a degree, and then figure out the whole apprenticeship thing after that. What actually ended up happening was that I registered for college, and then near the end of my senior year a local tattooer reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in doing a tattoo apprenticeship. Even though I had already made a plan, I wasn’t going to say no to an opportunity that obvious, so I ended up apprenticing and going to college full time at the same time. At first it wasn’t too challenging, as all had to do in the beginning was balance time spent doing school homework with apprenticeship homework. But as I got farther into my apprenticeship and began actually tattooing people, and then building up my own client base, I had no time to thing about anything other than tattooing or schoolwork. After graduating and having more time to live and breathe, I knew I wanted to make sure I never stopped growing, so I began doing guest spots at other shops, building connections with other artists and learning from their years of experience as well. Then I started going to conventions, making even more connections with artists from different places across the U.S. And shortly after that, I learned that tattoo seminars and conventions were out there – specifically places or events I could go to just to learn more about the various aspects of tattooing. The summation of all of these experiences is what got me to where I am now, and I’m sure that a few years from now, even months from now, I’ll be in a much different place than where I’m at in this particular moment in my career. In regards to my work, I find inspiration in many different places. From the plants and creatures of this earth, to the fantastical worlds and beings dreamed up by other creatives before me, I find it all beautiful and exciting. I think because of this, my work often takes subjects that are familiar to most of us and then put a sort of weird or whimsical twist on it. I often play with the concepts of life and death, a theme that I’ve had a fascination with for much of my life. In my personal work, I often tend towards imagery that can be a little uncomfortable and disturbing. I think it is important to feel a little uncomfortable sometimes, because it gives you a chance to reflect on why that is, and maybe learn something new about yourself. I also enjoy creating things that are not so serious, and a little more playful and fun. I love fantasy and folklore, and the fact that the human mind itself can bring to life entirely new worlds and ideas, which don’t have to be limited by the rules of reality. I believe the contrast and balance of these two opposing artistic identities has always been integral to my work, and who I am as a person and artist. It reminds me that I can be many very different things and still just be me.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I think first on the itinerary (of course) would be to get out and do some hiking. I love all of the excellent options we have so close to Fort Collins, but a few of my favorite spots for a good hike are Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, Lory State Park, and Devil’s Backbone Open Space. I would probably also be sure to get some rafting in there with A Wanderlust Adventure. There’s so many amazing options for food, but a couple I would definitely be sure to hit would be Little Bird Cafe, Kujira Ramen, and go to The Exchange for all the different snacky options. And for pure entertainment I would be sure to go rent a table at The Haunted Game Cafe and see a show at The Comedy Fort.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to give a big shoutout to my partner, James Gossling. He and I have been together since the early years of my tattooing career, which is actually how we met. Through all the years, whether he was actively tattooing at the time or not, he’s always been there to give me feedback and help me bring a design to it’s fullest potential, inspire me with his own artistic work and perspective, and encourage me that it’s okay to do things even when they’re scary. Some of my first experiences going to tattoo conventions, seminars, and visiting other shops for guest spots happened primarily due to his encouragement. As an anxious human being but also a creative, I often (even still) find myself in situations where I really want to do something, go somewhere, or try something new and unfamiliar, and can talk myself out of it just from overthinking it. But when I open up and am able to put my fears into words and share them, he is always able to help rationalize the situation and instill enough confidence in me that I push through and do it anyways. And every time, I find at the end of it, I’m much happier that I challenged myself and grew from the experience.

Website: www.kristynkayborglum.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/kristynkayborglum

Image Credits
Primary personal photo – Jordan Sandquist Creative