Meet Kylie Patterson | Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Kylie, how has your perspective on work-life balance evolved over time?
I feel like work/life balance is a challenge in every 20 or 30 something’s life in today’s age. When I first started my business in 2019, I was prioritizing work over everything. Especially when first starting out, you sort of have to be on the clock nonstop. It feels like you can never slow down or your business will suffer. A few years into that mindset, I started suffering from burnout and exhaustion quite often. I was also really trying to build my online presence, which with today’s big impact social media has, it felt like I couldn’t have any boundaries or days off or people would stop seeing my posts or stop supporting my business all together. The non-stop hustle lifestyle really started to take a toll on my mental and physical health. I started working at Nest Art Collective in July of 2021 and being around such a supportive group of people really helped me change my attitude toward saying “no” to things and prioritizing rest and creating boundaries. Since then, with this wonderful community and more recently the birth of my first child, my mindset about work has really changed for the better. I truly believe that if you make a point to stop and take breaks, step away from your desk, turn off your phone every once in awhile, your work, your business, your art, will actually thrive as a result.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I specialize in fine line botanical tattoos. My favorite pieces to tattoo are ones involving florals, plants, and bugs. I love the movement and flow plants have. I love that flowers can be unstructured and imperfect while still being so beautiful. I love the natural symmetry of beetles, spiders and butterflies. I often gain inspiration from things I see on walks or in even just in my backyard.

Something fun about me is that I absolutely love science. I love botany, biology, anatomy, entomology. I LOVE science. I once audited some online classes that Harvard had just because I love learning about science. When I first started tattooing, I wasn’t exactly sure what my niche would be and what style I would love. I tried out a few different styles; pop culture, woodcut, surrealism, and I loved them all but they didn’t feel like they fit. Then I drew up an orchid. I have an orchid in my office that I stare at every single day and it’s one of my favorite flowers. I offered it up as a flash piece and I got to tattoo it very early in my apprenticeship. It is still one of my favorite tattoos I’ve done. After that, it became very clear very fast that science and nature were going to be a big part of my style.

I think it’s very important to be emotionally and mentally connected to your art in some way and I like to think that people come get botanical tattoos from me because I’m so passionate about the subjects I’m tattooing. I really love hearing the back stories to what flowers and plants people get. I love hearing what grew in your grandma’s garden and what flowers you used at your wedding, I love chatting about the life cycles of strawberries and cultural importance of certain beetles. I think it makes the experience even more wonderful than just walking away with a pretty tattoo.

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?
Oh wow this is hard! I’m not a born and raised Coloradan, but I’ve been here for almost 5 years so I definitely have my favorite places. I would start by taking them to Bittersweet Cafe in Louisville. It is one of my favorite cafe’s and is so stunning in the middle of winter when there’s snow everywhere. Then I think a hike in Golden Gate Canyon would be next. It was one of the first hikes I took when my husband and I first moved here. It has everything; green lush plants, rocky hills to climb, waterfalls and little streams. It’s also super dog friendly and very easy for beginners or those new to the elevation! 10/10, I love this hike. I’ve done it so many times and I will definitely do it so many more. Of course, I would HAVE to show them the Denver Botanical Gardens where I spend almost all of my time in the summer and get most of my inspiration from. Finally, I think I would have to take them on a drive south over 285 to Kenosha Pass. My parents two hours south of Denver and the drive is just beautiful. There are so many great places to check out all over Colorado, I’m so glad I moved here.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I definitely would not be where I am today without my fellow Nesties at Nest Art Collective. I originally started as a solo esthetician working among some incredibly talented tattoo artists. I’ve always been into art as long as I can remember. I’ve taken art classes, majored in art history for a hot minute, but I never really felt like I was good enough to make art a career. Honestly, I didn’t even think it was a possibility until I got to Nest. We often have community art nights where we hang out and draw or paint or do something creative and fun as part of a community. I would bring my sketch book and draw things I thought were silly or not that great but got so much encouragement from my community that I thought, “okay maybe I’ll give this a try”. I never would have even considered tattooing an option if it weren’t for them.

Instagram: @luminarytattoos