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

Hi Selena, what do you want people to remember about you?
It’s been a long a tough and long ride up to where I am now. I’m 25 but ever since I was young I’ve been wanting to slip into the tattoo industry as an artist. I had the skill and the want but you know how it goes, life happens. I’ve had lots of set backs, lots of tough decisions and change but late last year I finally got in to a shop.

Ive fought tooth and nail to get myself in a position to carry out my childhood dreams and I want to be great at what I do, I want to be well know. My legacy will be to outgrow my past self and to cultivate my craft till I can get to a point to pass it on and inspire. Hopefully on my journey I’ll be able to have my own business as well and when that happens I hope to be fair and able to take care of the people there. A tattoo shop that is safe and profitable for whoever I bring into it. I wanna be an artist and a business owner. I want my name out there, not on a celebrity level (although that would be neat) but enough to connect me to people interested in what I’ve got to offer.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As I said previously, it’s been a very long and tedious journey to get where I am today. Lots of harsh life lessons, trauma, poverty but I’m pretty headstrong and can keep going forward with tons on my shoulders. No matter what happened though I continued to work on my art. From watercolor and ink to pottery and sculpture , even blacksmithing and metal pouring. Art has always been my lady in waiting, always there. And so I’d love to continue to honor the skill given to me, tattooing is such an amazing way to connect and even help someone along their own journey. All walks of life want tattoos and I really am excited to be in an industry that allows such raw and vulnerable interactions.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If I had someone visiting I’d of course take them to see what happening at the black sheep, they always have local and interesting shows! Then, to satisfy curiosity I’d hop on over to Novis Mortem, a little downtown oddity shop on Bijou. Of course we’d have to visit manitous Penny arcade. As for something to eat, Colorado Springs has the best food trucks around, my favorite is Las Tres Hermanas Food Truck. And lastly a darling little downtown plant shop called The Living Room.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I wouldn’t be where and who I am if not for the people in my life. Family means everything to me an they are a big part of my strength and determination. But I’d also like to thank my partner Wesley Robinson for giving me that last extra push and so much support to do what I’ve always wanted to do.

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Other: Email: StargazingInk@gmail.com

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