Today we’d like to introduce you to Lacy Shreves.
Hi Lacy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
For as long as I can remember, I have always identified as creative. My earliest memories of loving the arts include coming home from kindergarten, excited to watch Bob Ross paint on TV, while I drank sweet tea out of my mom’s Christmas wine glass. I spent my childhood and adolescence drawing and worked to build up a creative confidence in myself. By the time I was in high school I knew I wanted a career in the Arts, but wasn’t exactly clear on the specific path I wanted to take.
I ended up pursuing a Fine Art degree at St. Louis University, where I studied oil painting. Over the next 10 years, I worked my way around the art industry. I worked in graphic design production, where I learned to be a devil for the details; I worked as a Art Consultant in the healthcare industry, where I learned how to communicate with people about art and how it helps heal; I worked in the interior design industry, where I was inspired by the intricacies of fabric and wallpaper designs. My experiences in the creative industries evolved and compounded, until one day I was inspired to apply everything I had learned into the most intimate art form imaginable – tattooing the human body.
On my 30th birthday, I walked into a local tattoo shop and asked for a simple tattoo of the number ’30’, hoping to speak life into the idea that my 30th years would be my best years yet. I asked for an opportunity to begin a tattoo apprenticeship. Almost four years later, I have settled into to a creative niche that lights a fire in my soul and allows me to connect with other humans in a creative way I never would have imagined.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
My journey in becoming a professional artist has been a juxtaposition of smooth & bumpy. In the big picture, it has been smooth sailing, because being an artist has always been the clear path for me. I knew that no other career would fulfill me in the way that making art does. But the road getting here has been winding. I adjusted my route often, always relying on my gut to guide me and tell me when it was time to move on from one thing and start something new. In order to grow, I had to make sacrifices. I had to quit jobs, exit unhealthy relationships that depleted my creative energy, and put myself in the most vulnerable places I have ever experienced.
But I have #noregerts for those bumps along the road, because each and every experience made me a stronger woman and a more compassionate human.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a Tattoo Artist based out of St. Peters, MO. I specialize in a variety of tattoo styles, including Fine Line, Floral, Microrealism, and Watercolor tattoos. I enjoy doing both black & grey and color work.
I focus on a delicate yet detailed approach, and love to infuse my color work with painterly strokes supported by intentional color theory.
Floral is the bread-and-butter of my work. It is what I’m most known for and keeps my books filled. I love the art of Floristry and find it especially satisfying to visually plant beautiful gardens on my client’s skin that will never wilt or perish. One of my biggest dreams is to open a Tattoo-Flower shop where my clients are able to build live bouquets from real flowers, which are then translated directly into their custom tattoo design.
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
I was lucky enough to grow up in a household with two creative parents who pushed me and my four siblings to make stuff, doodle, build things, and embrace our own creativity. We constantly had a surge of healthy creative competition flowing throughout our household, and it inevitably helped to mold myself and each of my siblings into Professional Creatives. Still to this day, my family is my most reliable creative team. They each have their own unique set of experiences that I can draw from, and they are the ones I reach out to for guidance when I feel creatively overwhelmed.
I’ve also had some pretty incredible mentors and colleagues along the way.
Ted Wood, my painting professor at St. Louis University who taught me the most valuable core concepts that I infuse into my tattoo style every day.
Michael Rose, my mentor who taught me not only how to tattoo, but also how to thrive and stand out in an industry that can be incredibly intimidating and oversaturated.
My Clients are the most important day to day contributors to my art. Without their ongoing trust and unique ideas, I wouldn’t be able to grow and evolve as a Tattoo Artist. Many of them have sat in my chair from the very beginning of my journey and have trusted me with projects that capture the intimate stories of their lives. I have built deep relationships in this career, and I am forever thankful for their trust and their friendship.
Lastly, and most importantly to mention is my husband. I could write a novel about him, but I’ll keep it short. He is my #1 supporter and my best friend. With him beside me, I’m always a stronger and more creative version of myself.
Pricing:
- $100 minimum
- $125 / hour – Black & Grey work
- $150 / hour – Color work
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lacyshreves.studio/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lacyshreves.ink/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lacyshreves.ink/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lacy-shreves-51b15a123/
- Other: https://linktr.ee/lacyshreves.ink
Image Credits
Jaded Focus Photos
