Rising Stars: Meet Emily Wright

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Wright.

Hi Emily, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
When I graduated from PVCC with an associate in fine art back in 2012 I started getting tattooed a lot.

I thought tattooing was real-life magic. How could anyone make such beautiful illustrations in something so organic as human skin?

By 2016-2017, I made a decision to move across the country to Tennessee and work under the amazing team at Dead Ahead Tattoo. Without them, I would have no structure.

The unfortunate side to this is by that summer of 2017 my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 brain cancer and given less than a year. The support I got from dead ahead tattoo is something I’ll never forget. My mom’s cancer eventually became worse and she passed in 2018. Additionally, my grandmother passed that same year from stage 4 lymphoma she had no idea she had. That kind of loss is hard to navigate for anyone, especially a 26-year-old.

I wasn’t holding myself together anymore so I moved back to Arizona in 2019 and continued to have support from Dead Ahead and worked alongside the artist over at Golden Rule Tattoo to finish out my apprenticeship. After graduating under Jason Anthoney. I now work under The Blind Tiger Tattoo and constantly am honored to have met so many amazing artists in the time I spent at my prior shops.

This industry has so many beautiful moments and really challenging ones daily. I’m just happy I get to make something cool for someone that makes them feel good about themselves.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
You have struggles daily in this job. All kinds. If apprenticeships were smooth sailing there would be a LOT more tattooers in the industry.

The most challenging thing I personally experienced was the loss of my grandmother and mom while I was trying to learn the trade. I couldn’t focus on anything I was being told.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Most would say I currently specialize in American Traditional Tattoos or I have a style that has traditional bones…

I personally would like to grow from this style and experiment and try new things. It’s hard to set yourself apart from other tattooers around you. The industry is very competitive at times…

I’m exploring more stylistic options to grow as an artist and set myself apart currently. I have been exploring more illustrative techniques branching out of traditional tattooing thanks to The Blind Tiger Tattoo. They constantly have been supporting and pushing my art.

The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and are any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
During the pandemic tattoo shops closed and when they reopened had certain restrictions.

I thought tattooing was going to disappear honestly. There was so much going on in the world during that time.

I learned from all of that to treat people with kindness always.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://koalendar.com/e/Tattoosbyemilywright
• Instagram: @emilywrighttattoos @theblindtigertattoo