Meet Alice Guerin | Artist & Tattooer

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

Hi Alice, other than deciding to work for yourself, what was the single most important decision you made that contributed to your success?
Doing things my way! I felt secure in knowing I was not meant for a busy, chaotic street shop environment. I tried it briefly but it didn’t fit. It was expensive, and I felt the other tattooers breathing down my neck and judging the way I did things because it wasn’t exactly how they did things. The privacy and safety of having my own space felt essential to me. I could curate it to be a warm and creative extension of myself, which allowed for my visitors and clients to feel welcomed and comfortable as they sat through something generally very uncomfortable. I could make sure everyone had the ability to consent, to ask for what they need without feeling the pressure of others watching. It made my clients feel at home, and safer to be themselves. No loud music, no bustle of people walking through and staring, no worries about if we were working on a sensitive or private body part, and ultimately, no judgment.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art career has been a steady path, but my tattoo career has been somewhat unique. I’ve been drawing and creating since I was a small child, and knew somewhere around 16 I wanted to learn to tattoo. It caused some friction at home in the beginning- tattooing was still represented as an “unsavory” and male-dominated job at the time. I put the idea aside and went to college, majoring in drawing and sculpture, graduating with my BA from Herron School of Art and Design in 2014. Throughout those years any time I’d meet a tattooer or someone in the industry I’d ask advice on how to get involved, but was continually met with pushback and discouraged by their gate-keeping, along with horror stories of mistreatment during apprenticeships, mistreatment and pressure of women and their bodies, the high expenses of working for someone else…etc. I should mention that not all tattoo shops are inherently bad or unsafe, but these were the stories I was presented at the time.

My junior year I had a bit of luck and my illustration professor happened to own a private, appointment-only tattoo shop in Fishers, IN called Treehouse Tattoo. This was fairly uncommon then as most people worked in busy street shop environments and took walk-in appointments. He ended up taking me on as his apprentice for about 6 months in 2012 which was a great way to learn to run my own business alongside learning to tattoo. I was lucky that my apprenticeship didn’t involve grunt work, unnecessarily high fees, pressure to get tattoos I didn’t want, nor the pressure to tattoo things I was uncomfortable with. However, it wasn’t the most informed teaching either and I often felt lost, alone, and as though my mentor could not answer basic and fundamental questions. I am primarily self-taught through practice, experimentation, and the incredible trust of my clients.

In 2014 at the age of 23 I opened my first private space, Knot Eye Studio 1.0, in Fountain Square, Indianapolis, inside a building called the Murphy Arts Center. This space was amazing- there were art galleries, record labels, painters, musicians, builders, sewers, and all kind of events in the building with me. A huge community to help me start, and a great beginning via word of mouth! I was one of maybe 3 or 4 female tattooers in town at the time (there are dozens and dozens now!), and the only private space I was aware of as Treehouse had since closed. This was also the early years of Instagram, which took off pretty quickly in helping me reach throughout the city, building a months-long waitlist.

Since then, my tattoo shop has moved several times due to crummy landlords and lack of access to maintenance, but has always stayed private, clean, brightly colored, full of knickknacks and a comfy, safe environment where consent and privacy are top priority. This is something I take a lot of pride in! I’m proud of the development of my skill and style, but having an inviting space where everyone feels at home is even more special to me.
The development of the work has been a fun journey of course- learning how far I can push the tattoo machine to act like a pencil or a brush, woodcut, pen and ink, airbrush, watercolor…It’s a versatile and never-ending learning experience that keeps me from becoming stagnant. I’ve landed on this sort of airbrush/value-based style in the past few years and it feels like I’m really settling into something exciting. The pieces heal beautifully and soften into the skin as if they were meant to be.

Now that I’m in Jackson, MI, I am on version 4.0 of Knot Eye, located in another artist building, called Art 634. I’m lucky enough to be alongside other creatives again, and a great community of loving folks. I have been tattooing for 12 years now and can’t wait to see how my process and style will continue to evolve.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
First we’d get a big chicken Philly from Flavorz, which is near my tattoo shop and by far consistently the best food in Jackson and a real home-cooked gem. Afterwards we’d head to a hike at MacCready Reserve or to visit Lime Lake via the Falling Waters bike trail- a magical place to walk, bike, kayak, swim, and watch the Sandhill Cranes. Maybe then we’d pop over to Ann Arbor to one of the amazing Indian restaurants and a walk through the MSU Botanical Gardens, or over to South Haven to hit the lake and visit Luke and Kiki’s amazing coffeeshop/roastery, Snake Oil!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
All my incredible clients and friends! Their trust in me, especially when I was newly learning, has been magnanimous. The ability to try new things, as well as to see returning clients with years-healed tattoos allows me to continue to expand and experiment with my techniques and style. They clear the path to my creative (and work/life) freedom. I’d also like to shout out to all the other tattooers in my little online community who continually support and encourage me.

Website: KnotEyeStudio.com

Instagram: KnotEyeTattoo