Today we’d like to introduce you to Shauntell Bettis.
Hi Shauntell, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started in Jacksonville, Florida at a brand new shop under the guidance of Leticia Bomtempo. I apprenticed under her for 2 years, learning everything I could from her and building up my portfolio one piece at a time.
During that time my partner and I liked to travel, and on one of our trips I randomly decided to go check out a shop I had heard about. What I didn’t know at the time was that it was the top tattoo shop in Western North Carolina, but it was unlike any shop I had ever seen. I walked in to this tattoo shop that had the feeling of calm and serenity. There were crystals everywhere and it was both a metaphysical shop as well as a tattoo shop. When I walked in that day, I asked to speak to the owner. I was close to graduating from my apprenticeship and was debating on whether I wanted to stay at my old shop or move on to somewhere else. The owner just so happened to be there and told me that she had just lost her only artist that knew how to tattoo color, something which I was eagerly pursuing.
I ended up walking out that day with a job offer. Within a few short months, my partner and I made the move from Jacksonville, Florida to Asheville, North Carolina, and I began working at Zen Ink. It was here that I learned more than I ever had in my apprenticeship, and it was here that shaped me into the artist I am today.
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?
Absolutely not. Leaving Jacksonville to a completely new city that I had never previously been to meant that I had to start over with building my name and my clientele. It was also the first time that I felt like I was on my own. I no longer had my mentor there to help me. It took some time before I found my rhythm, but I eventually found it. Older and more experienced artists would share with me their secrets and tricks of the trade. Things were starting to go great until a little over a year later when Hurricane Helene hit. I had barely just escaped the city, and made it to a safer location up the mountain when the flood waters started to rise.
Zen Ink was fortunately spared from flood but my home and the rest of Asheville was not. I was forced to move again to a new town though not far from Asheville. I was without work for about a month before the owner of Zen Ink decided to open a new shop in the same town I was living in at the time. I started from scratch all over again, and I did that two more times after that. Working under someone else’s name meant that I had to follow her lead. After moving around so much, I decided it was time to finally step out to be my own person.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a tattoo artist that currently specializes in color tattoos specifically watercolor, painterly and realism style. What I feel like sets me apart from the others are my attention to detail and my floral work. I do a lot of cover-ups and scar covering tattoos. I have also within the last year learned how to tattoo 3D areola tattoos.
What matters most to you? Why?
When I started tattooing, I started because I loved art. What matters most to me now is being a safe artist that people can come to get work done that makes them feel good again. I’ve always loved helping people and I feel like I still get to do that. Whether I’m creating a brand new design that accentuates a part of the body that they might not be so proud of, or restoring something that had been lost, I get to be there to help them find a new way to love their body through art.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/littlebeartattoo.sj
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/littlebeartattoo.sj
- Other: https://venue.ink/@littlebeartattoo.sj
