Today we’d like to introduce you to Kacey Noel Chumley.
Hi Kacey, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I started as a little kid who loved to draw. Of course, I was told by every adult that I needed a “real job” and that I’d be better off as a doctor or nurse.
But I could never really quell the urge to create stuff, whether that was art or stories or little comic books. After a while of doing minimum wage jobs, I realized I’d never really been happy in a capitalist landscape unless I found a job for my creative brain.
I also was fascinated by tattoos. I began an apprenticeship for tattooing at Asylum Tattoo and after a year, was able to get my license. Tattooing can be an expensive job so I went through highs and lows until I came to Wicked Ink.
From there, I was able to learn about coil machines, expand on what I knew, and meet a whole new range of cool clientele. Now I love my job and get to exercise my creative passion every day.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Definitely rocky. A lot of the jobs I tried to get aside from tattooing had dangerous working conditions, negative coworkers, and barely any pay. Also, having a neurodivergent brain meant that I misinterpreted a lot of signals from bosses and felt confused a lot.
Tattooing is also a challenge because there’s a huge learning curve. It’s permanent. You don’t want to mess up. So there are some stressful moments when you’re tattooing and it’s not going the way you want it to.
But I’d definitely say the rewards outweigh the risks. Some of the most beautiful pieces were the ones I was the most worried about.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Tattooing! I love making big colorful pieces with bold outlines. Some of my favorites include new school pieces, pieces with Japanese elements, and anything anime or cartoony. And of course, I love doing tattoos that have a lot of meaning like memorial pieces. Helping people emotionally cope is a huge plus with this job.
I also love to write and illustrate little books. This is more of a side hustle, but it’s also one that I’m proud of. I plan on doing a lot more of those in the future. The ones that I’ve done so far are on Amazon and available as ebooks.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts, or blogs that help you do your best?
Oh, man. So many. I think because this craft is centuries old, there’s a lot of research to be done. Not to mention all the modern resources. I’m a Pinterest fiend because I’m constantly looking for new references to draw from. I spend way too much time on there.
As far as in my personal life, I’m a huge nerd. I love podcasts like Sass vs. The Evil Dead and Dungeons and Daddies (A D&D Podcast). My cousin and I also mess around and do a video game podcast for fun called Gamers of Old Appalachia.
We usually just make each other laugh on there.
Contact Info:
- Email: kaceynoelxox@gmail.com
- Website: https://kaceynoel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tattoosbykaceynoel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tattoosbykaceynoell
Image Credits
Zach Erbaugh
