Ink Up

Maclay Senior Sarah Cannon and Her Tattoo Business

Photo courtesy of Sarah Cannon

Many students at Maclay know each other, but many do not know what their peers do outside of the classroom. Sarah Cannon is a senior at Maclay who recently started her tattoo company called “Sarah Elle Tats.” Cannon had an idea of what she wanted to do for a long time and decided to make it a reality six months ago.

“My whole life, I’ve loved art, and I’ve always loved the idea of art on the body. There’s a lot of different meanings in messages you can see with that, and I think adding art on the skin is just a cool thing,” Cannon said.

At the beginning of her journey, she started going to different people’s houses, giving tattoos or scratching out a tattoo idea for her client. Although this is a great place to start, she hopes to go deeper into the works.

“After graduation, I want to get my apprenticeship at a shop, most likely here if I can find one, and then try to be a full-time tattoo artist,” Cannon said.

Cannon plans to use a tattoo gun only during and after working with a gun at a shop to perfect her technique. She also makes it very simple for potential clients to reach out.

“I have an Instagram [account] I created around the time I started the business,” Cannon said. “People will usually DM me and say’ I want a tattoo’ or they’ll ask me to design one that they can do themselves.”

Cannon understands that she is new to this business, so she tries to make her clients feel comfortable and prices her pieces on different factors.

“I usually price for difficulty and time,” Cannon said. “It could be a small tattoo and really detailed and that would be more expensive. I definitely price less than a normal tattoo artist would because I am still practicing.”

To pursue her passion as a full-time career, Cannon has already stepped into the professional world, which is a rare occurrence for others at her age.

“I know people who are interested in tattooing, but I do not know anyone that is trying to pursue it, but I think it is definitely a really cool and interesting thing to do if it is your passion,” Cannon said.

Cannon showcases a great example of a businesswoman, as she is learning about business-related skills and knowledge in the tattoo industry.

“Each tattoo artist in a tattoo shop is kind of like their own business person and their own entrepreneur,” Art Teacher Ismael Milligan said. “They’re not employees. They’re contractors and they have to understand the kind of nature of that business and make their own business-related decisions.”

By starting her company, Cannon is expanding her vision for business and art in a creative environment. As someone who went outside the norm to pursue her dream career, Cannon may motivate those around her to turn their dream into reality.