Hi, I'm Megan Jean
Tattooing – My Dream Come True
My best friend and I are being hosed off on the lawn at daycare because I used a large black ink stamp to mark up our entire little bodies. We are six years old. I have already been sent home from nursery school for using face paint to paint my whole body black – like a skunk! In high school, the teachers accept that I doodle in my notebook for the duration of their class. In college, I find myself at parties with a pile of sharpies drawing sleeves and backpieces on my friends. I have been decorating bodies for as long as I can remember. And now, as an adult, I call this my profession! I use ink and needles to make body art and it is My Dream Come True.
Creativity
I was raised by parents who wanted to enjoy the Maine way of life. In my early years, we lived in the woods of northern Maine in a town so small it did not even have one stop light. Because we did not have running water, Mom and I walked down to the river to bring back buckets of water for dish washing. We had a spring up the street for drinking water, and a lake at the end of the road for bathing. We used kerosene lanterns, I had wooden toys and my best friend was my dog Jesse. I was an only child until I was eight years old, and Creativity was an essential part of life for me.
A Tattoo Is Created by the Two of Us
My tattoo art is a combination of who my client is and who I am. My upbringing led to me becoming a curious person. I never had a tree house, but I had a ladder which I used to climb the big Maple out front. I remember looking out at the dusty blue layers of the Eastern Mountains and thinking, “I will get out there one day – I want to see it all!”
Since then, I have lived and travelled in many places around the world. I was fortunate to study art and design at Interlochen Art Academy and Syracuse University. I have had the opportunity to learn from some of my favorite painters, including Jerome Witkin, Rebecca Leveille Guay, Casey Baugh and Kevin Llewellyn. And I have been honored to study tattooing with many of my friends and mentors. My life experience, however, has been as important in my tattooing as my formal studies. I have explored many forms of self-development, and along the way have experienced both mistakes and successes. I have shared true love with my best friend and husband, who has since passed away; I have experienced loss. My journey has made me open to many ways of life and has helped me listen for who my client is and what they are hoping I can capture in their tattoo.
When I am designing a tattoo, I consider the desires of my client and how I can fully express their vision. I listen with an open heart and respond with ideas and honesty based on a deep understanding of art and 15 years of experience tattooing. My tattoo art is a composite of my client’s energy and personality paired with my skill set and experience. Together - we create the tattoo.