Today we’d like to introduce you to Madelon Kalkhuis.
Hi Madelon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’ve always grown up drawing and painting, and tattooing was always something I was interested in. But 8+ years ago, there were little to no fine line tattoo artists in the area, and I was always super intimidated by the typical tattoo shop environment. The thicker, bolder style of tattooing just never really felt like me. Around that same time, a girl I grew up with reached out and asked if I’d ever be interested in doing permanent makeup. After going to college and changing my major about 100 times lol, I immediately jumped on the opportunity. I ended up doing permanent makeup for about 4 years, and then one day I had a cancellation and randomly decided, “I’m just gonna tattoo myself and see what happens.” So I did. I started practicing on myself, kept learning and pushing myself, and somehow that random decision turned into everything I’d wanted to do in the first place. Now, 4 years later, I have my own tattoo business, I get to make art for a living, and I seriously could not be any happier with where it all led me.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Honestly, I feel like once I started tattooing, everything just aligned. It was like all of a sudden things felt exactly how they were supposed to, and I genuinely felt like this was where I was meant to be. I was always practicing with my friend Sherry, who also tattoos. We would constantly get together, practice, learn from each other, and push ourselves because we both wanted this so badly. We had such a passion for it, and I think when you want something that much, you find a way to make it happen. I’d say one of the biggest struggles along the way was being in situations where the people above you didn’t necessarily see your passion or understand just how badly you wanted to grow. I always knew I wanted to have my own business, but leaving somewhere you’ve been for so long is hard especially when the person you worked for was also someone you considered a friend. Unfortunately, sometimes people change when you decide to grow or take a different path. Having someone turn cold or wish badly on you is never a good reflection of who they are, but I’ve learned not to let that take away from everything the experience gave me. At the end of the day, without starting where I did and even without the way things ended I wouldn’t be where I am today. So I can genuinely say thank you. I’ll always appreciate the opportunity, everything I learned from it, and the fact that it ultimately helped lead me to where I was supposed to be.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a tattoo artist specializing mostly in fine line and realism. I love anything detailed, especially pieces where I can really focus on the little things that make a tattoo unique to that person. I’m constantly trying to learn, practice and push myself because I don’t think I’ll ever be the type of artist who feels like there’s nothing left to improve on. I think what I’m most proud of is how much I’ve grown in such a short amount of time. I basically started by tattooing myself and practicing every chance I got, and now I have my own business and get to do something every day that I genuinely love. There are still moments where I look at my life and think, how is this actually my job? I think what sets me apart too is how much I genuinely care about my clients and their experience. I never want someone to feel intimidated walking into my space or like they can’t speak up about what they want, because that was actually something that intimidated me about tattooing when I was younger. I want my clients to feel comfortable, heard and actually excited to come get tattooed. I’m also probably my own biggest critic. I’m always looking at my work thinking about what I could’ve done better or what I want to improve on next time. Sometimes that can drive me a little crazy lol, but I also think it’s a huge reason I’ve grown as much as I have. I never want to get to a point where I’m so comfortable that I stop learning. More than anything, I’m proud that I’ve created a career that genuinely feels like me. I get to draw, create, meet so many different people and do something I actually love every day. I really don’t think I could have picked a career that fits me better.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Making others happy makes me so happy. Waking up everyday and doing something I’ve always dreamed of. Seriously everyday I’m in disbelief that I get to do this everyday. This is everything I could have ever dreamed of and more. I’m so beyond grateful that I get to create art for people whether that be something tiny and cute or whether it’s a dog portrait I’m just honored people trust me to tattoo them.
Pricing:
- My minimum for fineline tattoos is $125
- Any other pricing goes based off what someone is looking for based of piece
Contact Info:
- Website: https://aurainkstudio.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aurainkby_maddie?igsi=MWVqcDJkOTczM25xMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Other: https://linktr.ee/aurainktattoostudio?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAdGRleAUGZGxwZG9mAmZkaWQWUNt88gvHF2zP5XI0cVoVj60KjhQIOGV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABpwyozRLJifdHQ_n5Y7u1_oltJLkfOax6Ed9aU2w9_PUmAauqkCPzocamxpll_aem_VwL_-B4lQgTxY8iqyzPgqw
