Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Wayne.
Hi Sarah, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Ever since I can remember, my mother always told me that I was creative. As a young kid, I used to trace pictures out of books, make jewelry for my dolls and sew together scraps of fabric to make stuffed animals. In high school, I drew in my notebooks and had a few journals filled with things I had written. I guess I didn’t realize how creative I was until a few years ago. In March of 2020, Texas went into lockdown because of the Covid-19 virus. Me, my husband Tony, and our two boys were stuck at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go. That’s when I started drawing again. Long story short, I never stopped drawing. In the span of a year, my art went from little doodles on scraps of paper to larger full-color marker drawings on bristol paper and then to digital artwork. I started making prints of my art to sell and even entered a local art show. My family has been very supportive, and I would not be where I am today without them. My husband Tony saw how much I loved drawing and he pushed me to keep working on it to progress. He has been tattooing in the Houston area for 20 years and is definitely an artist that I look up to.
Eventually, he suggested that I apprentice under him to be a tattooer at our studio, Imperial Tattoo Company. I never imagined that I would make it through my two-year apprenticeship and become a tattooer. I am so grateful to everyone that has helped me along the way. My husband Tony has been my number one fan from the beginning, and I am so thankful for his never-ending encouragement and love. My two kids have also been supportive of this new career and have been really helpful when I am in need of ideas of what to draw. My parents have shown me such love and I am thankful for them every day. Every person at our studio has shown me so much kindness throughout my journey. I’m grateful for each one of them, as they have given me their knowledge and insight over the years. I am still in disbelief that I get the privilege of being a part of the tattoo community. I hope to continue to learn and grow in the future.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
There have definitely been some challenges throughout my journey. I was a stay-at-home mom for many years when my two children were younger. Since going back to work, balancing our home life and work life has been difficult at times. Planning my schedule to work around my children’s school days and my husband’s workdays sometimes get a little crazy. But for me, in my personal experience, I think the most difficult thing has been believing in myself. I know that sounds absolutely cliche, but it’s true. Growing up, I tried my hand at multiple sports and activities. Most of them were fun, but none of them ever “felt right” and I always ended up quitting. I tried gymnastics, theater, piano, soccer, violin and softball to name a few. Looking back on those experiences, I realize that I was my own obstacle. If something was too hard or required me to practice, I didn’t want to put in the time or the effort to get better at it. If I never tried, I could never fail. I guess failure was my worst fear. These last few years have taught me a lot about myself. I have learned that working hard for something you want will be a challenge but the outcome, good or bad, is worth it.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Since May 2011, my husband Tony Wayne and I have owned and operated Imperial Tattoo Company in Sugar Land, Texas. With Tony as my mentor, I recently completed a two-year tattoo apprenticeship. I am now a full-time business owner and tattooer at Imperial. Right now, I am focusing on building my skills as a tattooer and doing the best tattoos I can. I have done traditional-style tattoos and am working on expanding my knowledge of the neo-traditional style. I love color and black & grey tattoos equally. I love flower and nature imagery and anything animal related. I hope to eventually find my own unique style.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://www.imperialtattoocompany.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sarah_wayne2/
- Other: https://imperialmerchandise.bigcartel.com/
Image Credits
All photos of tattoos and art were taken by me, Sarah Wayne.
