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PODCAST

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide

If you"re an artist, ready to grow your business, attract the right clients, and learn how to survive this career without losing your damn mind, then you are in the right place! Every week, I"ll be bringing real talk, actionable tips, and hard-earned lessons from my own journey, with a side of good vibes and sarcasm. Whether you"re new to the game, feeling stuck, or just need a kick in the ass to reignite that spark-this is the show for you. Let"s get to work!

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All Episodes

57:31

Finding your style and making it your career with...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2026/01/28

Twenty years into my tattoo career, I can finally say I've built a business doing exactly what I love—and it happened because I stopped trying to please everyone else and started being a "Missi Blue pleaser." This episode is my origin story, from a scrappy 19-year-old apprentice working double shifts to opening Blue Bird Tattoo Studio and becoming known for pet portraits that capture each animal's soul. I'm sharing the messy middle, the moments of doubt, the role spite played in my success, and the

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54:12

Staying Sharp in the Tattoo Industry with Jesse Smith

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2026/01/21

When I was an apprentice flipping through tattoo magazines, Jesse Smith's work stopped me in my tracks. Fast forward to today, and I'm sitting down with the man himself, someone who's spent over 25 years proving that unconventional paths can lead to extraordinary outcomes. Jesse started tattooing with a prison-style gun made from a toothbrush and Walkman motor, learned by trial and error, and built an empire that includes Loose Screw Tattoo, the Richmond Tattoo and Arts Convention, and the Richmond

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17:08

How To Be More Resilient with Missi Blue | Ep. 65

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2026/01/14

Building resilience isn't something you're born with—it's a skill you develop through experience, self-awareness, and intentional practice. In this episode, I'm breaking down what it really means to be resilient in business and how you can strengthen this critical muscle. From my own experiences of opening Blue Bird Tattoo Studio one month before COVID shut everything down to navigating a traumatic accident that left me out of work for a month, I've learned that resilience is about more than

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49:11

What I Wish I Knew Before Opening A Tattoo Shop with...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2026/01/07

When I opened Blue Bird Tattoo Studio, I truly believed I'd just show up, tattoo, go home, and do whatever I wanted. I thought I'd work alone because I was tired of dealing with other people's energy. Looking back, that was incredibly naive. I would have gone insane working by myself all day with no one to talk to except my clients. The reality of opening and running a shop hit me fast, and I had to figure everything out the hard way. From understanding the different types of shop models to

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43:12

How to Find More Local Clients with Missi Blue | Ep. 63

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/12/31

"You can't do nothing and expect people to just find you and give you their money to tattoo. You either need to get on board with social media or talk to people in person—one or the other." Here's the reality: if you're crushing it at conventions but struggling to book local clients, the problem isn't oversaturation in your market. We have 14 tattoo shops within a quarter mile of Bluebird Tattoo Studio in a town of 16,000 people, and we stay consistently busy. The difference isn't luck or location,

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16:08

Shiny Object Syndrome with Missi Blue | Ep. 62

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/12/24

I'll be honest—I've been a serial project-starter my entire career. From expanding Bluebird Tattoo Studio to opening the Bluebird Art Collective gift shop, I've chased plenty of shiny objects that pulled me away from what really mattered. This episode is about recognizing when you're spreading yourself too thin, understanding why we're wired to chase new ideas, and learning how to channel that creative energy into focused, sustainable growth. If you've ever felt like you're running in place with a

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20:04

Figure out what you want with Missi Blue | Ep. 61

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/12/17

"You can wish and hope and dream for your goals, but that alone is not getting you anywhere." As we head into a new year, I'm reflecting on what worked, what didn't, and how I'm going to show up differently in 2025. This year taught me something crucial: feelings are terrible leaders. When I let how I'm feeling dictate what I do each day, nothing gets done. After recovering from a skull fracture and completely uprooting my office setup, I've been struggling to get back to my routine—and it's made me

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56:42

Your Complete Guide to Working Tattoo Conventions...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/12/10

"Every convention for me is a chance to just do better, to do a better tattoo, to meet more people, to get new inspiration, to find a new opportunity. Even when it's a bad convention, it still serves a purpose." I get asked all the time for advice on doing conventions. How to prepare, what to expect, what actually works. And honestly, in the moment, I never know where to start because there are a thousand things that could make or break your experience. So I sat down and really thought through

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35:35

The Lonely Truth About Being the Boss in Tattooing...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/12/03

"It's lonely being the boss. And yes, I get that I asked for this, that I did this to myself. I understand that, but why is it like this?" Missi Blue A coworker's offhand comment stopped me in my tracks recently; something about how I'm "never in a good mood" when I walk into the shop. That hurt. Not because it was entirely true, but because it highlighted something I've been carrying quietly for years: being the boss is incredibly isolating. I show up with my serious face on because I'm walking

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13:31

How Fear of Failure Keeps Tattoo Artists Stuck in...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/11/26

Perfectionism isn't about high standards—it's procrastination in disguise that keeps tattoo artists from taking action on their biggest goals. Learn why waiting to feel "ready" is holding you back and how to push past fear to actually grow your career, even when things get messy. "You're never gonna feel ready. The only way to truly feel ready and confident and prepared for the things that you've already experienced and had some success with in the past." Let's talk about the elephant in the

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01:14:56

Sobriety, Partnerships & Finding Your Purpose with...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/11/19

"I didn't die because of tattooing. There were days where I ran with some bad people... and I think the only reason I didn't overdose constantly was because I had appointments to go to. I had a job to show up for. I had somewhat of a purpose." - James Boag This conversation wasn't planned. James and I were trying to squeeze in a podcast recording all weekend at the Tampa convention, but life kept getting in the way. Finally, we said forget it. I grabbed the microphones and headed to the beach on

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18:30

Building a Team That Actually Works: Lessons Learned...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/11/12

"If I don't know the job myself, how can I train someone to be successful in it? And how can I even know if they are successful?" After letting go of my manager at Bluebird Tattoo Studio, I knew I had two choices: point fingers or take a hard look at where I went wrong. This episode is me pulling back the curtain on every mistake I made in that hiring process—from undefined roles to missing training systems to inconsistent feedback. I'm walking you through my entire mental framework for analyzing

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22:13

When Good People Aren't the Right Fit: A Leadership...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/11/05

"Sometimes failure doesn't look like falling apart. It looks like realizing you've been holding on to something for too long." I recently had to make one of the hardest calls as a business owner—letting go of someone I genuinely cared about. It forced me to face some uncomfortable truths about my leadership, my blind spots, and the standards I need to protect at Bluebird Tattoo Studio. This wasn't about them being a bad person; it was about recognizing that being good at some things doesn't mean

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36:37

Working Less, Achieving More: A Tattoo Business...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/10/29

Coming back to record this episode was harder than I expected. Five weeks away from the mic after a fall that left me with a fractured temporal bone, dislocated ear bones, a concussion, and a seizure—yeah, it was a lot. But here's what nobody tells you about forced time off: sometimes the best thing that can happen to your business is being physically unable to work in it. I'm not saying you need to injure yourself to grow (please don't), but this experience revealed something crucial that I'd been

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24:08

How To Actually Do What You Say You’re Going To with...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/10/22

Goal Getter Worksheet - Free download to help you brainstorm and structure your goals: https://boundbyart.com/goals Episode 11 - 8 Reasons You Won't ACHIEVE Your Goals Again This Year with Missi Blue: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/8-reasons-you-wont-achieve-your-goals-again-this-year/id1777930586?i=1000682298139 "I was super busy all the time. But was I being productive? Absolutely not. I was just kind of running in circles, feeling confused and messy." - Missi Accountability meetings

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45:35

Beyond the Hype: Real Talk on Tattoo Industry Drama...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/10/15

"People need to stop tearing each other down in order to get to an imaginary mountaintop that just doesn't exist. You can literally collaborate with people to get there." - Gia Rose This conversation with Gia Rose goes deep into the realities of building a career in today's tattoo industry. We talk openly about the challenges of dealing with online negativity, the true value of mentorship, and why skill-sharing over gatekeeping creates a stronger community for everyone. Gia shares her personal

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01:04:17

Surviving Apprenticeships, Mentorships, and Cancel...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/10/08

"If you would do it for nothing in exchange, you're in the right place. That's my philosophy—if you would tattoo for nothing, you're doing it for the love of the craft." – Gia Rose After 21 years behind the machine, Gia Rose has seen it all—from making her own needles and mixing pigments to navigating the brutal world of online attacks. In this raw and honest conversation, Gia breaks down what it really takes to build a lasting career in tattooing, why traditional apprenticeships are evolving (and

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01:09:10

When Your Apprentice Becomes Your Equal (What she...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/10/01

When Vicki first started working at Bluebird Tattoo Studio as our shop manager, I honestly never planned on taking an apprentice. But watching her work ethic, her hunger to learn, and her genuine connection with our clients made me reconsider everything I thought I knew about teaching someone to tattoo. Fast forward three years, and she's one of the most consistently booked artists in our shop, with nearly 95,000 followers on TikTok and a waitlist of clients who trust her vision completely. What

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34:15

Surviving the Slow Season with Missi Blue | Ep. 49

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/09/24

"Winners are made in the off season. While everyone else is taking a break, we're working our asses off - and when the next season starts, we hit the ground running." - Missi Blue Hey everyone, Missi here! In today's episode, we're diving deep into a reality every tattoo artist faces - the slow season. But here's the thing: instead of seeing it as a setback, I'm showing you how to use this time to level up your game. From creating additional income streams and building better systems to networking

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50:22

Why your tattoo shop NEEDS community partnerships...

Bound By Art: A Tattoo Artist"s Survival Guide ·

2025/09/17

Running a tattoo shop isn't just about creating incredible art—it's about building systems that work, fostering community connections, and staying consistent even when the business side feels overwhelming. I was lucky enough to sit down with my friend Sutton, owner of Self Care Tattoo, to work through some of the real challenges he's facing as a shop owner in small-town Pennsylvania. We dive deep into the difference between being two weeks booked out versus two months, why community marketing might

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