Meet Jessica Richmond | Tattoo Artist & Private Studio Owner

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jessica Richmond and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jessica, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I don’t know that there was really ever any other choice for me, I have been a creator for as long as I can remember. As a child I was always creating, whether it was sewing, crocheting, building things with wood, drawing, painting etc., it was my escape from the harsh reality of my life in a very dysfunctional and abusive home.
My mother was a very talented sketch artist but never did anything with her talents, I never understood why she never used those talents to improve our financial situation. As an adult I now understand that life’s responsibilities and stresses often seem to tie our hands, and back then there was less of an understanding on the importance of having a creative outlet to deal with life’s difficulties. But her talents sparked a desire in me to be capable of creating things as well.
In my younger years I worked many jobs that didn’t really include any creative aspects artistically speaking, and I really struggled to feel excited about my work. At some point I got into the Home Improvement industry and it really sparked creativity in me, I was able to put more time into building things and found joy in that line of work for over a decade. Eventually I became frustrated and disillusioned with the corporate side of things and was tired of working hard for somebody else and not earning enough to support my family comfortably. By that time I was a single mother and had decided to go back to school to get a degree in hopes of making a better living, of course I was working on an art degree as I wanted to do something that I love.
While going to school and working full-time, I decided I wanted to learn to tattoo to earn some extra money to make ends meet. I was tattooing inconsistently as I was self-taught and relied on friends and family to allow me to practice on them. By the time I graduated I was so worn out from spreading myself so thin juggling being a single parent while working full-time, going to school full-time, and tattooing as much as I could, that I my health took a dive. I had became so unwell that I wasn’t able to do my job, I made the hard decision to resign from my position despite not having a plan of what to do next. 3 weeks later I received a call from a woman that I had met through a mutual friend, she had opened a tattoo shop and wanted me to come work there.
I was terrified but I took a leap of faith and chose to dive right in, over the course of the next 2.5 years I worked long days and built a solid client base. Finally I was working by appointment only and had more control over my time and my life, it has been one of the scariest yet most rewarding risks I’ve taken in my life.
In April of 2023 I took another scary leap of faith and left my client base of the last 8 years and moved across the country with my two sons and two dogs and settled in middle Tennessee. I took a part-time job for a few months at a big box home improvement store before opening my private tattoo studio on Main Street in Spring Hill. In just 8 months I have steadily built my client base here and am preparing to expand and open a larger location.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have been a full-time tattoo artist for the last 9 years, I am most well-known for my fine-line work despite the various other styles I love and am capable of.
My success in this industry in my opinion has less to do with my artistic talent and more to do with my love for people. One of my favorite things about my career is dealing with people, hearing their stories and being able to hold space for them to process the things they are going through in their lives. I get to spend a great deal of time with these people as I have a very high client-retention rate, I have people that I am still tattooing after 11-12 years since I first started learning! I have laughed with my clients, shed tears with them, become friends with many of them! I have come to view it as a ministry, I get to show up for people in a unique way. Do they love the art I put on their bodies? Of course! But I tend to believe that they feel safe and comfortable with me and that allows them to open up in a way that they don’t normally allow themselves to, I feel so honored to be able to provide an environment that promotes healing and openness.
This journey of becoming a business owner and full-time artist was not easy, but it has been so fulfilling in ways I never could have anticipated. I recognize that my experience in the tattoo industry may not be typical, that it is nothing like what people would think life as a tattoo artist would be; but it has been such an overwhelmingly beautiful and healing journey for me and I am so grateful that it wasn’t typical!
I have learned that your experience is determined by your focus and your choices to make it what you want it to be, and that art isn’t just about the art itself, it’s about people and how you and your art makes them feel.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
As I am new to the middle Tennessee area I may not have a broad enough knowledge of the local area, but I know where I like to go! I would go to The Fainting Goat on Main Street in Spring Hill for some delicious coffee, and a walk around the surrounding area to visit some favorite spots like Rapha Marketplace for shopping for gifts made by over 70 local artisans. Birdy Grace Boutique is great for clothing shopping and is in the same area. Antique shopping at Spring Hill Antique Mall. Lunch at Antonucci’s or Nelly’s Italian Cafe. Of course Natchez Trace State Park to do a little nature walking.
Breakfast at The Brunch Collective for sure! Tito’s at some point for some great Mexican food. Viking Pizza of course.
Other great coffee spots would definitely come into play, like 1819 Coffee, The Awaken House, Tennessee Coffee Co. out in Columbia, which happens to be right by Thrift Love which is my favorite local thrift shop!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost I have to give credit to God for guiding me and healing me through all of life’s ups and downs. The biggest leaps of faith I have taken were followed by massive blessings and rewards for my faith and trust in Him and His provision, this is why my Studio is named ‘God’s Grace Ink’. Without Him my business and my life would be the shades of gray that I existed in before turning to Him in desperation while feeling so lost in this life.
In addition, there are 2 women in particular that I want to recognize for their loving support, my 2 best friends Alley Anderson and Nicole Lesley.
Nicole was just an acquaintance when she called me to see if I’d like to come work in the shop she had just opened.
It was just her and I for the first little while and we supported each other through growing the shop in to the amazing all-female shop that was the first of it’s kind in St. George, Utah. She believed in me before I believed in myself. She was so supportive during my journey in tattooing and also just in general as I navigated life as a tattoo artist and single mother. She was such a good example to me in so many ways and I have so much respect for her. She became one of my closest friends and over the course of the following 8 years Lone Kitten Tattoos became an amazing place where all are welcome and many women have gotten their start there becoming independent business women.
Alley Anderson is my longest standing friend, we met at 18 in California and have stayed friends over the years and despite living in different states and not seeing each other for years at a time we could always pick up right where we left off. Through decades of growing up and becoming parents and all that life brings, we were able to stay in contact. She was the first true friend I ever had, she has loved so many versions of me with such a genuine, unconditional love. She has been there for me through so many changes and tough times in my life, I could always call her and know she would give sound advice and kind, loving support.
When I made the decision to move across the country to Tennessee Alley and her husband provided a landing place and support to help me and my boys after our move here.
When I decided to open the studio they provided not just mental and emotional support, they financially assisted in the opening expenses.
Without the love and support of these 2 amazing women I would not be where I am today. I am so deeply grateful to have such beautiful friendships with both of them.

Instagram: @GodsGraceInk

Image Credits
@ivrymediaworks