We recently connected with Haley McMahon and have shared our conversation below.
Haley, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
I would say that my resilience came to me at a very young age. I was taught early on that if you wanted some thing you had to do it for yourself. Nobody is going to come along and help you simply because you exist. Life is definitely going to get hard and land on you heavy sometimes, and YOU are the only one that you can absolutely rely on to help YOU.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
My name is Haley McMahon. I am born and raised here in Denver Colorado. I learned to tattoo here in Denver shortly after high school.My tattoo lineage has deep roots in Denver tattooing, and I am very proud of that. I take pride on being a well-rounded tattoo artist. Whether it’s a small family all looking to get a simple matching tattoos that can be done in 10 minutes to commemorate their love for one another or a super intricate mandala tattoo with geometric background, a medicinal talisman, a fine line black and gray tattoo, a large scale Japanese style sleeve or back piece, or a straight forward traditional American eagle, I pride myself on being able to do them all, with skill and precision. I specialize in professional tattooing. Big or small I will do it all. It’s just as important to me that my clients have a good experience getting tattooed by me as it is they get a high quality tattoo. I have been tattooing for the last 14 years. The last eight of them I’ve spent at my home, Dedication tattoo on South Broadway in Denver Colorado. You can find me there Wednesdays through Saturdays 12-8 joking with my friends and clients and making my tattoos.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Looking back at my path that has led me to where I’m currently at, one of the most important cornerstones in that foundation has been the study and under understanding of the more technical aspects of my craft. It’s super important to consider what is going to work and what won’t. What will last for years to come and what will fade. The study of tattoo, designs, equipment, application, techniques, and the test of time, what has worked in the past and what has not have all been super important to me. The second would be Mentorship. Remaining curious and teachable has also been indispensable for me. Beginning with my mentors, Eric Cox, and Enrique Lazaro, at Brave New World Tattoo and Alicia Cardenas (rip) at Sol Tribe as well as Sam Yamini and Brian Thurow who I currently work with at Dedication Tattoo as well as everyone along the way who had offered me their jewels of knowledge, mentor ship and always being around people who I can learn from been crucial to me in my career.
The third and last thing I would say that has bee extremely beneficial to me is saying yes as often as possible. To me… it’s up to the client to decide what they want to get tattooed and the tattoo artist to give them a version of that that will look good and last a long time as a tattoo in their skin. It’s not up to me to decide what is cool or to try and talk themout of getting something that I wouldn’t necessarily want to get myself or maybe won’t have fun tattooing. My job is to connect with them. Give them a good experience while they get tattooed and ultimately the most important thing… a tattoo they love that will last for years to come. if it happens to be something that I’m super into drawing and creating. perfect! if it happens to be something that I would get tattooed myself even better!!. but at the end of the day it’s more important for me to be able to connect with people and give them what they’re asking for as a form of service then for me to derive gratification from doing whatever I think is “cool” at that moment. Some people may only get one or just a couple tattoos in their entire lifetime. A tattoo is a sacred and very important mark and just as important as that Mark is the person who creates it.. It is a privilege for me to be that person in all of the lives of the people who i have tattooed. I do not take it lightly and I appreciate the opportunity to be that for them. There’s nothing more special to me than being able to tattoo the name of a loved one who is no longer with us, or to be able to give somebody a tattoo that represents some other form of healing to them, whether it be a relation to themselves, another person or the world around them. as a tattoo artist it’s a special thing to be that for them, and saying yes, as often as possible Allows me to connect with and provide that for many people and for that I am very grateful .
To close, maybe we can chat about your parents and what they did that was particularly impactful for you?
I think one of the most impactful things my parents did for me is always making art available. And whatever form it was the availability to create things and express myself was always there for me. it didn’t matter if I was struggling in school or other areas of my life art, and the ability to create was never taken from me. They always provided space for me to create. When I started expressing interest in Tattoos, it was my dad who took me into my first tattoo shop. He really pushed me towards tattooing. I think he knew before I did that I was going to be a tattoo artist. I remember when I told him I wanted to get tattooed. He went and got tattooed by the guys I wanted to get tattooed by before I did. He always jokes and says that he could tell me it was a bad idea, but I think he was just doing his job as a father and laying himself down to make sure they were going to do a good job before he let me go in. He signed the paperwork since I was only 16 and gave me a ride to the shop. it was interesting going in the shop alone and getting tattooed. Such a young age and even though he wasn’t with me in the moment I knew I had his full support which was very important to me.
Contact Info:
- Website: Dedicationtattoo.com
- Instagram: @haleymctattoos
