Marissa Monroe of Brooklyn on Life, Lessons & Legacy

Marissa Monroe shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.

Hi Marissa, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What is a normal day like for you right now?
A normal day in my life right now is all about balance. Being your own boss and working in a creative field are both really rewarding things, but can make it hard to strike a good work/life balance. I try to start my mornings at home and work-free. I’ll take a shower, walk my dog, do any apartment cleaning, and get ready for the day before checking my computer. I then try to do a yoga class about 3 times a week, before hitting up a cafe to get some work done. I’ve found it really important to separate work from my home. While I don’t have a typical office to go into, going somewhere other people are working helps to get me in that mindset. If I’m not getting computer work done, I’ll be at the studio tattooing or working on illustrations. After that I try to see at least one friend a day. Whether that’s dinner, grabbing a drink, going to a museum, or just hanging out at home – the community I surround myself with is what keeps me grounded. I try to end my days the way I start them – phone and computer free. Hanging out with my roommate and dogs, lighting a candle, putting on a face mask, and doing something creative that’s not tied to my work.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name’s Marissa Monroe (known at Pink Princezzz on the internet, and sometimes real life). At 17, I moved to New York City, and at 19 I began my apprenticeship and entered the tattoo industry. I began cultivating a following of people just like me – people who love all things pink, fashionable, and luxurious. In a male-dominated industry, I’ve done my best to carve out a corner for me and my clients to feel at home in. I love the relationship I have with every single one of my clients. It feels like we’re all apart of secret club more than anything else. I began releasing merch inspired by my designs in February 2024, and hope to continue making the world a pinker place.

Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What relationship most shaped how you see yourself?
Female friendships might be the most amazing, magical thing I’ve ever experienced. I’ve never felt more seen and cared for than I have by the friends I’ve made since I moved to New York. Having such a strong community has completely transformed how I see myself. When you have people that see you so clearly – who see you at your lowest and still show up for you, who see you at your best and are there cheering for you – it almost makes it impossible to not see yourself through their eyes. Nurturing those relationships and seeing just how healing friendships can be has made me a more confident and caring person, and has boosted my own self-worth.

When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Becoming comfortable with your pain and intense emotions is such an important lesson to learn as you navigate life. A lot of people tend to bottle up their feelings, and get through the logistics of a situation. I’ve always been an emotions first person, and it’s something I used to struggle with. I felt like I wasn’t capable of doing anything until I felt my feelings first and would sometimes try to force myself to make decisions and take action quicker than I was emotionally ready for. As I’ve gone through more life altering events as an adult, I’ve learned to really love this trait about myself. I think it can be really hard to be honest and vulnerable about how you’re feeling as your feeling things. It’s almost always easier to look back at a situation and talk about it, but to be able to accurately name your feelings as they’re happening is another thing entirely. It’s something I’m still figuring out, but I’ve learned that nothing helps you process things more than showing your pain and emotions and feeling them as they happen. While you shouldn’t make every decision just based on your emotions, acknowledging them and embracing them is a power in and of itself.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. What do you believe is true but cannot prove?
I believe that’s what meant to be yours in this life cannot pass you by. That’s not to say that you can sit by and watch life happen, but I think as long as you’re making decisions and moving forward towards the things you love and are passionate about – nothing that’s truly meant to be a part of your life will pass you by. If it does, that just means there’s something more aligned coming. I used to struggle with feeling like I was never doing enough, like I needed constantly be doing more. It was hard for me to say no to anything because it felt like everything in life was an opportunity. It was an exhausting way to live, and was a hard to habit to break. But once I really started to focus on myself and my passions – it became clear that things have a way of working out.

Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I’ve asked myself this question a lot. When I started having success in this industry, I felt myself becoming my career. I didn’t know how to separate who I was from what I did. I would often question whether the people in my life would still be in my life if I didn’t have the success that I did. It made me cherish my friends that I had before my career even more. Eventually I started to draw a harsher boundary between my work and my life. While they are constantly influencing each other, I think it’s important to find a balance between the two. I have friends who would never get a tattoo. I make art that is not for public consumption. And I try to do things that I would still want to do if everything else went away. I almost treat my career like a relationship. While it’s so fulfilling and rewarding, it’s important to have a full life outside of it.

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Image Credits
Hunter Carrico

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