We were lucky to catch up with Nikki O’Brien recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nikki, so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
My optimism is my personal rebellion in a system that profits from procuring pessimism.
It’s my defiance to being moulded by outside circumstances that would love nothing more than to sink me. An opposing force to succumbing to the disheartening parts of life.
Optimism is so often dismissed as something silly or even delusional. To me, optimism is nothing short of fierce. It’s undefeated parts of me that refuse to lose hope, drive or myself – regardless of what life serves me.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I’m a cosmetic tattoo artist who centers my craft around intuitively creating organic & natural results rooted in intentionality. I specialize in fluffy, organic brows, hand-poked freckles, subtle but impactful lash line enhancement & glowy lip blushing. I am lit up by watching my clients beam at their reflections & glow with newfound confidence. It fills my heart to be able to connect with my incredible community through a career that marries my love of personal aesthetics & art.
When this article is published, our cosmetic + decorative tattoo shop, VONFLUFF, will have been open for 3 months. A surreal dream brought to reality, I’m so thrilled & thankful to be able to provide a clean, natural light & love-filled safe space for all people, all bodies, to come & receive their permanent adornments.
It’s been an absolute labor of love & an adventure to say the least. The path of small business entrepreneurship isn’t always ‘easy’ to navigate, especially as the foundation is being laid. More importantly, I would be nowhere near this moment without the support, belief & care of those around me who have helped bring this incredible new chapter into being. Especially from my husband, who is not only the co-owner of VONFLUFF but the backbone of bringing the vision of our space to life through his unwavering support & power tool savvy.
It’s just so special; I get to work with two of my dearest friends & favourite artists while also having the ability to welcome guest artists from all over the country (& world!) to our beautiful studio & all the magic Austin has to offer.
You’ll be able to feel the positive energy the second you walk through the door & enter into our beautiful space. Everything is curated with intention, from the decor & plants to the services we provide. We offer cosmetic & decorative tattoos, lash enhancements & makeup artistry with a focus on eco-friendly & cruelty free supplies & products.
It’s truly such a unique & special place to support your personal expression with artists who are just as passionate about bringing your goals to life as you are.
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?
Self responsibility, boundaries & self worth.
If you don’t have the drive to be better, whether as an artist or simply as a human, then there is no expansion. It’s imperative to breathe through the contractions when we’re tempted to stay small, let ourselves lose our grip on our goals or allow pessimism to devour our dreams. It is our personal responsibility to alchemize life’s lead into gold & to own our own path. Even if that means acknowledging when it is us ourselves impeding the way forward. No one owes you the effort of creating of the life you dream of – but you. The power that comes with that level of self responsibility moves mountains.
Boundaries. What a minefield it can be navigating the application of boundaries! Both in business & personal life, your boundaries are imperative. Whether it’s having to enforce your business policies, taking up space in regards to what’s best for you or protecting your personal peace & wellbeing – it is your birthright to have say in your world.
Self worth can be tricky in a world that profits off us being insecure. However, I am here to remind you to shine your light. We all need the beacon of authenticity in such tryingly filtered times. It can be uncomfortable at best to allow ourselves to be seen for who we are & what we create but truly, we are a magnet for magic when we value ourselves. It allows us the extra aura of protection on hard, critical days & reminds us that we deserve to keep going; to keep growing, beaming & blooming.
These are the sparks that light the way forward.
Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
In a time where the need to focus on sustainability & care for am increasingly strained environment, it’s been a unique challenge to apply these priorities to the tattoo industry, where so much of our supplies are single use & often plastic based.
Finding eco friendly alternatives to the everyday staples in our practices while maintaining the level of quality, durability & safety has been a huge priority when opening our business. Tattooing can produce so much waste from protective barriers to paper towel use so we’ve created a solution by investing in biodegradable, anti microbial single-use items for our procedures as well as the use of biodegradable gloves & sustainable bamboo paper towels that cut back on landfill waste & deforestation but maintain our high standards of effectiveness & safety.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.nikkivonfluff.com/
- Instagram: @nikkivonfluff & @vonfluff.atx
Image Credits
Photos taken by myself (of my work) Professional photos by @manderbot
