Meet Rebecca Flaum

We recently connected with Rebecca Flaum and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Rebecca with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?

I grew up in a family that was comfortable, though never lavish. My father was a Polish Jew whose parents were imprisoned in concentration camps during WWII but somehow survived and went on to start a family. The family emigrated to Canada in the 60s when my father was 13 and had to build up their lives from nothing. My dad learned English and worked incredibly hard to achieve a PhD in nuclear physics and then started his own family. My father always told me I could pursue whatever kind of career I wanted–even supporting me in pursuing a career in art–but also pushed me to be the best I could possibly be at everything I tried. He made me believe I could succeed at anything, as long as I put in the work. Knowing that he had built himself up from nearly nothing I believed him. I knew that if I was willing to commit myself to something I could make it happen, and that’s been proven true again and again in my life.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’ve been passionate about art since I was a tiny thing. I used to go through reams and reams of printer paper, filling them with drawings of cats, horses, even my own little comic characters. I knew when I entered the world I would have to find something related to art to pursue as my career. I got an MFA in graphic design and worked as a designer for a few years but the work wasn’t quite right. I quit and tried to make it as a freelance illustrator but that never quite worked either. Finally I made friends with a tattoo artist and started to see that as a viable career. I’d always loved body art, and had several tattoos myself, but had never imagined it was something I could do. My friend convinced me otherwise.

Now I get to put my art on people and they pay me for it! People travel from across the country just to have me tattoo them. I mostly do custom designs so I work with clients to take their vision and make it an artistic reality. I was never good at having a boss so when I inherited a little money right around the time I got my tattoo license I used it to open a shop. My shop, Oak Iris Tattoo, has now been in business for five years and I have six other artists sharing the space with me. The name of the shop represents my history: the iris is the national flower of France, where I was born, and the oak represents Oregon, what I now call my home.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

The most important skill I’ve developed over my life is the ability to work well with people. Treating my clients and coworkers as equals and with warmth and respect has led to fierce loyalties among them. I have clients who return to me again and again because I make the experience of getting tattooed such a positive one.

Another important skill I’ve developed is organization. Learn spreadsheets! They can help with so many things, even in an art career. I track my supply counts and expenses, keep track of client history and details, and many other things using spreadsheets and notes apps like Evernote.

And finally I recommend you work on your flexibility. Not physical, but mental. I’m always ready to work with clients whose schedules change or ideas change or coworkers who need help last minute. As a neurodivergent person it doesn’t come naturally to me to be able to go with the flow but I’ve worked hard to bend with life so I don’t break.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking for tattoo artists who want to share a comfortable space. I love bringing in artists either full time or just as guests who have experiences different from those of me and my coworkers so we can share and learn from each other.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.rebeccaflaum.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/bextattoos