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Kitty Love
Kitty Love
01:20

Kitty Love

Arts 2 People

Candler, NC USA

"There will come a point when your interest in working with other people is so compelling there won't be a choice; you'll just be doing it."

Career Roadmap

Kitty's work combines: Art, Non-Profit Organizations, and Working with Others

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Day In The Life

Art Activist/Executive Director

I'm a tattoo artist and also organize business and professional training resources for other artists and creatives.

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Bachelor's Degree

    Medical Illustration/Medical Illustrator

    Maryland Institute College of Art

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life has been direct

  • 1.

    After graduating from art school, she realized she had absolutely no interest in commercial art.

  • 2.

    Met a fellow artist in a bar; he convinced her that they should buy tattoo equipment and start tattooing.

  • 3.

    Traveled around the country in a bus; they'd throw their portfolio down in a bar and just start tattooing people.

  • 4.

    Says she never made a fortune tattooing, but she made a living, and more importantly, she's been her own boss for 19 years.

  • 5.

    At one point, she heard a local task force was trying to rid her city of graffiti; she marched over to their meeting, ready to put up a fight.

  • 6.

    Rather than shutting her down, the task force invited her to share her idea for a legal graffiti wall; she realized open communication was more effective.

  • 7.

    Her idea grew into a 5,000-square-foot communal mural that celebrates the history of Asheville, North Carolina.

  • 8.

    Believes in a "put the oxygen mask on yourself before helping your child" method; you can only devote yourself to helping others once your passion's fulfilled.