A collection of photos from the Kat Tat Experience (Aug. 30th-Sept. 1st) hosted by H-F native, Katrina Collins. It included On-site tattoos done by Dallas artists, “P Nut” (left photo) and Kevin LaRoy (right photo) to teach artists how to improve their technique (Photo Credits: Katrina Collins (left), David Pierce (middle), Kevin LaRoy (right)).
Last Sunday (Sept. 1), David Pierce spoke with Homewood-Flossmoor native Katrina Collins, who started doing tattoos in her dorm in 2009 at the University of Missouri and left school to pursue the art in 2012.
Collins later became known as “Kat-Tat” while working at 9 Mag and being featured on VH1’s Black Ink Crew Chicago (2015). She decided she wanted to set her own path in the tattoo industry, so she moved to Los Angeles and opened her shop, Enigma Tattoo, in Beverly Hills in 2018.
Collins returned to Chicago last weekend to host a three-day expo titled the “Kat Tat Experience” at the Marriot Marquis. There, fellow artists got educated on how to better their craft thanks to ink designer “P-Nut” and navigating entrepreneurship as she did.
Collins explained how entering the tattoo world as a Black woman can be scary with it being populated mainly by white males.
But her confidence to do such a thing came from her family.
“You know I got all brothers… I always wanted to do what the boys do,” Collins said. “I just gave it my best foot and powered forward and never let those labels or it being ‘male-dominated’ intimidate me.”
Collins also used the summit to help someone else open a shop. She presented Chicago artist Jay Walton with a $5,000 check, which brought him to tears.
Her decision to select Walton as the winner was not easy.
“I was nervous like, ‘well, what if I pick somebody and they’re not deserving?” Collins explained. “Once I got to meet everybody, something in Jay, it stood out with me.”
Collins seeing Walton’s reaction brought her joy.
“It feels really, really good to give back and to pour into somebody else,” she said.
To watch the full interview, click the video below:
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