Interview with Katie Adams
DialUp: Can you introduce yourself?
Katie Adams: I’m Katie, a multidisciplinary artist based in Capitol Hill! My background is in math and statistics (in another life, I was getting a PhD in statistics), but I am now in the process of becoming an artist full time.
DU: How did you get into art and tattooing?
KA: I come from a long line of artists, so I have been drawing and creating for as long as I can remember (and honestly, probably before that). I got into tattooing by chance. I was getting a tattoo by somebody who knew I liked to make art, and he casually mentioned that I should tattoo. I had never considered tattooing before that, but something clicked for me and it felt like the right thing to do. So after that, I went home and started to teach myself.
DU: What inspires your art? World events, environment and/or other artists?
KA: I am inspired by everyday life. I love interesting-looking people, my community, and mundane items. I also find inspiration from my friends, especially local artists like Annika Papke (@annikapapke), Avery Tucker (@lookatmyartplz), Tyler Sanville (@tyler.makes.things), Jules (@mosaicslush), and Miriam Julianna (@glassclassdc).
DU: What are the limitations of the art forms you practice? Do you have any advice for aspiring artists/tattooers for getting started?
KA: I have a neurological condition that left me with reduced vision in my left eye and a permanent tremor in my dominant hand. However, I like to think of my tremor as an artistic quirk that directly influences my style. In general though, I think that tattoo culture can be intimidating, which is a pretty big barrier to entry. Otherwise, art is so fun because there are rarely limitations!
My advice for any new artist, tattoo or otherwise, is to buy a cheap hand-poke tattoo kit and just practice at home on either fake skin or an orange. It’s easier to pick up than you would think! And I think every artist should try it at some point. Tattoo seems like a foreign medium, but learning to tattoo has made me a better artist overall.
DU: How did you find your community as an artist?
KA: I have found my community through tattooing. The DMV has an incredible system of queer and female tattoo artists who have continued to encourage and inspire me. I also put effort into reaching out to artists directly when I like their work and trying to schedule time to grab coffee.
DU: How do you define success as an artist?
KA: I think success in general is defined by setting some vague goals and putting in effort to meet them. It’s important to keep your goals flexible, so that they can change over time as your skills grow and your priorities shift.
DU: Do you view the different mediums you use as interconnected or as separate practices?
KA: All of my art comes from my brain and my body, which is the unifying factor in all of my work. I have been working on stained glass recently, which has inspired me to create collages that mimic the appearance of stained glass. I love stained glass because it reminds me of Capitol Hill. I moved to Capitol Hill because I needed to live near a metro that would take me to campus as a PhD student. I was getting a PhD in statistics because I love puzzles and problem solving. And stained glass is essentially creating a puzzle with glass. The mediums I use are inherently interconnected, because they are all parts of me.
DU: What inspired the circus theme of your tattoo designs for this issue?
KA: The circus theme of my zine + flash sheet comes from how weird I’ve felt recently living in the world, especially in DC. But I have also felt comforted by my immediate community, who I know is looking out for me because they all feel weird too. The circus is surreal, but it’s also extremely tangible because it’s person-centric. That’s exactly how DC has felt to me since inauguration. So maybe the circus analogy is a little on the nose (clown pun?), but it felt like a relatable metaphor for a lot of people right now.