Rising Stars: Meet Devon Greig of Antioch

Today we’d like to introduce you to Devon Greig.

Hi Devon, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I’m a proud Nashville native, making art and music for as long as I can remember. In late 2013, just a couple years into my time at Rhodes College, I started my tattoo apprenticeship at a cutthroat street shop in Memphis. By the time I graduated, I had started doing guest spots in various states across the south. Before long, I ended up in Kentucky, settling there for a couple years and trying out tattoo conventions. I had guested with Tai Orten before, and she called me up one day saying she wanted to start a whole new shop in Nashville unlike any other. I was happy to finally come home, and Alchemy Nashville was born, an artist-first, queer, and woman-owned local business. We have grown since then, including another location in Murfreesboro, and my awesome clients have kept me very busy.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Tattooing isn’t as glamorous as reality tv would lead you to believe. It’s a lot of late nights working on designs, social media content creation, answering booking questions 24/7, and pouring your heart and soul into your art then bittersweetly watching it walk out the door. And that’s just the daily struggle.

During my apprenticeship, I had to prove how badly I wanted this difficult lifestyle. I was full time in college, juggling up to four different part-time jobs, all while working unpaid at the tattoo shop. I actually have a tattoo to commemorate this time on my forearm, a candle burning at both ends, so I don’t forget how hard I worked to get to where I am now.

More recently, I was faced with my biggest challenge yet. In May 2024, my dominant hand was broken in a car accident. I was terrified that my now decade-long career would come to a screeching halt. Fortunately with an excellent surgeon and months of physical therapy, I am already back to working full-time. Over the past year I’ve probably experienced more personal growth than ever in my life, which may not have happened without such a difficult challenge to overcome. For that I am grateful.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I adore color! In my early years I was a painter, and it feels so natural to translate that experience to color tattoos. Since my return to Nashville, my watercolor style has really taken off. But really I love all kinds of colorful styles, from illustrative to realistic.

When it comes to subject matter, I am always partial to plants and animals. I end up doing a lot of pet portraits. As someone with two cats, three dogs, a parrot, and three fish tanks, I am definitely enthusiastic for the job.

Many people come to me for coverups as well, and I honestly enjoy the challenge. I think many artists balk at coverups, preferring to work with an untouched area, maybe unsure how best to cover something large or dark. But I have covered a full back tattoo, old 90s tribal, and whole sleeves of scratcher work. I do think years of experience boost that confidence, as I can no longer count how many coverups I’ve done in my career.

But the work I will always be the most proud of is memorials. I think there is something sacred about carrying your loved ones in your living skin, as if this representation of them is alive itself. It can be very healing and cathartic for many of my clients, who perhaps resonate the physical pain of the tattoo process with their grief. I even tattooed myself once in honor of a dear lost friend, and I feel comfort in keeping a part of them with me. It is an honor to hear my clients’ stories of their families and friends, and to work towards a bit of closure together.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
The truth is, I’m just a huge nerd. Sure, I play video games, Dungeons & Dragons, and Magic The Gathering. But really I could talk your ear off about the symbiotic relationship between yellow bellied sap suckers and pileated woodpeckers, or the bizarre orbits of quasi-moons like Zoozve. Growing up fishing and camping on Percy Priest Lake fostered an early fascination with the natural world. I like to think this passion is reflected in my work, though perhaps not at first glance.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://devongtattoos.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/theswiftstorm
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/theswiftstorm
• Other: https://tiktok.com/@theswiftstorm