Conversations with Emily Sands

Today we’d like to introduce you to Emily Sands.

Hi Emily, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My name is Emily Sands. I’m 29 years old. I am a mom, and an artist.

At an age before I can remember, I was told that I was always drawing. Anything involving art was a favorite hobby of mine, back to the Play-Doh days.

In my hometown of Vandalia, Ohio, I took as many art classes as I could, and I was fortunate enough to have two wonderful teachers in highschool, that really encouraged my dreams of becoming a tattoo artist. I was invited to participate in the Marie Walsh Sharpe Summer Seminar, in Colorado Springs, my junior year in highschool, and by senior year, I was introduced to an incredibly eclectic fine artist, Scott Gibbs who helped guide me further in art at his studio in Dayton, Ohio.

My original tattoo mentor, Robb Lee, allowed me to begin my apprenticeship with him, with parental consent, at age 16, and through him I was introduced to a studio owner in Cookeville, TN, which, in 2015, brought me to this area and led me to build my business and my life here.

I opened my first studio in 2017, and created Black Heart Tattoo in 2019. Working in the heart of Cookeville was a beautiful experience, leading me to move and expand the studio into a larger space just a few miles closer to Nashville, in Baxter, TN.

I now have 3 talented young women working with me in our 2000 sq. ft. tattoo studio, with a lobby full of artworks, sculptures, rare plants and more. My dream has really come into fruition with our new space in 2024.

My goal as an artist, business owner and mentor, is to continue learning and improving my craft, as well as lead a strong and balanced team to do the same.

Tattooing is truly a gift. It is a career that you must sacrifice for, before you are able to realize the benefits that come from this journey in apprenticeship, and throughout your entire career. Many say it is a lifestyle, which can be a blessing, if you treat it with the respect it deserves. Everything comes down to who keeps us going, and that is our clients and their incredible trust and loyalty that they give us everyday, some for decades and more. I am forever grateful and thankful for what tattooing has given me.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The challenges that tattooing will bring upon you are endless, but so are the treasures.

The job is to give tattoos. Who we are giving them to, is the journey that our job gives us everyday. We meet the most beautiful people, and hear all of their stories. We make lifelong friends, bring and receive light in all of our darkest times, and truly bond with one another in a way that is very sacred to me. Anything that comes with this career, such as starving as an artist, it can be feast or famine for many years, even all of the years, or the stressors that society puts on us constantly to be doing things a certain way, instead of being true to our art, we are faced with social media and popularity trends, financial changes in the industry, quality changes in our suppliers, the list really can go on.

No matter the challenges we face, our reward of making connections and building relationships with our clients and being able to make creating art our JOB… knocks them all out of the way for me.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I make tattoos almost everyday, and my step into permanent cosmetics has resulted in me also providing 3D aerola restoration tattooing for breast cancer survivors and more.

I don’t say I specialize in any specific style, as I truly enjoy them all and learning new things and trying new styles. My favorites would have to be black and grey realism, custom lettering, animal portraits, and underwater life color tattoos.

I am most proud of my returning clients of over a decade. They all blow me away and really have seen me grow as an artist and a person.

I think what sets me apart from others, is it is most important to me for my client to wear something they are proud of. I often do cover ups and reworks, which many artists steer away from, as the result may not be the best or as great as their original art may provide, but I love a challenge and to have someone go from wearing clothing or makeup to hide something permanently on their body that they hate, into showing it and crying happy tears. There is nothing better than giving someone their confidence back.

What’s next?
My plans for the future as of right now, is to grow the studio from my three apprentices and I, into 4 tattoo artists ranging in styles and personalities. All of the women at my studio are unique, and incredibly artistically inclined. I am so excited to see where this journey takes them. Our big change was starting out in a new place and growing in July of 2024!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.blackhearttattoo.ink
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilysandstattoo
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/emilysandstattoo