Meet Laura Saadati Kepper

Today we’d like to introduce you to Laura Saadati Kepper.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always been an artist, doodling as long as I can remember, I began tattooing in 1994 in San Francisco after graduating from Art school, I was taught by Marcus Pacheco who I still considered my mentor to this day In 2001, my husband Mike Kepper and I moved to Jacksonville Florida to work at the renowned Inksmith and Rogers where we stayed until 2004. By this point, my family had all moved to East Tennessee and we wanted to be closer. The 1st time we visited Nashville, we felt right at home and knew it was only a matter of time before it would actually be home. We opened Music City Tattoo in July 2004 back then we were on Music Row, it was really a shot in the dark we barely knew anyone and had no clients but we made it work. Hang up the open sign and hope for the best, unfortunately our 1st building was sold to developers a common story here in Nashville and we have since moved to Berry Hill which we love.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Tattooing is a difficult business in many ways, I began before it was socially acceptable, there were no TV shows and pseudo celebrity tattoo artists, not to mention very few women in the business back then. I have had both gender and social obstacles to overcome.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I like to have my hands in lots of creative projects, I oil paint and have a T-shirt line I design with friends from California called Vintage Roots. As far as tattooing these days, I really like to work with people on larger scale pieces that really fit the body; floral botanical designs, animals (eagles, snakes, dragons, etc…) I do a lot of Japanese styles of work it is really is some of the most beautifully transformative tattooing that exists. I like tattoos that you can read from across the room that bold and colorful. I also do a lot of cover ups, most people who end up heavily tattooed have a few regrets and I enjoy the puzzle part of doing cover ups and helping people love something that they weren’t happy with.

So maybe we end on discussing what matters most to you and why?
Family is everything to me. I moved here to be close to family to watch my nephews grow up and be here for my parents as they got older, my husband Mike and I are truly a team. People sometimes think it’s crazy to work with your spouse but we really love it.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: Musiccitytattoo.com
• Instagram: @Laura_musiccitytattoo, @musiccitytattoo
• Facebook: Music City Tattoo