Tattoo shop hopes to inspire young artists

Modification Practitioner Cam Magers has successfully trained and certified six other practitioners by offering apprenticeships through his tattoo shop, Ink Element Tattoo Studio located in The Laird Building, 120 S. Washington St., Suite 209. Magers, who has an educational background in the medical field, said he has been a modification practitioner — or tattoo artist — for 19 years, and his shop has been open for six. Magers has succeeded not only by providing professional tattoos and piercings by a reputable team, but also by inspiring other local artists. An important piece of teaching future modification practitioners includes building a comfortable working environment with customers, and being knowledgeable about health and safety, explained Magers. "We treat this like a doctor's office," he said. "It's a practice." Last year, Magers took on apprentice Emily Emani, a 26 year-old from Oklahoma who has wanted to become a tattoo artist since she was 15. Emani recently completed her apprenticeship and is now a certified modification practitioner at the studio. "I've been tattooing for over 19 years and have taught many artists in the industry," Magers said. "But she is by far one of the most driven artists I've ever had as an apprentice." Magers describes Emani as "very, very determined," and said she brings a pleasant, friendly energy to the shop. "You don't want someone that's going to be angry or has bad communication skills with potential clients," Magers explained. He said Emani works well with customers and creates a comfortable environment for clients. "Good customer service is number one for anything," Magers said. "Everybody should be treated with respect right off the bat — first impressions are last impressions." Emani, who currently resides in Tiffin, applied for the apprenticeship through an announcement posted on Facebook by Ink Element Studio. "I've been aspiring to do this for a long time," Emani said, "I reached out, and (Magers) told me to email samples of my art and everything, and that's what I did. Then I had a follow-up interview." "I've always been very much into art," Emani said. "I didn't have a great upbringing, so when I was 15 and the emo/scene phase was really rampant, that really influenced me ... I just related to it a lot and tattoos come with that. Art was always my strong suit, and (the opportunity) just fell into my lap, honestly." Emani said her favorite part of being a modification practitioner is that the nature of it is healing. "Not just for me, but others as well," she said. "I like being able to help people love themselves more. That's the biggest part of it. "It's very tied into energy work as well," she said. "It's very spiritual in a way because you're helping that person to express themselves, how they feel on the inside, and show it to the world and to themselves." Emani specializes in neo-traditional tattoos, and said she enjoys tattooing animals, fruits and other botanical illustrations. One of her favorite pieces she's created was a Venus fly-trap lady head for one of her friends. Additionally, Emani said she wants to specialize in cover-up tattoos. "Honestly I have a lot of bad tattoos, not just from tattooing myself at a really young age, but letting people tattoo me at a very young age, too. I recently had 13 hours of work done on my back to cover up a lot of things I had done at the age of 15, and it was very healing," she explained. "I would love to do that for others." During her apprenticeship at Ink Element Studio, Emani said she learned to have an open mind about tattooing and that there's always room to grow. "I really admire Cam's range," she said of Magers. "I love watching him bring stuff to life in all these different shades and tones of gray. His color work is fantastic, too." Magers said he plans to continue taking other apprentices under his wing, and will be moving his shop into a larger space within the near future to host them. After moving to the new building, Magers said he would eventually like to conduct some type of drawing class for youths in the area. Additionally, he said he would like to inspire youths who may be using art to vandalize, and promote them to express their creativity more positively. Both Magers and Emani are looking to influence other artists through professional guidance and an inviting atmosphere. Emani said she encourages those looking to get into the tattoo industry to "not give up hope." "Have faith and confidence in yourself," she said. "If you're really aspiring to do it, do everything you can to build a portfolio of your art. Draw, paint, do whatever kind of medium that you love. Painting is a really good way to learn how to blend colors and understand colors, which is a big part of this." "Don't be afraid," Magers added. "Anxiety is a huge thing with this line of work, it's a lot of pressure. You have to build nerves of steel. Not only are you doing something permanent, but that person that you're doing it on is watching and critiquing your every move. It's not hard to get into your own head and get intimidated. You have to find that courage if you really want it, and push for it. "Don't beat yourself up when you make mistakes," he said. "Don't let that stop you from excelling."