ERIKA IS OFFICIALLY RETIRING FROM TATTOOING. IF YOU HAVE A TATTOO THAT IS UNFINISHED BY ERIKA, SHE WILL COMPLETE YOUR WORK, BUT YOU MUST CALL THE STUDIO BEFORE MARCH 1, 2009 TO SCHEDULE ALL REMAINING TATTOO APPOINTMENTS. DO NOT E-MAIL OR ASK QUESTIONS HER LETTER OF RESIGNATION IS BELOW. JUST CALL AND SCHEDULE THE APPOINTMENT. YOU CAN DISCUSS HER DECISION WHILE SHE TATTOOS YOU. AFTER THAT, ALL CLIENTS THAT ARE UNFINISHED AND WHO HAVE NOT CONTACTED ERIKA WILL HAVE TO HAVE THEIR WORK FINISHED BY ANOTHER ARTIST AT ART & SOUL. NO EXCEPTIONS.

RETIREMENT 01/31/09

For fifteen years now, I made tattooing a huge priority in my life. I did all that I could to put my tattoo art, clients and business first in my life. I feel that I’ve done a good job doing that and I hope that it shows. I think many of my clients and hopefully many of my colleagues can see that I have contributed much to the tattooing community. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to prove myself and to make so many people happy with their tattoos!

For the last few years, it has been a huge struggle and a source of stress for me to put aside my aspirations to take on other projects and personal goals in order to meet the needs of my clients and the demands of providing a safe, secure, inspirational (and now beautiful) place to work for my artists and our clients and friends. I feel like I’ve sacrificed many things to do this. Now that I’ve recently turned 40, it’s time for me to claim some time for myself to follow these other beckoning paths before it’s “too late.”

For the past seven years, I’ve set aside my goal of starting a family, thinking, “I’ll have time next year…” well, seven of those “next years” have now passed and the “gates” are about to close… I have to do something NOW. Trying to balance all of my career responsibilities is a HUGE distraction from this life goal and I feel seven years of sacrificing one for the other is more than enough to prove my best of intentions for my clients and artists.

I’ve also had the idea for the past four years to write, illustrate, design and photograph a series of books which I’m now going to begin. And these two projects together are a HUGE source of excitement and inspiration for me. I just don’t feel the same excitement as I used to have towards tattooing any more.

So I am officially announcing my retirement from tattooing. I will still be a major part in running my studio and taking care of my artists and clients, but I don’t have the patience for the time-consuming task of designing and applying tattoos. I also feel like I have sacrificed enough. I want to walk away from being a tattoo artist with joy, not with resentment. I will only finish my current projects. I will not be starting any new projects on clients or continuing to add onto tattoos that I have previously done. My heart is just not in it anymore. I will not enjoy taking on any new projects until the other neglected aspects of my life are addressed and realized.

If I have spoken with you regarding a new project, please contact me and I will refer you to one of our artists who I think is best for the job. They are all fine artists and craftsmen and I am totally confident that they would do a job that I would also be proud of. If I didn’t feel strongly about their skills and dedication, I wouldn’t have hired them. If anyone wants amazing tattoos done, I hope that you will support me and my artists and my decision and be grateful enough for the services I have provided for the past fifteen years to keep your business at Art & Soul. It is so important to me that my business and my artists will still benefit from the many years of sacrifice and work that I have given to the tattoo community. All of my artists are hand-selected for their talents and excellent work attitude. By keeping your business at Art & Soul, you will be supporting the people who have been supporting me through this difficult decision and also you will be showing your support for me to pursue my life’s dreams. I will probably be even better at running my business now that I won’t be as tied down.

I want to thank everyone who has ever touched my life in the process of bringing me fifteen amazing years of tattoos and thirteen years of a stable and ever-growing business! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Be proud! I cannot express in words how much you did to help me achieve this level of success and how much it means to me to have this “luxury” to now pursue what I really want out of my life. I couldn’t have done all of this and also do what I’m doing now without your support.

From the bottom of my soul, thank you all! I’ll see you at Art & Soul! I will still be around to say hello and help out when I can. I look forward to seeing you all there! Wish me luck in my new endeavors!

With warmest sincerity,

Erika Stanley

More pages!

Click on the orange arrows!