“A person is not old until regrets take place of dreams.” The profound words of senior Jasmine Lee demonstrate a level of philosophic maturity much beyond her years. It is from this security in her own knowledge that the budding artist thrives and plans her future.
“I would love to be a tattoo artist, it’s a great job. I do what I like to do, and I get paid well for it– it’s great for me,” Lee said.
Lee says she definitely feels her enrollment in art at school has helped her realize her dream.
“I’ve done some research for IB Art and Art 4 and I’ve looked into many tattoos for inspiration,” Lee said. “I realized how beautiful they were and I thought I could do that using my skill [as an artist].”
Lee has considered going to a university for the arts, but their high tuition costs have persuaded her to attend a regular college and enroll in art classes there.
“Either way, I’ll be learning more art,” Lee said. “I have sometimes thought of [not going to college and just getting into the business right away], but I think education is still important. I can always get tattoo experience from working part-time, maybe as a tattoo assistant.”
Her grounded view of education has helped her stay straight in the rest of her classes, as she does not believe non-art courses are a waste of time.
“Some are really helpful, [like] Psychology,” Lee said. “I loved that class. I’ve always been interested in how the brain functions and what it actually does. It was just new. I learned so many things.”
Lee has plans to attend NOVA Community College next year on the Pathways Program before seriously considering what school she would like to attend next.
“I really don’t care what school I go to, actually,” Lee said. “As long as I get to pursue my dreams. No matter how sh**ty my school [is], it [won’t] stop me from doing what I love to do.”
Although Lee’s scholastic art teachers have helped her cultivate her craft throughout the years, their assistance has been mostly in-class, whereas a large part of Lee’s inspiration comes from the world that surrounds her. “I find myself being inspired by many things…sometimes music, sometimes any of the people around me…[or] just daily life,” Lee said.
She places a huge emphasis on individuality.
“[As much as I love celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D], I’m not ‘inspired’ by her. I mean, she does amazing stuff, and her sketches are breathtaking,” Lee said. “ I go on her Facebook page and go through her albums to see her works that are posted every day, but I don’t base my work on her’s, ‘cause then the ideas aren’t mine.”
“I think it’s unfair [that the underclassmen now have a limited number of electives]. They should be allowed to take as many varieties of classes as they want, to help them expand their views,” Lee said. “Anything with limits just sucks.”
Lee began drawing when she was just three years old and started painting even before entering elementary school. It was then that she entered numerous competitions for watercolor and oil painting. She continued to compete throughout middle school, but has only competed once while at AHS, placing second and third in each of her respective categories.
Her foray into the world of cosmetology came from working as a shampoo girl at the urging of her parents, both hairdressers. She became more interested in the world of beauty, doing friends’ hair and makeup. She has now combined the two fields and views tattooing as a form of art on the skin.
“Makeup tattoos can be good, but really people gotta check who they’re getting tattooed from, ‘cause they might be bad and tattooing is permanent, obviously. It’ll be just terrifying having crooked tattooed eyebrows,” Lee said.
Lee’s parents are fully supportive of her occupational pursuits, but it wasn’t always that way.
“At first they weren’t all that happy with [me wanting to become a tattoo artist], but they know I like doing what I do,” Lee said. “So now they just support me in what I want to do with my future.”
Lee’s mother, in particular, has influenced her decisions regarding tattoos.
“I don’t have any tattoos yet because I promised my mom I wouldn’t get any before I turned 18,” Lee said. “She just thought it wasn’t appropriate. I’m just keeping the promise.”
Lee’s desired tattoo is surprisingly simple in comparison to the art she so adores.
“A tattoo is art on your skin. Whether it’s meaningful or not, it’s beautiful (or at least it’s supposed to be, if you got a tattoo from a good tattoo artist),” Lee said.
She plans to get a gun tattoed on each hip when the time comes.
“I’m going for a cowboy look, like midwest sheriff. You know how they have guns on their hips and pull them out all cool in the movies? I thought it’d be nice to get a tattoo like that.”
Although Lee views tattooing as an artform, she does not believe getting a tattoo solely for its rebellious stigma is all bad.
“[The only ‘stupid’ tattoos are those that] are completely meaningless and ugly at the same time,” Lee said. “I can’t even explain how [stupid some people are]…I’ve seen people get tattoos that are misspelled and they don’t notice ‘til someone points it out.”
Lee takes up arms at the way tattoos have been branded in the modern age.
“People think that tattooing is just…I don’t know. They seem to think it’s not classy, and not neat, and not formal. I find that negativity so annoying…It’s permanent, yes. But it’s permanent art.”
She also dismisses any health risks associated with ‘inking,’ saying that, with care and caution, 99 percent of infections can be avoided. According to Lee, the only people who should be worried about any sort of poisoning are those with weak immune systems, as prevention is as easy as taking care of one’s skin around the tattooed area and making sure that the tattooist disinfects and cleanses his/her tools before each use.
“I believe in doing as many things as you can while you’re alive. It’s better than staying safe at home and doing nothing risky. The next day you might die and regret not trying things. I’d rather take a lot of risks today and die tomorrow and be happy with my life.”
Lee says that no matter what she ends up doing later on, her one goal in life is to be successful.
“[I want] to be number one.”
