TUCSON, Arizona (KGUN) — 24-year-old tattoo artist Rain Buckley has opened her own tattoo studio, Sphynx Inx, but it hasn’t been easy.
When Buckley was a teenager, she came into contact with methamphetamine.
“I got really deep into it,” Buckley said. “I have a long genetic predisposition to addiction and alcoholism, so it was really easy for me to fall into that lifestyle and I lost everything.”
She was homeless for more than two years. For the last year and a half she was completely alone.
“That’s when most of the, you know, pretty scary, like real, physical things started happening, when I was alone and vulnerable,” Buckley said.
After she was weaned, she got a tattoo done at a tattoo studio and came across an apprenticeship opportunity there.
She later worked as a junior artist in another tattoo studio.
Now she is opening her own shop, “Sphynx Inx,” in the hopes of inspiring others with the meaning of tattoos to them.
“Strength, courage, you know, being artistic, being unique and being fun,” Buckley said.
Maria Staub
She also passes on her wisdom to her own student, 19-year-old Isabella Stewart, who said her family did not support her artistic goals.
“She’s basically my second mother,” Stewart said. “She gives me that second chance that I didn’t have as a child, you know, so it’s a very awakening experience for me and a great spiritual healing.”
Maria Staub
Buckley offers advice on topics such as running a business and setting it up for clients.
Learning the business side of things helps Stewart, who also has another business where she makes and sells clothing.
“I never thought I would have the opportunity to do something like this,” Buckley said. “As a kid, I always dreamed of being artistic, doing body mods, tattooing or piercings.”
When Stewart’s training is over, she will work alongside Buckley doing tattoos.
Sphynx Inx is located at 3776 N 1st Ave. Their grand opening is Wednesday, where they will be offering their $20 “flash” tattoos for free.
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