I'm pretty sure my tattoo career began the day I received my first tattoo at the age of 16. I remember wanting to take the machine out of the guy's hand & do it myself,but instead I kept trying to backseat drive the tattoo-I would've hated me if I were him. Two years later,my hopes of holding the machine in my own hand became a reality when I was offered an apprenticeship based on a drawing for a friend's tattoo.
I relocated to Chicago in 1994 & a year later was offered the humbling experience of working next to Guy Aitchison at Guilty & Innocent Productions-the person who is solely responsible for melting my brain when it came to tattoos. Several years later, I opened Cherry Bomb Tattoo & worked alongside my friend Patrick Cornolo for 10 plus years & simultaneously cultivated a deep love for yoga.
The idea of living in California had haunted me since my teens, and when I had just about resigned the idea of doing so, I got a call to join LA Ink.....and so I did, for 3 seasons.
Aside from whisking me away to Los Angeles,the experience introduced me to many inspiring new artists & friends, and has re-acquainted me with old friends from the tattoo community-it's been the best move of my life to date. My life in tattooing has been no less than serendipitous, and 18 years later, I'm still privileged to do what I love to do-and I love it more than ever!
I feel truly blessed-
-Kim Saigh
