As a part of our series about “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me When I First Became An Artist” I had the pleasure of interviewing Young Bae.
Young Bae is a tattoo artist and founder of Diamond Tattoos NYC. A successful businesswoman trained as a fine artist, Young Bae is a courageous and charismatic tattoo artist whose talents landed her a reality show and a following of more than one million fans on Instagram. The self-taught tattoo queen whose clientele includes people of all walks including high-profile fans of her work, is known for her outgoing personality and for fueling her passion for art and fashion with hard work. After overcoming years of abuse, poverty, and homelessness throughout her childhood and teen years, her ability to sketch, draw and paint earned her prizes, awards and eventually an academic scholarship to an art university where she was able to hone her craft and find her calling to help others through the art of tattooing.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I was born in Seoul, South Korea. My mom came from a wealthy artist family, and my father was — well, I guess you could say — a little crazy. He was interested in the money and my grandfather was not having it. And so, when my father did not get what he wanted, that is when the physical and mental abuse towards my mother, my sister and I started. Eventually, the three of us left Korea for America to get away from my father. My mother was not able to care for my sister and I and we ended up moving around a lot. I learned that it is hard to break away from poverty because no one wants to give you an opportunity. But fortunately, even on those nights when the only place we had to sleep was in the art studio where my mother was a teacher, being surrounded by brushes and paint inspired me, even as a young child.
Can you share a story of what brought you to the specific career path you’re on now?
I have been painting and drawing all my life. That was really the only way for me to express my feelings and how I felt inside, because I wasn’t allowed to do that at home. That was part of the abuse in my household growing up. I could not cry when I was sad. I could not be mad when I was angry. I could not smile when I was happy. So, the only way for me to express how I was feeling was to sketch, paint and draw. At the time, my dream was to become a fine art artist. But after leaving Korea and coming to New York with $80 in my pocket, I realized quickly that I had to find a way to earn a living. That is how I discovered tattooing. It was a way for me to pay the bills and support my art, but I turned out to be pretty good at it.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
After working for a few tattoo shops, I decided to start my own business. I rented this little space on 46th Street in Times Square. It was literally a storage room in the back of an eyebrow threading shop. I got licensed, worked three additional jobs to afford the $1000/month overhead and scoured the area to find shelves, paint — anything I could — to decorate it. I upholstered my first tattoo chairs with fake leather I found on the street. Then every day I would go out and hold up this big sign advertising my shop, and miraculously people showed up. Eventually, so many people showed up that I quickly outgrew the space — that was amazing to me! Word spread about me and my shop, and reality TV producers started to come around. Meanwhile, my business got bigger and busier, and eventually I was asked to join VH1’s popular show, “Black Ink Crew: New York” during its 5th season.
What are some of the interesting or exciting projects that you are working on right now?
Well, I am an artist, but I am also a businesswoman, and I have a couple of businesses at the moment. For example, I have a brand-new workout line — 2one2apparel — that was picked up by Footlocker and went into their stores in May. I’m also working on my book, Young is Blessed. I love work. I just do not know how to rest. That is my problem. I am constantly working; it is just how I am built. It is sad to say, but I think part of it comes from not wanting to go back to where I was; to being homeless, to not being able to eat. And now that I have my son, my every thought is ‘I have to provide, I have to provide, I have to provide.’ That has been my life since the moment I came to America. I am used to working 16-, 18-, 20-hour days, not sleeping, seven days a week. I did that for 10 years straight. By age 27, I developed arthritis — that is how much I worked tattooing. Nowadays, I need a special camera in my car just to be able to drive because I am not able to look back. My neck is literally like a tree now from working so much. I guess I abused my body working, but I did not care, I just told myself, ‘You have to do this.’ I could not go back to where I was.
Who are some of the most interesting people that you have interacted with? What was it like? Any interesting stories?
It is crazy how tattoo artists become their client’s therapists. They come and see you for a few hours. They sit in your chair, in pain as you work, and they talk to you and [they] feel better about themselves. It is funny how tattooing can do that to people. So, I have heard a lot of crazy stories from my clients who tell me things that they would not even tell their own parents. But there was one client from the UK. He never had a tattoo before. He was wealthy and would visit Times Square every year. And every year for four years starting at age 93, he would come see me in my little shop. At 93 he got his first tattoo, then he came back for a second one, and a third one, and I did a fourth one. I think he passed after that because I did not see him anymore, and I have not seen him since. The [first] tattoo did not even come out right because he was on a lot of medications, and he was in a wheelchair, and at that age, the skin is not the same so I would apply the needle and immediately, the ink would spread across and inside his skin. But the fact that he finally had a tattoo at age 93 made him so happy. Sometimes I feel like a healer, and I think if this is what makes my clients happy, then this is what I will do. I feel honored that I can make someone smile and help make their day. It is an amazing feeling!
Where do you get your inspiration from? And if you have a story to go along with it.
The inspiration for my art usually just comes from whatever is going on in my head, what I am going through, how I feel at that moment. That is what I am used to. To this day, because of the things that I went through as a child, I still have a hard time expressing my feelings or opinions with words. I am working on it. I have been working on it, especially now that I have a son. But it is hard. So, I still draw whatever is in my head. Whatever I am feeling, I paint, I draw, I sketch.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
Yes, that is important to me, but I also struggle with that. A lot of people say, “you inspire me.” But with everything I have been through and am still going through, I think, how can I inspire anyone? But I share my story and I keep working on myself. I try my hardest to be there for people in need, and one day soon I hope to start my own non-profit to raise money for children in need. In the meantime, I am excited to share #MyArtStory in partnership with @MyNumberStory to help raise awareness of the impacts of childhood adversity and trauma long-term — be it physical or mental — and how art can be a way to heal.
From the time I was a child, I found strength in being able to express myself through art. It helped me get through some very difficult times in my life. Art has healing power, and it is such an amazing tool because you can do whatever you want with that tool. You can fix somebody’s heart. You can fix somebody’s tears. It’s an amazing thing.
For example, one of my specialties is cover-up tattoos for people who have scars from cutting themselves. They come to me with their pain, sometimes they will cry to me in my studio. And when they leave my shop, they have a big smile on their face. So, there is no doubt in my mind that art can heal.
When @MyNumberStory asked me to share #myartstory on Instagram I was humbled. We made a video and I have been amazed at the thousands of views and comments it has received. Childhood adversity and trauma is something so many of us have faced, so I hope others will be inspired to share their story of healing through art — because sharing can be a powerful force for good!
What are five things you wish someone had told you when you first started out on your path to being an artist?
I never thought about that, but it would have helped to hear someone just tell me, “Everything will be ok.” It is hard when you do not know where you are going or where you might end up and you have those constant feelings of uncertainty. All I could do was just keep working hard. But just having someone tell me ‘Everything is going to be fine” — just having that reassurance — would have been amazing!
I would also want a young artist to know that they should not think about what others think or say about you. My situation was bad, and it was hopeless at times, and I had to grow up fast, but I had no time to think about what others thought about me if I wanted to get out of the situation that I was in and move forward.
It is also important to enjoy every moment. No matter what I was going through, there was never a time I would complain that I was working too much or too hard. Never. I was grateful and thankful for every moment. Every client, small or big, did not matter to me, because there are millions of tattoo artists in New York City, and the fact that they chose me meant everything to me.
I believe it is important to know that there is greatness waiting for all of us. I give God the credit for not just where I am today, but where I am headed. I kept the faith that poverty, homelessness and abuse would not be the end of my story. Instead, I would come out on top and go on to help others who are vulnerable like I was. You must be determined to live and share your best life now.
Also, never underestimate the power of word-of-mouth — it is what helped people find my little shop and got me to where I am today.
You are a person of great influence, if you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would it be?
For me, it is all about the importance of expression to heal and find happiness. Within the culture and the home life that I grew up in, you could not express your feelings. Thankfully, I found art as a way to say what I was thinking and feeling, and it changed my life for the better in so many ways. It gave me my career, and it allows me to help others.
Whether it is through #MyArtStory or my own non-profit, I would really love to start a movement that helps young girls and young adults who are in situations similar to what I experienced. There are a lot of girls who have been through hell, and while our situations may be different, I know what it is like to feel hopeless, helpless, and alone. Even with a mother and father, you can still feel alone. Art was my escape because it gave me a way to express my feelings, but I remember what it was like being less fortunate and having no one to talk to or turn to for support, encouragement, or reassurance. Instead, I had to keep it all a secret.
If there’s one person in the world, or in the U.S., that you would like to have a private breakfast or lunch with, who would it be and why?
My father. Never had that. I would like to hear his side of the story.
What is the best way our readers can follow you on social media?
Readers can connect with me on Instagram @youngisblessed. I also encourage everyone to check out @mynumberstory on Instagram where you will find the video I did for #myartstory as well as lots of helpful content to learn more about how to understand and heal from childhood adversity.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBy99e2lGwI
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
