that would change the course of her life. “She happened to see
me drawing and told me to stay after school. I’m like ‘why?’
I didn’t want to get to know anyone. I didn’t want to be friends
with anyone,” Alex shares. While one on one, the teacher asked
her to draw something for her. Immediately recognizing her
natural talent, the teacher gave her additional assignments to
help her develop as an artist and hone her skills. This is just the
encouragement she needed. As her 8th grade year came to a
close, she was recognized publicly as a talented artist.
Alex entered Forest Hill Community High School with a newfound
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confidence. Principal, Dr. Mary Stratus, took notice. “She
knew that I was very kept back, but that I wanted to do stuff.
She actually had me design the honor roll t-shirts. She had me
paint around the school, and we got really close. She always kept
an eye on me.” Throughout Alex’s high school years, Stratus
continued to present new opportunities to showcase her art.
During her junior year, Alex made a pivotal decision to begin an
apprenticeship with Outrageous Tattoos in West Palm Beach.
Alex remembers, “Ms. Stratus told me, ‘Just give it five years,
look back, and you’ll thank me.’ I’ve been thanking her since
freshman year.”
Since childhood, Alex had a fascination with tattooing. She
recalls a time her mother got a tattoo. Young Alex, sketchbook
in hand, patiently waited outside the tattoo shop for her to finish
(you had to be above the age of 18 to enter). After all other
customers seemingly left the shop, the owner invited her inside.
“I saw the guy tattoo my mom, and I was like, ‘That would be
cool to put my artwork on someone.’ And I actually wrote a little
note, I was like 11, saying that I wanted to be a tattoo artist,” Alex
recalls with a smile. It wasn’t a phase. Her prowess as a tattoo
artist physically began at age 15 after receiving a kit from her
mother for Christmas. She promptly gave herself her first tattoo,
a puzzle piece. “I did a puzzle piece, because once I find
the right image, I’ll figure out my life. So, it’s like I’m creating my
picture,” she says.
Alex has been in Waynesville for a year and a half. She and her
husband, Charles, love the area and have even picked up hiking
and fishing. You can find Alex tattooing full-time at Forbidden
Color Tattoo in Waynesville. She enjoys helping clients achieve
their ideal image, making sure expectations are met with their
design, color and cost. “It’s a very touching thing for someone
to say, ‘I want you. Not anyone else. Not another shop down the
road or another artist in another state.’ Especially when they
want a true custom tattoo,” says Alex “It’s like all right…I can do
my thing!”
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