Old Tradition Tattoo Chris “Suicide” Sanchez

MISS VAMPIRA

Hailing from Orange County, California, Mary Minahan, aka Miss Vampira, moved to NYC to pursue tattooing. She graduated from San Francisco State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree. She is now a full-time tattoo artist that specializes in Blackwork and Portrait Realism–with an emphasis on horror and pop culture ⸺ Who/where do you get your inspiration from? I mainly get my inspiration from horror, halloween, and movies; I could go on and on. Pop culture has always been huge in my life, and it truly inspires my artistic expression ⸺ What advice would you give to someone about getting his or her first tattoo? (A tattoo virgin) Honestly, just go for it - don’t overthink it, and don’t ask everyone you know for advice on the design. Trust yourself and your artist. Plus, once you have the tattoo, you’ll love it, even if it sucks ⸺ What did your family and friends think about you getting into the tattoo business? They were all probably thinking, “it’s about time.” And now, even my parents want tattoos, so it’s pretty rad ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? Being able to create art that not only interests and inspires me but my clients as well. It’s incredible to know how many people enjoy the same weird things I do. Not to mention being able to wear and act like my true self. It’s one of the only “jobs” that allows you to truly be yourself ⸺ What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing? Everything…but mainly, I’ve always liked to be a little different, and tattooing embodied that for a while. You can wear the things you love permanently on you, and that’s so cool to me ⸺ Who and what influences you to create your work? 1Bob Tyrrell is a huge influence on me. We both started tattooing around the same age and love horror–so he is extremely inspiring to me, especially when I thought I was too old to start a new career, especially this career ⸺ What do you think is in store for the future of tattooing? I have no idea, but I hope it sticks around. ✕