Meet Bee Sue | Tattooer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bee Sue and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bee Sue, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I never really looked at tattooing as starting my own business. I just wanted to tattoo and in doing so, the business side came with it. Technically I’m an independent contractor and work at someone else’s shop, but that still puts me in the “self employed” bubble since I make my own hours, prices, and choose which project to take on. I’m very thankful to work at a shop that’s so laid back and let’s me have near complete control, not all of them are like that.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Tattooing is not for the meek. It’s hard on every aspect of your life. You’re ALWAYS working. Think you have the night off after being at the shop all day? Nope. You’ve got drawings to do, emails to answer, topics to research you know nothing about to make your client’s piece as great as it can be, all while trying to remember to feed yourself. Doing all of that while also trying to maintain a relationship? Godspeed. I hope you find someone incredibly understanding that you’re going to miss that family function or anniversary dinner because you forgot you have a half sleeve tomorrow and haven’t even started drawing it yet. All that to say that while it’s hard, tattooing isn’t thankless. You change peoples lives, literally. You’re marking their physically body permanently, giving them a piece of art they will carry and age with for the rest of their time on earth. That’s a big deal. That’s heavy. That’s an honor. The amount of trust near complete strangers place in me on a daily basis never fails to make me emotional and I’m so grateful for it.

I didn’t take the most direct path to get to tattooing. While I knew it was what I wanted to do, I took the scenic route. Got my first job in a very sketchy shop when I was a freshman in high school, working the counter, answering the phone, and doing all the menial tasks no one else wanted, and away I went. I ended up managing shops and being a personal assistant to multiple artists over the next 14 years before I was offered an apprenticeship and jumped on it without hesitation. That apprenticeship wasn’t the standard either. After two weeks, I put together my first machine and did a tattoo with it the next day. Within two months I was tattooing full time for full price, something that usually takes a year or more to get to. In the beginning I did as many walk-ins as possible, doing everything from flash designs off the wall to lettering or watercolor pieces. While I’m more selective now, I’m thankful for every single one of those clients because doing their pieces made me super well rounded and helped me figure out what I wanted to focus on. Nine years later, I work on an appointment only basis doing almost exclusively custom work in a modified American Traditional style, not quite Traditional but not really NeoTraditional either. I never really thought I would get to this point, especially not almost a decade into the game, but I love tattooing and I’m stoked its what I get to wake up and do everyday. Best, most ridiculous job in the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
We would, without a doubt, start at The Thurman Café in German Village. You can’t do Columbus without those poppers and a solid, sloppy, nearly-impossible-to fit-in-your-mouth burger. From there, hop up the street to the Book Loft to get lost for a few hours. As a regular, I’m still finding new rooms in that place somehow and its always my go-to when I’ve got the itch for a new book (which is OFTEN). If they aren’t in the market to purchase their own copy, we’d check out the library’s main branch downtown. Sitting right next to the topiary park, its just too good not to spend a few hours there on a Saturday wandering around or stretching out on the lawn. Plus the art museum is just around the corner if the weather isn’t cooperating. Getting hungry? Let’s snag some Dirty Franks or Little Palace if a dog isn’t what you’re craving.
Not feeling the downtown vibe? We’ll head to the Short North for a quick second. Pop into Big Fun to check out the most overwhelming and awesome collection of vintage and rare toys. We’ll get off that main drag though and head to Seventh Son to enjoy easily the best patio in the city with a local beer or cocktail then cross the street for dinner at Budd Dairy since they’ve got a little bit of something for everyone to enjoy.
Personally, I live a slow life and love walking the trails by the river or cruising down Riverside Drive in the spring or fall with the windows down. When its just a little bit chilly and everything smells crisp. See where the road takes us as we stop by One Line, Mission, or Fox in the Snow for a coffee. That’s the good stuff.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d love to thank both Marty Holcomb and Mike Moses. Both had huge hands in getting me where I am today, in incredibly different ways.
When I was four years old, my grandpa got a tattoo from Marty, and that was pretty much all she wrote from there. I wanted as many as I could get and dreamed of maybe getting to do some myself too. Growing up in a home where art was HEAVILY encouraged was definitely a pretty huge motivator as well. I even tried running away from home a year later to get a job at McDonald’s so I could get tattooed, my dad told me I couldn’t while living in his house so it just made since to pack it up and head out on my Barbie bike so I could get my first one. But I wouldn’t’ have even been exposed to what a tattoo was without Marty’s work. Decades later, I ended up scheduling a tattoo with him to get the same piece my grandpa had gotten all those years before. He not only remembered working on it, but still had the polaroid he took of my grandpa’s shoulder to work off of. Those two hours were amazing. He told me some stories I’ll never forget and I’m really thankful to carry that piece with me always now.

Finding Mike Moses’ work on Instagram in my mid 20s absolutely blew me away. I’d never seen a style like that before and pored over his work anytime he posted something new. He had just recently moved to Columbus from New York and opened a shop right around the corner from my house. Driving home one day, I saw him standing out front and, against my better judgment and poor nerves, pulled over and introduced myself. Biggest fan girl moment ever. We still talk about that interaction regularly, now over ten years later, having worked together for the last four. He’s my biggest motivator, supporter, and one of my very best friends. My style has slowly evolved over the years but never so much as when I started working with Mike. I don’t think I could ever properly express to him how much it meant that he wanted me at his shop, even going so far as to make a station for me because all the others were taken. He’s an angel, one I never take for granted, and has helped me get through the toughest couple years of my life both personally and professionally.

Website: https://beesue.com

Instagram: hamburgerdill

Image Credits
Ziggy Lawson