Why "MsDefinition"?

​

    Firstly, I'd like to say Hello! I go by MsDefinition and I thank you for visiting my site. It feels surreal that I am at that stage in my life to have a website, but here I am! I hope to continuously evolve in everything I do and I'm excited for all of the people who will join in on my journey (of course, you included). Thanks again!

    A lot of the people that I work with question why I chose my alternative name of MsDefinition so here is how it came about...

    It all started in 2018. I had just settled into the concept of actually pursuing my career choice of being a tattoo artist. I grew up in a traditional Vietnamese household which viewed tattoos as more of a taboo. My family was surrounded by the fact that the only people who had tattoos around them were criminals or gang affiliates. Naturally, it was never brought up to me as a career option within my family, but it was something that I discovered on my own. I had always enjoyed creating art since my childhood, but always thought it was more of a hobby, as I was always encouraged to chase career choices like being a doctor/dentist/lawyer/etc.. I did consider the options, as they are very respectable choices and I love serving people, however they just never enticed me enough to push forward. Throughout many trials of different job fields,  I met a lot of people, and a great amount of them had tattoos (some better than others). This made me realize that I wanted to put my art on people and I wanted it to be good! I wanted to create art that people would be proud to wear and others, amazed to see. As I mentioned this to my family... they were not impressed. I had to be very certain of myself and pushed the boundaries that were set for me. It was a very difficult process to endure but I was determined to write my own story with only the limits I set for myself.

    The first step was to make a name for myself through my artwork. I knew that if I wanted my tattoos to be good, my artwork needed to improve. I did some research and found out that the best way to learn how to improve my artwork and how to tattoo was through an apprenticeship. This is when you build up a collection of your artwork, go to tattoo studios that you find inspiring and request for a mentor. A mentor is essentially a seasoned tattoo artist who will become your teacher and pass on their knowledge to guide you through the culture that is tattoos. So I spent some time trying to learn and improve as much as possible on my own in my drawings, because I wanted to showcase my best work at that moment...  as well as spending time building up the courage to show my portfolio to a professional tattoo artist.

    In the same timeframe of building my portfolio, I would sit with myself and think about all of the different possibilities of an artist name. At the end of a few days, at the least, I couldn't decide... It took me a while but the more I thought about it, the more I determined I wanted my name to represent my artwork goals (defined and of high quality).  I also wanted a representation of my service to others through my skills and help others tell their stories, to define themselves! "DEFINITION" popped up in my mind and it never left. I considered having just that as my art name, but I am proud to be a woman, a strong woman who pushes for what she wants! Hence, MsDefinition was established. 

    Not long after deciding on my art name I found a tattoo studio (905Ink Tattoo) that I felt comfortable with, as well as an amazing mentor (ArtHvbits).  I have gone through many lessons and a lot of hardships since. There were no easy steps to the process and I am learning I will always feel like I'm in the beginning of my journey. Despite the all that I have learned so far, I still have a lot to learn but I am so excited to keep on growing and to add more definition to my name.