Welcome to another InkedWay featured artist interview with magical-Disney artist and owner of Briar Rose Tattoo Studio, Meagan Stevens.
Along with Disney characters, she also specializes in watercolor and floral designs. Vibrant colors are her calling card, and she uses a few different brands to achieve the effects she wants, including Intenze and Eternal.
Meet the Artist
My first impression of Stevens was at the Ventura Seaside Tattoo Show this past June. Her booth stood out to me, and not just because of the vibrant pink hue that has become Meagan’s trademark.
It was thorough, complete with banners, portfolio photos, and contact-cards. Every booth was unique, each with their own impressive work to show, but Stevens’ display served as a landmark in the midst of the convention’s hub-bub.
Lips that shame the red, red rose…
Stevens has recently opened her own shop, Briar Rose Tattoo Studio, based in Tehachapi, California. An impressive feat for a relatively newer artist, but when taking her tenacity and abundance of talent into consideration, her success is unsurprising.
Stevens (known as ‘Megz’ by friends and family), has five years of experience working as a tattoo artist. She trained under several distinguished artist, including seminars with Nikko Hurtado and Heather Miranda.
Taking the scenic route
Megz was on track to become a nurse practitioner, but the stress and negativity that come as an occupational hazard in the medical field laid heavy on her heart. While she was more than capable of accomplishing this goal, she didn’t want her career to harden or numb her emotionally.
Upon taking inventory of her life, Stevens decided to pursue something that would make her happier. She took the plunge, and submerged herself in the tattooing community.
With the support of her longtime boyfriend, Stevens took a leap of faith and quickly excelled in the craft. Of course, there are challenges in learning any new medium, but her natural artistic inclinations and strong work ethic made her perfectly suited for her career swap.
Stevens has been interested in art for as long as she can remember. She recounted hours of her childhood spent perfecting drawings of her favorite on screen characters, carefully pouring over the details to ensure it was identical to her reference.
Nowadays, she has a repertoire of characters she can draw from memory. she has certainly found her calling, even if she took the scenic route to get there.
Every rose has its thorns
Working as a tattoo artist is much more gratifying for Stevens, but even dream careers come with ups and downs. When I asked her for some “Do’s and Don’ts” during a session she was open enough to speak with me about some of her less than pleasant experiences with clientele.
Men who have patronized her business have asked to be called inappropriate names, made tasteless jokes, and refused to drop the act even after Stevens told them to back off. Male-dominated careers can be dangerous for the women in the field, and the tattoo industry is no exception.
“The flower that blooms in adversity is the most rare and beautiful of all.” — The Emperor (Mulan)
Stevens is doing her part to spread the word that women don’t have to put up with this kind of harassment in any setting, and especially not from your tattoo artist.
“It’s important that women do their research, and know that it’s okay to say ‘no’ to something, and walk away if they’re feeling uncomfortable. And even if it’s midline, come to me and I’ll cover it up.”
-Meagan Stevens
Stevens considers herself a feminist, with an emphasis on uplifting other women. Part of the reason she feels so strongly about this is because of the vulgar clients she’s had in the past.
Artist Contact
To learn more about Stevens, watch the full interview, or read the transcript below. Check out more of Stevens’ work on Instagram @tattoozbymegz .
Interested in getting work done by Megz? Contact her via phone (661)972-8650 or email tattoozbymegz@gmail.com
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Full Transcript
00:00.00
inkedway
There goes. Okay.
00:01.88
Meagan Avila Stevens
All right? Yeah so I am my name’s Megz, tattoozbymegz, I’m a Disney pop culture tattoo artist I’ve been doing it for about 5 years um we’ll be going into my sixth year soon um, yeah and I work out of Briar Rose tattoo studio my tattoo studio in Tehachapi be California so yeah.
00:22.54
inkedway
Um, that’s awesome. How was it working you know as a Disney tattoo artist I know that there’s like they’re pretty strict about like licensing and stuff. Do you do you have like license for it. What how does that work.
00:32.72
Meagan Avila Stevens
Yeah I I’ve never heard of a and a Disney artist or a tattoo artist being licensed. Um I believe it’s more of like kind of make sure it’s kind of 10 percent different. Um I don’t know the legalities of placing something on your body. How Disney can own. You know I think it kind of goes in the gray area. You know so I get asked that a lot like are you afraid of of.
00:59.21
inkedway
Um, yeah, definitely.
01:05.17
Meagan Avila Stevens
You know, getting sued and I was like well I can’t really control what someone chooses to put on their body and um I think you know there are plenty of other disney artists like Kevin Vernes Jackie Worthrtus um who
01:22.57
Meagan Avila Stevens
Are amazing Disney artists and they’ve been doing it much longer than I have and they still haven’t gotten busted so I want to keep doing it. Yeah yeah.
01:27.21
inkedway
Um, yeah, totally more power to you? Um, how long how did you decide that you wanted to do Disney like how long have you been working with Disney characters.
01:40.47
Meagan Avila Stevens
I would when I was about I’d say I started. Okay so I’m I am I was born 88 I’m 35 this year at or 34 I can’t remember hmm being old but I um would I kind of I was drawing before I really knew how to.
01:52.37
inkedway
Um, now and.
01:57.58
Meagan Avila Stevens
Write my name. Um I would you know the vcr I would pause it and then I would watch the image and I would copy the image from pausing it on the tv so I was doing it that at like 4 and 5 and then like.
02:11.13
inkedway
That’s cool.
02:15.42
Meagan Avila Stevens
My uncle used to get so mad because he had this big screen Tv and I would always pause the Dvd and this has been it was Dvd and he would be like you’re going to ruin the tv because I would just sit for like hours trying to make it look identical to the.
02:27.24
inkedway
Um, you should go.
02:31.53
Meagan Avila Stevens
Um, actual image I was seeing and I got very good at it to the point where I could draw Disney I could draw goofy by memory I can dress to know white by memory and I kind of can do Jasmine by memory but I still kind of need a reference photo I could do ponglo by memory. But yeah I started at a young age. Um.
02:43.29
inkedway
Right.
02:51.60
Meagan Avila Stevens
I always loved tattoos the first tattoo I ever saw was when I was nine years old and um, he had a Sebastian tattoo on his shoulder and I told him I’m like I’m gonna get tattoos because I didn’t realize I always assumed tattoos were like. For bikers or hard this was like in the 90 s bikers hard dudes had tattoos and when I saw that I was like you could get anything you want on your body. Yeah so I was I told my mom I was like I’m gonna have tattoos and she’s like would.
03:12.00
inkedway
Um, yeah.
03:18.30
inkedway
Um, yeah, you can get pretty and cute tattoos too. It’s.
03:26.54
Meagan Avila Stevens
Don’ ‘ I want to cuss but she’s like you are blake. That’s you’re not gonna get tattoos. But I told her at like at 9 I was like no I’m gonna have tattoos and I am fully sleeved now on for the most part you know I love old hollywood um, like I have a nice gone with the wind piece and.
03:33.14
inkedway
Um.
03:42.49
inkedway
Um, oh Wow we are.
03:46.25
Meagan Avila Stevens
You know all that goods I have of course you know this was done by Kevin Vernes um yeah so it’s a passion I’ve had since I was little and.
03:50.28
inkedway
Um, Wow Really cool.
03:57.71
inkedway
What was that like getting a tattoo from someone who’s sort of like a like you know, such a big name. You know what I mean was it like nervous like I think I’d be nervous.
04:04.34
Meagan Avila Stevens
Um, ah, yeah, well I’ve been well I was with Niko Hertado because he he he’s a really nice guy. Um I was nervous because and at the time I wasn’t. I was just a fan of tattoo tattooing. Um I never I wasn’t in the industry yet and I was kind of starstruck because I was such a fan but he was really nice and I think his sister came in and his little sister and we were talking too for a little bit. It was really chill Kevin Vernes chill dude we watched comedy. On his Tv he just worked quiet. Um, but yeah I I think ah there it was fun I’m a collector I don’t go to any artist more than once. So I always tell my clients like if you don’t want to come back to me that’s fine because i.
04:54.96
inkedway
Um, at lunch.
04:58.84
Meagan Avila Stevens
I Love meeting different artists I think it’s important for collectors to kind of but I also understand the comfortable being comfortable with your artist but I always I’m like a collector but um, yeah, So but I we. You were asking me about um how I got into it right? Okay, so that wasn’t 9 and I started collecting I was going I got my degree from Cal State northridge in English Yeah, and I was um.
05:21.60
inkedway
Um, yeah, um.
05:30.79
inkedway
Um, yeah, you have a medical background. That’s super cool and and.
05:35.52
Meagan Avila Stevens
Going to I was doing my clinical hours my thousand clinical hours and I remember telling my husband like I came home and I was about to apply to ah the the nurse practitioner program and I was like I don’t think I want to do this because. I was losing my ability to empathize and sympathize with people like someone would call and samm about to check myself into Betty Ford and I would be like very okay and that wasn’t me I’m a very ah I I feel that I’m a very compassionate person and. Love people. So I told my husband that and I was like I and on top of that we wouldn’t be able to have children until I’d be at least thirty seven thirty five and at the time I was 27 I believe he had 27 and or 28 and um.
06:18.10
inkedway
Um, right.
06:29.13
Meagan Avila Stevens
So he’s like well what would you do I was like well I tattoo and he was like well then tattoo and so I did and I took the steps to learn my machine. You know I didn’t and a lot of artists I think are maybe ashamed or or they embrace it I’m just assuming. But I did it out of my home illegally and um, I’m the first to tell anybody that because a lot of tattoo artists have started out that way and then they go into an apprenticeship and it’s still the same environment. It’s still.
06:59.73
inkedway
Um, yeah.
07:08.98
Meagan Avila Stevens
Trial by Fire. You have to be submerged into that that industry completely and it’s overwhelming and it’s scary and you will fuck people up and you will you know I don’t I don’t condone doing and I can’t condone doing it illegally. But because of my medical background I feel that people were okay with coming to me because they knew I had that that knowledge and so yeah, yeah, they knew I was working in the field. A lot of the people that came were my friends. My family members.
07:36.50
inkedway
Um, yeah, the confidence in the fact that everything’s going to be sterile. And yeah.
07:45.92
Meagan Avila Stevens
And I was doing it out of my home and then I started taking seminar like I took a seminar with Heather mean Miranda Nico Hertato Bj Betts um to learn and you know I put the money there. That’s where I put my education in I put my money there.
07:57.26
inkedway
You.
08:04.96
Meagan Avila Stevens
And like I sat for like a week or a few yeah week with Heather Miranda where she just was like come tattoo next to me I’m gonna I’m gonna you know teach you what your depths should be what you how you should saturate and a lot of my color was taught to me by Heather Miranda and she’s a. Amazing artist? Um, but yeah, so it wasn’t traditional but you know stuck to it.
08:31.17
inkedway
How did that ah opportunity to have her mentor you come about? Did you just say like.
08:35.71
Meagan Avila Stevens
Um, she was offering seminars because when I started a lot of these big names were doing seminars. They were saying like hey you want to come learn come in. It’s basically like a crash course apprenticeship like you know have a base knowledge and.
08:40.66
inkedway
Um, we.
08:54.91
Meagan Avila Stevens
You know we’ll teach you some fundamentals and she offered like you can sit with me for two days three days a week and of course I leaped at that up. Yeah, so I was like I’m taking that. So again I spent. Yeah.
09:02.20
inkedway
Um, that’s really interesting. Yeah, that was amazing opportunity I hadn’t heard of something like that before so that’s really cool. Maybe I’m just if maybe I you know have a but.
09:14.47
Meagan Avila Stevens
No, no, no no I I just happened to because I followed these artists and I was like I’m I’m doing this because you know I’ve I’ve been I have an education background. And for example, nursing you take all these tests you take all these classes you learn the body you know. You learn how like the drawing Blood. You don’t learn it by watching videos or you get an idea but you have to actually sit there and palpitate and find the vein and know how to you have to do it. That’s all we were doing is sticking people.
09:39.57
inkedway
Um, yeah.
09:52.40
Meagan Avila Stevens
Fucking people up in class. So that’s the similar. It’s similar. But yeah, so.
09:52.96
inkedway
Um, yeah, yeah, what do you? ah use for ink. Do you have a specific brand that you stick to I think most artists do, but.
10:09.30
Meagan Avila Stevens
I dabble I I go from eternal to inktense. Um, those are the 2 I think I stay with because I like the colors. But yeah I don’t have a I’m not sponsored by anyone so I get to have fun with whomever.
10:23.28
inkedway
Very cool, nice and what do you like about those colors is it just like they’re your favorite colors or the way they go into skin is better than others.
10:26.41
Meagan Avila Stevens
Yeah, but so.
10:38.60
Meagan Avila Stevens
Yeah, ah the the vibrancy the hold. Um my probably my favorite pink is lollipop I believe that is eternal or it’s either eternal or intense. But that’s probably my favorite color. Um, it’s the pink I use in like my almost all my tattoos have lollipop in there. It’s eternal. So Yeah I Love that color. It’s like your hair color too which I Love. Yes.
11:08.18
inkedway
Um, yeah, as you can see I Love Pink Um, a little vibrant color and all of them. Um, yeah, totally I would love to get some work done by you sometime in the future.
11:13.44
Meagan Avila Stevens
I Love pink All the colors. Absolutely absolutely I would be happy to tat to you? Yeah, you should it gives you. It gives you a feeling of.
11:25.10
inkedway
I would be super cool. It kind of cool to like start collecting tattoos from all the different interviews.
11:35.98
Meagan Avila Stevens
You know what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate as well as um as a client. Um you know as.
11:40.12
inkedway
Um, right? Why don’t you tell me about that. What are your some of your favorite things about clients and some of your least favorite things about clients.
11:49.21
Meagan Avila Stevens
Well most of my clients are female. So there’s nothing negative I can say about the female clientele. Um at all and I’m not saying that because of this interview at all The only sounds so fucked up. Um the men suck the men are shit.
11:52.70
inkedway
Um, right.
12:03.91
inkedway
Um.
12:06.59
Meagan Avila Stevens
And not all of them like there’s a particular client of mine. His name is Brian him and his wife are amazing people. Um, the dads are great to tattoo. Um, but I the worst experience I had was with a male and he was. He came in and I always like to you know, introduce myself, you know and say hi and get to know people and I asked him for his name. He’s like oh you can call me gingerballs and I was like I’m not going to call you that. What’s your name bro like tell me your like this isn’t it’s I feel like.
12:42.84
inkedway
yikes and it’s like you’re at work so you don’t… you feel like you want to be cordial and everything but it’s kind of like hey that’s harassment like stop.
12:47.94
Meagan Avila Stevens
In yeah and I think men with me. Yeah, exactly like I’m not going to call you that that’s gross. What’s your name. Oh my name’s Ben like how hard is it to say hey I’m Ben like it was it was that and then um.
12:58.92
inkedway
Um, yeah.
13:05.45
Meagan Avila Stevens
1 of my colleagues and she was like she’s was like do you want me to stay with you and I was like nah like he’s like 90lbs I got him. It’s fine I’m going to stab him in the eye if he but it’s just stuff like that like I’ve never had a female.
13:14.96
inkedway
Um, I’m holding the needle. So um.
13:25.17
Meagan Avila Stevens
That was you know, rude or you know I think the female clientele is a very underserved you know area and and I think that’s my goal is to is to service females and make them feel comfortable. And safe. Yeah.
13:45.91
inkedway
That’s awesome. Yeah I think that’s been sort of a theme so far is that I’ve heard that male clients. Not only can sometimes have bad attitude but also.
13:54.82
Meagan Avila Stevens
Just okay so.
13:58.19
inkedway
Ah, lower pain tolerance and like they move around a lot because they can’t handle the pain or just general the discomfort of it. You know? So um, that’s interesting to me. Ah I mean I always kind of had a feeling but you know.
14:01.91
Meagan Avila Stevens
This Yes, Yeah, yeah, yeah, they oh it is true. It’s very true and they always I need a break.
14:15.76
inkedway
You find that that’s true.
14:20.27
Meagan Avila Stevens
And need a break like fucker like you know the fucking break you like come on like I I mean you want to like because I’m notorious for not breaking. Um I will. Ah yeah I go through like people go oh you want to eat I don’t eat because it pushes on your.
14:22.86
inkedway
Um I didn’t break.
14:28.68
inkedway
Um, yeah, you want power through? yeah.
14:38.20
Meagan Avila Stevens
For me it pushes on my diaphragm and I don’t I can’t pull lines because I’m all full because you got to break through your lines and it’s a lot of breath and um so I don’t I like to maybe like snack a little if it’s a super long session but um, guys are just like oh.
14:44.22
inkedway
Um, who running.
14:56.10
inkedway
Um, you want you don’t want to get that like after lunch nap going on you know? yeah.
14:59.34
Meagan Avila Stevens
Yes, and then you get tired and then you’re like oh I’m so I I like power through and um I only I pee I pee when the client peas. Um I’m very serious.
15:09.82
inkedway
Um, that investment writes 2 1 your client peas.
15:14.21
Meagan Avila Stevens
I say whenever I do I tell them I was like I tell my clients all my clients will vouch and say like bitch does not pee or eat like she will he waits for me to break her because I’ve been in the chair where the guys take I’m paying hourly and the guys taking.
15:29.49
inkedway
Um, yeah.
15:31.93
Meagan Avila Stevens
Forever and it’s like dude this is your third smoke I’m paying for your third smoke break like like I don’t want to force my like if it’s an 8 hour session yeah I’ll stop and have like a little something to keep me revved up something to drink water hydrated.
15:34.60
inkedway
Um, you know.
15:50.41
Meagan Avila Stevens
But I don’t feel like I just I ah work very hard and I I want to do the best I can for my client because they’re the most important thing and so I don’t break and so they they have to break me I don’t want them to I like okay here’s another 10 minutes I got to go you know and they’re and sit there and pain.
16:04.33
inkedway
Um, um, yeah, yeah.
16:09.52
Meagan Avila Stevens
And like come on bitch like fucking. Let’s get this done. You know so but.
16:16.75
inkedway
So why don’t you tell me a little bit about ah your shop opening up your own tattoo shop that sounds really scary but really cool and awesome and like a big change in life.
16:24.99
Meagan Avila Stevens
Yes, yeah, oh yeah I I was working at Bosco’s tattoo in tatby. Um, he was. He’s my mentor and he you know it was hard to leave because of.
16:44.80
Meagan Avila Stevens
How much I got along with him and he’s like an older brother to me. Um, but when you I guess spot a lot in different areas like Raven Thorn Manor in Salt Lake city ah Zach he’s a he’s a great owner and operator. Um.
16:56.73
inkedway
Rightly.
17:00.55
Meagan Avila Stevens
Sandra from white lotus body arts in Ventura California she’s a lovely. She’s helped me like given me business advice and Bosco two and it was hard but when you go into these other other owner artists shop. You see you’re part of their dream. And and that’s great. But I I really wanted to create my own dream and I’ve never seen a pop culture disney anime like at least I haven’t seen it yet. Um I’m sure they’re out there. But. 1 that was just fully in in engrossed in that theme and I wanted the client to come in and especially the Disney fan to feel like they’re like this could be a shop on main street that was my my goal. So.
17:52.39
inkedway
Um, yeah I mean maybe one day dude you don’t know like will be super cool. Be right there in downtown disney your shop and stuffies and everything.
17:57.33
Meagan Avila Stevens
I know I um and I would love I heard recent. Yes, yes lounge flies and you know you can have like your your Disney themed pure sayings like it’d be great. Disney should capitalize on it.
18:10.43
inkedway
Yeah, you know how they have they have those like little collectible pins that you wear on a lanyard you could hearings and stuff like that. Yeah, but.
18:14.10
Meagan Avila Stevens
And yes, yes, just do that all around the ear I would happily be the artist in that shot for Disney all the way. Yeah.
18:28.87
inkedway
Um, right didn’t he let’s make it happen come on ready.
18:33.31
Meagan Avila Stevens
I’m ready I’ll fucking close shop here in town and go straight to downtown Disney I’d live there kidding me? Yes, yes oh if that happens I know that they do some tattooing at the.
18:37.58
inkedway
Um, ah shape. Yeah, that’s awesome. That would be super cool. Um I’m crossing my fingers for you I Know it’s gonna happen.
18:50.79
Meagan Avila Stevens
Um, dapp the dapper day they do tattooing at the Disney land. Yeah, and there’s some Disney tattoo artists who are going. Um and I was like oh shit I didn’t know they and they do Disney Tattoos I’m like they’re going to the direct source and they ain’t got problems with that.
18:53.33
inkedway
Um, oh do they.
19:10.28
Meagan Avila Stevens
I’m I’m going to sign up. So.
19:13.20
inkedway
Ah, all right? Well we’re getting close to our time limit here. Um we I mean we can continue to talk forever. But ah I’m just letting it hear because we have to cut it down for the video so we are getting close to that.
19:16.90
Meagan Avila Stevens
Um, yeah, yeah, is yeah for sure. Yeah.
19:30.36
inkedway
Just wanted to give you an opportunity to you know Promote Whatever you want to or say any advice or you know just closing thoughts. Whatever you I haven’t asked you about um you know, go ahead.
19:43.23
Meagan Avila Stevens
Yeah, um I mean I think the the um the thing I I want people to know it or or to promote is um, the female voice I want female um collectors to know that. They can say no to something if they feel uncomfortable ah that they can you know, um, pick and choose what they want not be afraid of their design. Um, and if they want a Disney tattoo. They know where to find me in Tatpi California or if it’s not Disney.
20:19.57
inkedway
Um, try.
20:20.37
Meagan Avila Stevens
Um, also big shout out to ink defense my sponsor my after care sponsor Elaine and her whole team. But yeah I think that’s my main thing is that I think it’s important that women feel safe. So it’s important that women do their research and and know that it’s okay to say no to something and walk away if they’re feeling uncomfortable and even if it’s midline come to me and I’ll cover it up.
20:44.10
inkedway
Um, yeah.
20:50.13
inkedway
But that’s a great deal all right? and so one more time give me the name of your shop.
20:52.73
Meagan Avila Stevens
Ah, so yeah.
20:57.20
Meagan Avila Stevens
My name my shop’s name is Blair Rose Tattoo Studio in Tehatchapi be California.
21:03.96
inkedway
Okay, awesome. All right? Well thank you so much for having this meeting with me I’m glad you could finally happen. Um feel free to I’m going to stop the recording now.
21:07.53
Meagan Avila Stevens
West. Yes, thank you? Yes, yeah.