Sadness transforms into dance  
Interview, Article  
Editor: Kim Hyang-il  
Photos: Young Bae

With her striking appearance that doesn't conform to typical Asian features and her fluent English mixed with a Black accent, people who meet Young Bae for the first time often mistake her for a singer or actress who grew up in America. Having come to New York alone just 13 years ago, she has now established herself as a leading tattoo artist in the city.

Young Bae, the daughter of a famous artist, saw her mother’s life take a downturn after marrying a poor and incompetent husband. From a very young age, before even starting school, she lived with her sister on the floor of the art academy run by her mother. Although they managed to buy a decent apartment with the little money they had saved, her father squandered it all as a guarantor, forcing Young Bae and her family to move between a basement room in someone else's house and a church storage room during her school years. Despite this difficult life, she never gave up on drawing and always maintained a polished appearance in front of others.

“No matter how much I lived in a storage room, I always showered in the morning and evening and styled myself in cheap clothes to look fashionable. People thought I was wearing very expensive clothes.”

However, the unchanging situation with her father’s violence led her to believe that there was no hope in Korea. So, after graduating from Chugye University of the Arts in 2007, she crossed over to New York alone. Upon arriving, she found a room but had only $80 to her name.

“I was confident in any work that involved my hands, so I started working at a nail salon in Manhattan’s Koreatown. It was something I had never done before, but I have a good eye for things. I learned the job in just a week and eventually taught people who had been working there much longer than I had. I also worked in restaurants and at night, I would receive materials from a jewelry wholesale company to make necklaces and accessories, often falling asleep while working.”

After about two years, one day she noticed a small sign that read "Tattoo." Since tattooing was also a form of drawing, she thought she could do it and immediately sought out a tattoo shop.

“I just walked in and asked to be taught how to tattoo. I offered to clean for free first. I started by cleaning the shop and sterilizing the tattoo equipment, watching how to tattoo over the shoulders of the artists, and it didn’t seem too difficult. I thought to myself, ‘I can do this.’”

About 7-8 years ago, when tattoo shops were bustling with people in Manhattan's West 4th Street and East Village, she learned to tattoo on her own and began working as a tattoo artist, quickly gaining a reputation for her skills.

“Tattooing isn’t just about being good at drawing. You need to understand the skin, which is the canvas for the artwork. Those who can express their art well on skin are ultimately recognized as skilled tattoo artists.”

Back then, before tattooing was recognized as an art form, anyone with the right skills could tattoo. However, being one of the few female tattoo artists, she often faced sexual harassment from the men she worked with. Unable to tolerate it, she fought back against them. Ironically, it was she who received the termination notices while the men were in the wrong. After moving between two or three shops, she eventually left and came to Times Square, where she found the stepping stone to her success.

“I always went to Times Square. I just liked it there. The sparkling lights gave me a sense of hope.”

“One day, I was wandering around Times Square when I discovered a small building in an inner alley. I thought it wouldn’t be too expensive, so I asked if there was space to open a tattoo shop.”

“After passing through a barbershop, a pawn shop, and a nail salon, I found a tiny storage room no bigger than a bathroom.”

She opened her first tattoo shop under the name 'Diamond Tattoos.' With no money, she scavenged four discarded chairs from the street, reupholstered them herself, and painted the walls to decorate her shop.

“I had to promote it. Nobody knew there was a tattoo shop in that location. So, I attached a sign that said ‘Diamond Tattoos’ to a long metal pole and stood in Times Square shouting to passersby.”

Interestingly, as she began promoting her shop, other merchants around her started making similar signs and joined her in promoting their businesses in Times Square.

“Whenever someone showed interest in the sign while I was standing in Times Square, I would take them to my shop to get tattooed, and after that, I would go back to Times Square with the heavy sign to promote again, repeating this regardless of the weather. Gradually, word spread about my skills, and within a few months, customers started flocking in.”

However, she couldn’t last long there either. As business boomed, the landlord tripled the rent. Ultimately, she left that location and started over elsewhere.

“I started working earlier than other tattoo artists. Tourists usually come in the morning. If I had customers, I would work until dawn. There were times I worked for 16 hours straight.”

Having gained recognition as a tattoo artist and established her place, she has been independent for the past five years and now meets her clients with a bit more leisure.

However, while living solely as a tattoo artist, she rose to fame in the U.S. In 2016, when she was gaining recognition as a tattoo artist in Manhattan, she received an invitation to appear on the popular VH1 show 'Black Ink Crew,' which targets Black and Hispanic audiences. This reality show showcases the various happenings among the staff and customers of the tattoo shop 'Black Ink' in Harlem. Since its first season in 2013, it has aired up to season 8.

She appeared in four seasons, from season 5 to 8, showcasing her work, family, and even her visit to Korea to meet her parents, gaining popularity.

“There has never been an Asian on this program. I’m the only one. They told me it was the first time an Asian appeared on the VH1 channel itself. When I first got the casting call and had a meeting, they loved my character and personality, saying it fit perfectly with their program concept. That’s how I got cast.”

“I want to publish my life story like a movie. But even if I publish a book, who would listen to my story if they don’t know who I am? So, I decided to appear on TV to become famous, thinking that people would be interested in my book then.”

She is currently writing a book. It seems we will be able to see her life story in a book around next year.

She lives with her 30-month-old son, Nico Blue. Nico Blue is named after a flower, which translates to hydrangea in Korean. She named him after the flower that blooms in the month he was born.

“I think being a mother is the hardest job in the world. I want to be a loving mother, but I was scared at first that I wouldn’t know how to love my child. I’m not afraid of anything in the world, but giving birth made me fearful in that regard.”

What are her dreams for the future? Her answer was simple: she doesn’t know. Just like she has lived until now, she doesn’t know what kind of life she will lead in the future. She said that if she can’t do what she wants, it feels like her heart will burst. Thus, she will continue to pursue whatever she wants to do without fear.

“When I first came to New York, I always walked everywhere. Walking made my heart feel clean. I’ve never thought it was hard since coming to America. I’ve always been happy. Because there’s no one to hit me, and if I work hard for my money, I have my own room and can live well. So, while walking, I thought, ‘I have to conquer New York quickly. What can I do to conquer it?’ It was so exciting!”

Young Bae  
Graduated from Chugye University of the Arts in 2007  
Appeared in VH1's 'Black Ink Crew' Seasons 5-8 from 2017 to 2020  
Operates Diamond Tattoos from 2009 to present  
Operates 2one2 apparel from 2019 to present

Instagram: @youngisblessed @2one2apparel @diamondtattoos