Katrina Jackson, better known as “Kat Tat” of VH1’s “Black Ink Crew: Chicago,” is making her own way as a boss in the artist community and recently sat down in an exclusive interview with the Sentinel to share the details. As 9Mag’s only female tattoo artist, Kat says “there’s so much to expect” from this coming season of the show, including the 9Mag family’s quest to rekindle their deeply-rooted relationships and Kat’s impromptu move to Los Angeles.
“I have a very, very close relationship with pretty much everyone in the shop, the family is chasing their own dreams, and I guess season three you can expect a lot of trying to make the family back like it was in the beginning,” she said. “As far as I go, you can just expect me doing my own thing, tattooing more celebrities and just trying to make things happen for myself as a 25 year-old girl in this business”.
Although Kat is a little tight-lipped on all of the juicy details the season will have to offer, she did share some insight on her move to Hollywood nearly 7 months ago, saying it took her a while to get adjusted. “Now that I’m there it doesn’t really get any better. Chicago is where I’m from, Chicago made me, but just being out in L.A. and having a trade like tattooing where you can take it anywhere around the country, and being able to go out there into the nice weather, the tattoo community is much bigger,” she said.
“I have to say I’m getting adjusted and really trying to make L.A. permanently home for me.”
During the last season, Kat was shown starting her own tattoo studio in Chicago, after tensions rose in her relationship with members of the 9Mag crew. When asked if the artist still has her own Chi-town studio, Kat says she doesn’t, but still continues to work at the shop from time to time.
“The thing about most tattoo shops, especially when you’re so close with them, even if you move to a different state, you can always go back to that shop and do a guest spot,” she said. “I don’t have my studio in Chicago anymore because I’m trying to go and make things happen while I still can, while I’m not married and don’t have any kids, so I’m just moving around and seeing exactly where I want to be based,” she continued.
Kat also revealed some pretty interesting details about the groups’ foundation that not many people realize when watching the show. In response to a question about who her favorite “cast member” on the show is, Kat says that they’ve all always been close.
“Well see that’s what’s interesting. People who watch the show, they don’t necessarily know that we’ve been together for – like the shop started off as me and the guys and we were open for like a year and a half before the show came,” Kat said. As for Danielle and Charmaine, Kat says the duo were Kat’s best friends who “always hung out at the shop” and eventually starting working at 9Mag as a result. Kat also described Charmaine as the “crazy friend you’ve just got to love”.
Kat went on to describe her big brother, little sister relationships with shop owner Ryan and fellow artist Van. “Ryan and I’s dynamic has always been like big brother, little sister and then you see us fight, so you know we kind of worked out our issues on national television. Van is like big brother, if I’m ever in some drama or a guy looks at me the wrong way, he’s kind of short tempered, but Van has my back,” she said.
When it comes to her relationship with Phor, Kat says she doesn’t expect that things will get better. “Phor and I tried to date, that’s one of those things that if you’ve got a friendship that is dear to you, don’t mess it up. We’re not as close, I don’t think we’ll ever be as close, but we have a good relationship,” she said.
“With our show, there were no casting calls, it was our reality, so I don’t really have a favorite, they also mean something different to me,” Kat declared.
Speaking of relationships, Kat also touched on how she felt after sharing with the world that she had been involved in an abusive relationship.
“I’m such a tough girl, I grew up around the boys, and I kind of have a very forward personality, so when I went through my abusive situation, it was something that I didn’t want to let define me, I was like almost ashamed of it, and didn’t want anybody to know that it happened to me,” she said. “When women speak about those situations, they’re looked at like they’re looking for sympathy or like their victims, so for me to speak out about it, it was like a heavy weight lifted off of my shoulders,” she said.
Kat says her main message was to let victims know that they can get through their circumstance and not feel hindered or led down a path of self-destruction. Noting her days of drinking, partying, fighting, and cutting her hair as a response to the abuse, Kat says she allowed herself to heal by not dating and doing a lot of self-reflection. “I went through a dark place, but I’m so happy that I feel like me again,” she proclaimed.
And Kat’s life outside of 9MAG continues to flourish, with her pop-up shop and online boutique “Katroversy” making major waves in the artist industry and celebrity world. The artist, who has worked with everyone from Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson to Drumma Boy, says she plans to continue expanding the line showcasing her artwork with hopes of doing New York fashion week next year.
Kat also gave insight into the upcoming launch of her “Kat Tat” mobile app. Still in the content development stage, Kat says the app is a way for her to give back to her true fans and supporters. “It’s just a way for me to give people all of me. It’s a way for me to put out everything that I do,” Kat said. So whether you want to learn about the art of tattooing, the story behind Kat’s “Kissing Girls” paintings or the furniture in her stylish loft, the app serves as a method to explore the artists’ many dimensions and daily activities.