First Posted: 8/19/2014
A lady in the world of tattooing is a little more common as the years go on – yet, still, there is no one out there quite like Megan Massacre.
Cover up her inked skin and she still stands out in a crowd – her vibrant personality matches her coif of bright orange that fades to yellow, the list of things she does can make your head spin and, quite frankly, the girl has balls – something that was evident from a very young age.
At 14 years old Megan Woznicki – the real name you don’t often hear – decided she wanted to dive into the art of tattoos and didn’t hesitate to walk into a local shop. She was turned down, however, and not just because of her youth, but the fact that apprenticeships don’t come free. The young artist’s dream came to a halt – until right after graduation.
Woznicki found herself in a local tattoo studio after giving her friend a ride there. After the owner watched her draw some designs, he hit her with the request she’d been waiting for all her life: do a tattoo, right on the spot.
Saying “no” never even crossed her mind.
“I was both equally excited and terrified,” she said of the experience. “I had inquired about tattoo apprenticeships years prior to this experience and it never panned out, so I knew I had to seize the opportunity, now or never.”
It was a gamble that paid off, as she was offered an apprenticeship on the spot after the work was done. For a first timer her work wasn’t too bad; her first client still proudly displays it.
“Looking back it’s a fond and funny memory” she said. “I actually just saw the guy, my friend Timmy, who I did those first tattoos on last week at a tattoo convention, and he hasn’t covered them up yet.”
From there it was non-stop. Woznicki worked at a handful of tattoo shops in Pennsylvania, including Philadelphia’s Deep Six Laboratory. She shot to fame when she joined the cast of NY Ink, where she became a part of The Wooster St. Social Club, one of the hottest tattoo shops in Manhattan.
Woznicki is best known for pieces that have bold hues, ones that pop off the skin due to her technique of combining multiple styles of tattooing.
So many have tried, but very few achieve the feeling Woznicki gets when she’s sitting down in the shop.
“I would say it’s being able to do what I love for a living,” she said of why she loves tattooing so much. “It never actually feels like I’m working. Also, having the freedom to travel and work literally anywhere, all over the world.”
“Work” has not been whittled down to solely tattooing – Woznicki does a slew of things, from modeling to collaborating on clothing lines to working with organizations that help her speak out for her beliefs.
It was through the first line of work- modeling, which she started to do in 2007 – that Woznicki’s name that is known to the world became official. The Massacre moniker grew from her time in the local hardcore music scene, a lightly regarded name until it became solidified in – of all things – ink, when the cover of her first magazine article read “Megan Massacre, Philly’s Femme Fatale.”
Naturally, Woznicki’s love of color and design lends itself to an interest in the fashion realm. She toys with outfits that range from the everyday t-shirt and jeans to ensembles the average lady might not have the guts to throw on. She loves the transformative power of clothes and has gone so far as to try her hand at design; she was recently part of a clothing collaboration with Affliction.
As if being beautiful and talented was not enough, Woznicki is also a smart young woman who is very passionate about animal rights. She works with Peta2, and recently wrapped the fourth installment of its cruelty-free beauty campaign, wherein she talks about the often looked over fact that makeup brushes can be made with animal hair.
She’s done so much – but it’s not enough. There are other things the young artist would still like to pursue.
“Acting is something I’ve always wanted to try,” she said. “I’ve also always wanted to get more seriously into painting and have an art gallery show.”
It will be a shock to no one when these things do happen, because they will. Woznicki is the embodiment of simply going for it, a life rule and lesson she values above all others.
“There’s been many lessons,” she said of the most important thing she’s learned throughout her young life, “but I guess the most important would be to never be too scared to try something new, or make big changes in your life. Every time I took what felt like a huge, intimidating, leap at the time, such as moving to an all new place or took on a new project that I hadn’t done before, it’s always led me to better places in life. No matter what other people had to say about it, or if it seemed impossible, things always have a way of working out, and you can literally do anything you put your mind to.”
