The old adage goes, ‘Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus’ – whether or not you subscribe to that sentiment, one thing is for certain: Kristyn Emmett’s artwork is out of this world.
As the original lady of Wild Hearts Tattooing, Emmett has been preparing for her role as a tattooer for most of her life.
“Even when I was a little girl, I used to get coloring books and trace them instead,” she laughed. “Art was something I’ve always done, so I’ve been preparing for this for over 20 years.”
Emmett, a native of Carbondale, is a Marywood alum with a degree in illustration. After her time as a proud Pacer, she immediately sought out an apprenticeship and entered into her latest love affair – tattoos.
Stylistically, Emmett loves to challenge herself.
“I never want to pigeonhole myself as far as style goes,” she said. “I love to challenge myself and take on new projects constantly, but I would say I’m known to have high quality work regardless of what I try to do.”
Emmett started her tenure at Wild Hearts nearly a year ago, helping open the shop on Wyoming Ave with I.J. Hosey, the shop’s owner and operator.
“We’ve been here almost a year now, and it’s been wonderful,” Emmett said. “We’re still growing into the space and forming our own little niche here. We just took on a new artist recently – Jillian (Karosa, from Seattle, Washington) – and we’re developing an awesome, wonderful base of clients.”
“Tattooing has changed so much in the past few years,” Emmett added. “It’s constantly progressing. It used to be primarily a boy’s game, but now it’s everyone’s game.”
When not tattooing, Emmett can be found trying new things, spending time with friends and family, or enjoy the outdoors.
Here’s a little Easter egg for those readers who read through to the end: Emmett said she will offer a 10 percent discount to any Weekender readers interested in her work and who contact her to schedule an appointment. Don’t forget to mention this article though.