Artist of the Week: Kat Von D

“Who The Fuck Is Kat Von D?”

That’s not me asking, that’s just what her shirts say in High Voltage Tattoo in West Hollywood, California. And she has spent her life sharing exactly who she is and rigorously pursuing her passions.

Kathrine Von Drachenburg was born in Mexico in 1982 and grew up outside of Los Angeles. She got her first tattoo at 14 and by 16 she had dropped out of high school to pursue her newfound passion. Classically trained in piano and surrounded by a family with heavy cultural interest, Kat’s style grew and became very defined as she worked her way through various tattoo shops. It was suggested that she try her luck at the shop documented by the “Miami Ink” television show.

Despite fallouts in Florida, Kat’s televised talent allowed her to establish herself nationally as a tattooing power. From Miami Kat returned to LA to open her own shop, High Voltage Tattoo, which has been incredibly successful since its beginning in 2007. Her shop was also followed by TLC in her own show “LA Ink.”

People flock from around the world to sit for portrait tattoos and typography pieces from Kat Von D. She currently owns the Guinness World Record for most tattoos in a 24 hour period (a perfect 400 if you were curious).

Big name artists have worked through the LA shop, Kat Von D has worked through relationships and personal struggles to continue her entrepreneurial endeavors. She owns a specialty shop, Wonderland, that sits next door to High Voltage, she has authored several books, she works with Sephora to produce a world-renown line of make-up, she has her own clothing line, she is highly active in the animal rights rights community, and is currently working with a manufacturer in Italy to produce lines of completely vegan shoes.

Check out her shop and more of her endeavors at her website.