Nessie Blaze always knew that she was destined to do something special, but she didn’t always know what that something would be. Like lots of other people, Nessie’s journey wasn’t a straight shot, but she eventually found her calling when she started tattooing. Little did she know, tattooing would eventually become a tool that would take her across the country and introduce her to the world of reality TV. As a cast member on the VH1 series Black Ink Crew Compton, Nessie has gotten to share her talents with a large audience and she has even become a star in the process. Keep reading to learn 10 things you didn’t know about Nessie Blaze.
1. She’s Originally From Pennsylvania
Nessie was born and raised in Bristol, PA which is a suburb of Philadelphia. Although she will always be an East Coast girl at heart, Nessie decided to relocate to the Los Angeles area in 2013 to pursue her dreams. Moving across the country is always a big challenge, but Nessie never let any obstacles stand in her way.
2. She Wanted to Be a Lawyer
Remember when I said that Nessie’s journey hasn’t been a straight shot? I wasn’t joking. Initially, her plan was to become a lawyer. She earned a full scholarship to Penn State University. However, after attending for about a year, she realized that she wanted to see where tattooing could take her.
3. She’s Also A Singer
Most people who are familiar with Nessie know her for her work as a tattoo artist, but that isn’t the only creative talent she has. She is also a talented singer who has also been trying to build a music career. So far, she has released several singles and she plans to do more in the future.
4. She Hopes to Encourage Other People to Chase Their Dreams
Nessie risked a lot to chace her dream of becoming a successful tattoo artist, and she hopes to inspire other people to do the same. During an interview with the Lower Bucks Times, Nessie said, “I hope everybody chases their dreams. Everyone who has talent that’s at home and thinks they can’t do it, really, if I can do it then anybody can do it. I had no plans. I had no money. I didn’t cheat my way in. I didn’t have any extra bulk money to depend on, and I never even worked a regular job here. So if you really are determined and you put everything into what you’re doing, you can be successful in whatever you choose to do.”
5. Her Uncle Introduced Her To Tattooing
Nessie has always been an artist at heart, but it wasn’t until her uncle introduced her to tattooing that she realized she could use her art in that way. When she first started her journey, she was doing tattoos in her uncle’s kitchen. If it weren’t for him, she would likely be doing something else now.
6. She Loves Fashion
In addition to being very creative, Nessie also has an entrepreneurial mind. She’s always looking for ways to monetize her talents and she would eventually like to do that with fashion. She has a great sense of style and one of her goals is to start her own clothing line.
7. She Would Love to Meet Jay-Z
Thanks to her work as a tattoo artist, Nessie has gotten to cross paths with some very well-known people. However, there’s still one person she would really like to meet. During an interview, Nessie told Yitzi Weiner, “I would love to sit down and have lunch or dinner or even coffee with Jay Z.. and just learn as much as I can, I’d let him do all the talking- speaking of geniuses!”
8. She Was Initially Nervous About Doing a Reality TV Show
Making the decision to do a reality show is never an easy one. On one hand, it can help a person get lots of exposure. On the other hand, it opens a person up to lots of scrutiny and criticism. Needless to say, Nessie was a little skeptical about doing Black Ink Crew Compton at first. Fortunately, it turned out to be a great choice for her.
9. She Likes to Help Others
Nessie has built a significant platform over the last few years, and she hopes to do more with it than share her skills as a tattoo artist. She told Bombshell by Bleu, “I believe that inspiring the next generation to tap into their creative space is important especially when that sort of thing has been taken out of some schools. I plan to do more throughout 2020, and I’m working on something now that I can use my talent to has to encourage justice reform.”
10. She Enjoys Interacting With Her Fans
Nessie has nothing but love for all of the people who have shown her love and support during her journey. While it may not be possible for her to thank every person individually, she loves to connect with her fans whenever she can. It’s fairly common to see her responding to people’s comments and messages on social media.