We had the good fortune of connecting with Goldie NotNice and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Goldie, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I come from a line of business owners, so I think I always knew that I would have my own business, in some facet. It would just take me some time to learn what that facet was, specifically.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I think what sets me apart from others, is that I don’t look like what I’ve been through. It’s my, successfully making it this far on a journey that has tried multiple times to take me out. I often joke with my partner about the idea of 10,000 hours. I learned early “if you want to be good at anything, give it 10,000 hours”

The thing is, the 10,000 hours won’t always look like pencil to paper, needle to thread or stencil to skin. It sometimes looks like quitting a job on faith, losing friends, and even sometimes shows up as loneliness. But what is being withdrawn from THAT deposit, is the version that is required for success.

Getting to where I am today was not easy, by any stretch! However, I can say, it was all necessary. A few lessons I’ve learned along the way are;
-If you don’t love yourself, how are you going to love somebody else”
-They don’t determine your value, YOU DO, so make it count.
-Self Love is the best love.
-If you want to go long, go alone, but if you want to go far, get a team.
-You can’t just dream the dream, you gotta work towards it too.
There are dozens of lessons I’ve learned along the way, most I found, are rooted in honoring myself and my authenticity.

I’ve always been an artist. During my earlier years, I was in choir and ballet. It was in high school detention where I’d fall in love with drawing and painting, and I’d ultimately become a tattoo artist in college. My brand has had a few iterations since graduating from Sam Houston State University in 2016. It was first GoldGasmasks, then in 2020 it shifted (as most things did in 2020) to NotNice.

Picture this, I was a full time Store Manager for CityGear working 50+ hours a week , covering shifts, during a pandemic because everyone else was prioritizing themselves. I started tattooing on my off days and started making more money in a single day, than I was making from a 2 week check. I was reaching the point where it was time to do something different, and I’d get a DM from my mentor Tuki Carter, that would change the trajectory of my life. He asked me if I had a shop home, which I didn’t at the time because I was still managing in retail. I went and met with Tuki about joining his team as an artist, I returned back to work the next day to submit my 2 weeks notice! I counted down every day until I fired my boss, and I never looked back.

Once I fired my boss, I deep dove into what I wanted my signature to be in the tattoo space. I wanted the same correlations as Basquiat and the Crown or Warhol and the Campbells Soup Can have, but with tattoos. Therefore I had to figure it out. I’d land on the safety pin. It was a household item, and everyone knows what a safety pin is. I’d use it as a metaphor for connectivity and being creatively connected to all the things I birth creatively. Whether it be drawings, paintings, garments, hairstyles or tattoos. If it was a custom piece, it had a safety pin in it. I eventually had clients coming in to get tattoos and were requesting my safety pins. It was then, I knew I had successfully micro-branded NotNice to be synonymous with the safety pin.

In 2022, I had to step away from the City of Ink to help my family’s business. By the end of 2024, I had essentially lost myself and I was ready to reclaim my image for a final time. I had grown through so many versions of myself and I was ready to just show up unapologetically. I knew I wanted the things I was creating to be a direct reflection of me. I was ready to be an embodiment of what I wanted to represent, and The Glitch Gallery was just that. It was a culmination of how I wanted to show up. A glitch in the matrix, a breath of fresh air, something the art industry wasn’t used to seeing. I wanted my tattoos to be different, my art to be different. I was ready to break out the matrix, so I did. I legitimized The Glitch Gallery and shortly after launched my private studio. I resigned from the family business in January to purchase a school bus to convert into a mobile home/studio, and it’s been a long time dream but one of the best decision I’ve ever made. The best decisions honor self first!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If my friend were to visit town and I wanted to show them a time. I’d start the week chill, maybe cook breakfast, go to a park with a waterfall or river like Saltwater Creek, catch a free yoga class that evening and find something light to eat like SweetGreen. Another day we’d visit the HIGH during the day, talk about our favorite pieces. Go to Andretti after, drive a couple races, maybe bowl, laser tag. That evening, find some live jazz to listen to at Louisiana Bistreaux, eat some creole cuisine. The next day we could go to the Botanical Gardens, then a paint date at Piedmont or any park honestly. I’d take them skating at Cascade on adult night so the kids aren’t crowding the floor, then pop over tho MJQ for a night cap. I’d take them the little 5 points to go thrifting and lunch, then set up a candle making date at Bear and Honey. I’m sure there will be an art exhibit opening that weekend we could attend and finish the week with a festival; be it food, flowers, music, art, culture etc. Finish off finding a cafe for breakfast before they head back home!

It’s going to always be a good time for me, when art is centered in the activity.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First and foremost, all praise to the Most High! Immediately following Source, would be my mother Chana. She will always be the first to be recognized as a key contributor of my success. Following my mom, would be my sisters, Essence and Jada. Last but not least, my grandmother, for showing me, “If the trail is to be blazed, it’s going to take my fire”. Without each of these individuals, I’m not sure where my empathy, motivation, hunger, or drive would have originated. I’d also like to dedicate my current creative season to “The Artist Way” by Julia Cameron.

Website: https://Ambertwhite.com

Instagram: Inkbynotnice

Youtube: Theglitchgallery777

Other: TikTok: ArtisticPriestess

Image Credits
Photographer: Tia Jenkins, LeilahtheArtist, ShawtySketch

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