Nicole Morrone was born legally blind, but she still creates detailed, colorful artwork — on her clients’ skin.
Morrone is an award-winning tattoo artist who was born with nystagmus. Her eyes uncontrollably shake and can’t focus on objects far away.
“I can only see clearly a few inches in front of me. My vision is 20/400, and it’s quite impaired from that,” Morrone said. “I can legally tattoo, but I cannot legally drive. And I had always just been fascinated by tattooing ever since I was in high school.”
She has a degree in studio art and had a few different careers before jumping into tattooing two years ago.
The owner of Trademarked Society Tattoo in Poland, Ohio, took a chance on her and gave her an apprenticeship. Now, she’s booked months out.
“At first, it was kind of like something that I felt like I had to warn people about,” Morrone said. “Now, it’s just really become part of my brand and just part of who I am, and I’ve embraced it.”
She has won several awards for her expressive, colorful pieces.
“I just love playing with color. I love expressing myself through color,” Morrone said. “It’s something that I don’t have to look close at to see.”
She wasn’t always so comfortable talking about her visual impairment. The support of her family, friends, coworkers and clients has given her the courage.
“I’ve never had a client, like, not want to get tattooed because of my condition or because of my disability,” Morrone said. “They’ve just all super embraced it. They loved my story, which made me want to share it.”
She recently made a video sharing her story, and it’s gotten over 100,000 views.
“I didn’t know until I had a tattoo machine in my hand if I could do it,” Morrone said. “This is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.”
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