![\"(l](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/web-crop-Vivid_tattoo_05082013_\u00a9anulaksingphiphat2013_006.jpg\")
<\/a>Last year that property was put up for sale, and although Burnside was given first dibs on it, in October she packed up her goods and moved to Hillcrest. The new shop is located at 449 University Ave., near the iconic Hillcrest sign and just above Gilbert\u2019s Shoe Repair.<\/p>\n
This new venture has ushered in not only a new location for Burnside, but also a new chapter; a fresh start.<\/p>\n
In the past, Burnside took what she called a \u201cback-seat\u201d role when it came to her artists, letting them do their own thing while she established herself as a new business owner and kept pace with her own clientele. She admits she lost some artists that way, because what people actually need are guidance and a more structured environment.<\/p>\n
Since the move, she\u2019s spread out some of the responsibilities and even allows her girlfriend Dana to pitch in. These changes have freed her up to focus on growing the business, mentoring her staff and getting more involved with the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis has all taught me to really appreciate people,\u201d Burnside said. \u201cBack when I was younger I was always such a giver. It was so uncomfortable for me to \u2018get,\u2019 \u2026 and now I realize \u2026 you are taking something away from [people] by not letting them give to you. It was a really hard lesson for me to learn.\u201d<\/p>\n The shop itself is a large, industrial-looking space, with high open ceilings, red brick sidewalls and wall-to-wall metal and glass sliding windows facing out over University Avenue. Burnside, who originally went to art school with plans to be an art curator, has adorned the space with an eclectic assortment of art.<\/p>\n \u201cMy whole goal with this shop is one, to have a safe and comfortable environment for everybody to come to,\u201d Burnside said. \u201cThe second thing is [to] focus on custom stuff. \u2026 I don\u2019t want to be the shop where you just get the next guy and he doesn\u2019t know how to do what you are looking for, but there\u2019s a guy right there who does it perfectly and it\u2019s his life studies.\u201d<\/p>\n She said this doesn\u2019t mean they won\u2019t still take walk-ins, they just prefer to do a better job matching up their artists with the work the clients want. As such, her clients and her staff remain the most important pieces of the puzzle, especially if she expects repeat business.<\/p>\n \u201cI want it to be a big party, like an event,\u201d she said. \u201cI want people to really have a great feeling after they leave here.\u201d<\/p>\n One thing Burnside is very vocal about are people who do tattoos at home on the weekend.<\/p>\n \u201c\u2018I\u2019m gonna do a gall bladder surgery on you, because I read a book about it and I have the instruments. Is that cool? We\u2019re gonna do it at my house,\u2019\u201d she said sarcastically.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re opening skin, creating blood [and] scarring people for life,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are ruining people and creating a harder job for us. It\u2019s creating plenty of work; most of my work is cover up work now.\u201d<\/p>\n Though her staff has changed along the way for various reasons, she feels she\u2019s got a good fit.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s about getting the right frame of mind, the right mode, the right zing,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have such an amazing vibe 99 percent of the time, it\u2019s just getting to the 100 percent. I\u2019m trying to really fill in the gaps.\u201d<\/p>\n Currently Vivid has two piercers, Molly Smiley and Ironhead Mike. Artist Daniel Silva, also shop manager, specializes in portraits, realism, 3D and has \u201cthe tightest, most fine lines ever,\u201d Burnside said. Another full-timer is female artist Devon Dagger, a \u201cneo-traditional,\u201d while Ian Malcolm does lettering and bold \u201cnew-school\u201d designs. Several part-timers round out the staff, including traditional artist Nikki Degner and Hondre Moreno, whose \u201cPolynesian flowers look so real it seems like you can wipe the dew drops off of them,\u201d Burnside said. Willis Thweat is a black and grey fantasy and skull work specialist who recently fell victim to a tragic motorcycle accident, putting him in a temporary coma. The shop recently held a very successful fundraiser at Ruby Room to assist with bills while he is on the mend.<\/p>\n Getting more involved in the community is also at the top of Burnside\u2019s bucket list. Mardi Gras was held right below their windows, and she is excited about CityFest, participating in the LGBT Pride parade and getting more involved in fundraisers.<\/p>\n \u201cIf anyone has a benefit we will always donate gift certificates,\u201d Burnside said. \u201cI want people to know that they can always come to us, because we want to be a neighborhood stronghold for giving and we are part of the community.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to give back as much as we can,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Vivid Tattoo<\/strong> Local artist strives to be neighborhood \u2018stronghold\u2019 for giving back By Morgan M. Hurley | SDUN Assistant Editor Steph Burnside has been inking skin in San Diego for over a decade, eventually opening her own shop Vivid Tattoo and Piercings in University Heights back in 2009.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":246091,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"11555","_seopress_titles_title":"Taking tattoos to the community","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11547,11551,11550,11555],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-246090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","category-news","category-top-stories","category-uptown-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=246090"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/246090\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/246091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=246090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=246090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=246090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/a><\/p>\n
\n449 University Ave. #24<\/strong>
\nvividtattoo.net<\/strong>
\nFacebook.com\/vividtattoo619<\/strong>
\n619-487-0237<\/strong><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"