When driving into the waterfront town of Edgewater, Maryland the last thing you would expect to find is a high quality tattoo shop. Sitting off of the main strip is a little blue house with a big sign that simply reads "Tattoo Body Piercing | Tarot". If you are one of the lucky people who find this shop you will be treated to one of the most charismatic studios I have ever seen. When first entering About You Tattoo, you get the overwhelming feeling of being welcome, with the colorful walls and overall cozy feel the shop emits. You'll soon be greeted by one of the best tattoo artists in the area, Rebecca 'Ruby' Rasbury. Rebecca has spent the last 11 years perfecting her art and the past few years doing so in Maryland. I asked her a few questions and I liked the answers I received.

r1ch: What drove you to become a tattoo artist?

Ruby: Tattoos had been under my nose for a long time before I caught the bug. When I was 19, a friend passed away and me and another friend went to get ink in her memory. I started collecting ink and drawing my own designs. The tattooer that I was going to told me I should consider being a tattooer. I went to a few bike shows with him and saw the lifestyle so set forth to be an inker myself. I apprenticed with him for a few months then went about inking at home. All my old highschool friends are not surprised I became a tattooer, just surprised I haven't had any felony charges yet!

r1ch: If you had to guess, how many tattoos have you produced?

Ruby: Well over a few thousand...

r1ch: How much time have you spent under the gun yourself?

Ruby: It's a machine not a gun... I've got over 90 hours of ink on me.

r1ch: How long have you been tattooing?

Ruby: 11 years this August.

r1ch: Do you find it hard to be a woman in tattooing?

Ruby: It's very hard. Most shops are male dominated and the egos are enough to suffocate any woman. It's hard being a tattooed woman, period, in this world. People automatically give ya the judgement that you're white trash and easy. Not me: I'm college educated and a prude. But I got a fire mouth and have no problem telling people to take a picture instead of staring at me. When someone says, "Why would you do that to your body?" I ask them "Why would you wear those ugly shoes?"

r1ch: How many shops have you worked in before opening your own?

Ruby: I worked in three shops before I opened my first shop in 1995. After selling that shop in 1997, I worked in over 20 shops from Connecticut, Miami Beach, Virginia, Indiana, Ohio...

r1ch: Do you do more custom work or flash?

Ruby: I do WAY more custom stuff than flash.

r1ch: How did you come up with your shop's name?

Ruby: I got tired of seeing other tattooers make their clients tattoos all about them and their egos. Many tattooers are so egocentric that they can't begin to listen to your needs and ideas. I named my shop About You Tattoo because I try extra hard to make it all about the body sitting in my chair.

r1ch: Did you ever apprentice before working? If so with whom?

Ruby: I apprenticed with David 'Fitzy' Fitzgerald from Hinsdale, NH for about five months, then went to work all over. I've learned something from every shop I've worked in, and every tattooer that's put ink on me. My greatest learning experience was with Dragon Moon in Glen Burnie and State of the Art in Winchester, VA.

r1ch: Do you have any additional comments?

Ruby: Tattooing is the second oldest known profession. There is not one ancient culture on this planet that has not practiced the art of tattooing. I love what I do, and hope to keep doing it for years to come. When they dig me up outta the permafrost in 2200 years I want them to think I'm a Goddess for having Luna moths, scarabs, cats and other cool art tattooed on me! Tattooing is a reflection of my soul that I choose to share with those who want to look.