By Quinn O’Hara

Photo by Quinn O’Hara

Walk The Line Tattoo in Clay Center has a new tattoo artist apprentice.

Jay Long has been an artist for as long as they can remember, always doodling whenever they had a chance. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit halfway through their senior year at Clay Center Community High School, Long said they suddenly found themselves with even more free time to draw. This, they said, is when their love for tattoos really stuck.

Long then reached out to life-long family friend and Owner of Walk The Line Tattoo, Tara Donkelaar. The pair hit it off and soon began the work to become business partners. “She just saw the passion and fire in my eyes that I had for what she does, and she knew that I’d be a perfect fit for this industry,” said Long.

After a two-year process, Donkelaar got her training license and Long got their apprentice license from the Kansas Board of Cosmetology.

Now with a license, Long is looking forward to working with their first customers. Long said the intimacy between a tattoo artist and their client during a session is one of their favorite parts of the industry.

Long said they are grateful for the opportunity to continue their journey as an artist through Walk The Line. They said, “we work the majority of our lives, that’s a proven statistic. If I’m going to be doing that, I better be doing something that I love. And that’s exactly what I’m doing here.”