You’re a cool person doing cool shit. What’s your name and where are you located?

My name is Renette Hammer. I’m located in San Francisco on the famous 24th St. – 24th and Tree. I own a tattoo shop called 24th St. Studio, but we do way more than just tattoos. We do so much cool stuff.

What kind of cool shit are you doing?

I have almost bi-weekly art shows. I’m married to a professional skateboarder and the links of people are endless; so there’s always artists who want to do events. We’ve had a roast where someone put a stage in. We’ve put on bougie art shows. And we’re always throwing pop-up events. The whole point of my tattoo shop is to highlight small business owners and the work that they do and be able to provide them a safe space.

Would you call 24th St. Studio a community hub?

100%. There’s always friends or friends-of-friends stopping by – they’ve heard about the shop and want to check it out. Everyone that gets the vibe, loves the vibe because it’s totally different from any other tattoo shop. You’re not walking into a ton of overwhelming art and flash art and a bunch of manly dudes. Instead, we have an open airy space full of women and that vibration carries very far.

You’re speaking our language. How did you get into tattooing?

I’m born and raised in Colorado and I was living in the Breckenridge area – it’s a big ski resort town with lots of stoners. I started working for a tattoo artist and, to be honest, it turned out to be a super shady situation, but I could benefit from it so I was like, “I’m going to make the best of it”. We got to do whatever we wanted, which was bad and good. I got a lot of highs and a lot of lows really quickly in tattooing and I feel like it made me grow up in the industry as an artist.

How would you describe your personal style of art and tattooing?

 I personally like to do hyperrealism. But those tattoos take a ton of time and they’re tiny so the gratification isn’t necessarily what everyone is looking for. I try to adhere to what my client needs and what I want to do at the same time. Which is a tricky line to walk, but as long as you do it respectfully you’ll have the commitment and support of the client.

What are some things you do to get into a creative state of mind, your zone where you flow?

If I’m doing long tattoos I definitely need to stop and I have to smoke weed. Weed gives me that opportunity to “be here now” and not worry about what’s going on around me. It gives me the ability to do my job at my highest [lol] potential.