Artist Elisheba Mrozik smiles as she stands inside a tattoo room at her shop. Art adorns the walls.
Elisheba Mrozik shows off one of the tattoo rooms at her shop, One Drop Ink. Credit: Steve Haruch / Nashville Banner

Elisheba Mrozik is probably best known as a tattooer: She made an appearance on the TV show Inkmaster and owns her own shop in North Nashville. But she’s also a painter, muralist and textile artist who uses whatever medium she’s working in to explore community and cultural interconnectedness. And yes, some of that work involves fermenting mud.

An artist from an early age — including an elementary school-era side gig selling her drawings — Elisheba credits a trip to Japan for unlocking her potential and beginning her journey exploring her identity as a Black Southern woman.

Guest

Credits

  • Host: Demetria Kalodimos
  • Producers: Steve Haruch and Andrea Tudhope

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Andrea Tudhope is the news editor for the Nashville Banner, where she also oversees the audio wing. An award-winning multimedia journalist, Andrea spent the past decade working in public radio, from reporter to newscaster to editor. As part of the founding leadership team for America Amplified, a national public media community engagement initiative, she launched a national talk show and co-wrote and edited a playbook on community-powered journalism. She came to Nashville to launch WPLN’s first-ever daily show, This Is Nashville, where she was executive producer.

Steve Haruch is the senior producer. An award-winning journalist, editor and producer, he has worked previously at the Nashville Scene and WPLN, and his writing has appeared everywhere from The New York Times to NPR's Code Switch. He edited the books Greetings From New Nashville: How a Sleepy Southern Town Became 'It' City and People Only Die of Love in Movies: Film Writing by Jim Ridley.