Mikey Hansson (left) smiles with Jason Branum in their newly opened tattoo shop. (Zoe Naylor | Houston Herald)

Mikey Hansson started drawing at age 6. By 10, his Buzz Lightyear drawing won a school art contest. He upped the ante at 23, making his drawings permanent: on customers’ skin instead of paper, with tattoo ink instead of elementary art supplies. Now 42, he’s licensed to tattoo in two states and co-owns a tattoo parlor.

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Originally from middle Tennessee, Zoe graduated from the University of Missouri in May 2026 with a master's in journalism. She primarily covers local government and school board and writes features for...