Flashover Ink, a family’s new venture in Copperas Cove

By PAMELA GRANT
Cove Leader-Press

Father/daughter duo, Kevin Guillot and Hailee Scott, are co-owners of Cove’s newest tattoo shop, Flashover Ink. Both Guillot and his daughter were medics in the military.
Guillot graduated from the Florida Tattoo Academy where he completed his apprenticeship, making sure that he learned the history, standards, and safety procedures such as how to tattoo the right way, and keeping things as safe and sanitary as possible to prevent any bloodborne diseases. He said that he takes all of the safety procedures very seriously. 
Guillot served in the medical field in the United States Army for 14 years before serving as the volunteer fire chief and then fire chief for the Huffman Fire Department for 15 years, retiring in 2018.
Guillot said that for a long time, he didn’t even know he had PTSD. He said that it’s important for people to know that PTSD can be caused by anything traumatic. He said that while working for the fire department, he would have horrible, vivid hallucinations of accidents and injuries constantly while driving to an incident. Guillot said that eventually it got so bad that he knew that he needed to retire.
After that, he spent everything he had to go to school in Florida to become a tattoo artist. 
Guillot said that he’d always had a love of art and was inspired to do tattoos by his Uncle Felix.
“It’s therapeutic,” said Guillot. “I just wanted to get away from the world and experience art on another level.”
Guillot said that tattooing has been very helpful for dealing with his stress and his PTSD and he loves how it helps others as well. Many of the people that he does tattoos for are active-duty military or veterans. He talked about how getting a tattoo is therapeutic for the one getting the tattoo as well and how it releases endorphins. Guillot recalled a time when he had a customer who called him saying that he was going through a dark time and wanted to get the tattoo as soon as possible to get his mind off it. Guillot said that he spent longer than needed on the tattoo and said that as he worked, he could see the other man’s eyes lighten up.
“Ink therapy is real,” said Guillot. “These vets are my family, friends, brothers, and sisters…It’s very therapeutic for everybody.”
Guillot talked about how important art is, and about the permanence of tattoos. He said that you can buy a painting or another piece of art and put it up and take it down when you get tired of it, but that isn’t the case for tattoos, so it’s important for the tattoo artist to be aware of that.
“I’ve had this horrible piece on my body since I was a kid, and I’ve left it there for a reason. It hasn’t been covered up because of the value of people’s bodies. You have to value your art enough because you change people’s lives—good or bad—with every piece of art,” said Guillot. “If you don’t value that, then you shouldn’t be doing it.”
Guillot said that, because of the bad tattoo that he got when he was 19, he was embarrassed to take his shirt off in front of others, even at the beach, so he knows how horrible it can feel to get a bad tattoo and how important it is to him to make sure that when he does a tattoo, he knows how much it can impact someone.
He said that he’s had people come into their shop crying about a horrible tattoo that they got somewhere else or a tattoo that they regret, and it means a lot to Guillot to be able to help them.
“I’ve done some pretty miraculous things to correct that, and you see them walk out of here with a whole other spirit,” said Guillot. “Art is subjective, but it also impacts people’s lives.”
Guillot is happy to share his love of art and tattooing with his daughter, Hailee Scott.
“I did this for her,” said Guillot. “I was just a private studio.”
Guillot’s daughter, Hailee Scott, an artist since grade school, is rapidly becoming an amazing tattoo artist herself, picking up the skills at an impressive pace.
“He thinks that he did it for me, but I did it for him too,” said Scott.
Scott said that tattooing is very relaxing for her.
“I have four kids, so it’s kinda like my outlet away from the kids,” said Scott.
Logan Mcleod came in last week to get a small 1-inch by 1-inch tattoo of a sun just behind his ear. He said that he’d been worried that it wouldn’t suit his face, but he was excited by how well it turned out.
“I think it looks great!” said Mcleod after his tattoo was completed. “I was really surprised that it didn’t hurt because I’m really sensitive. I would definitely recommend them.”
Flashover Ink is located at 1308 S. FM 116 in Copperas Cove. Appointments are available Wednesday through Sunday. 
They are best reached by texting or calling Guillot at (254) 878-9755 or Scott at (254) 394-0563. You can find examples of their work on Instagram at tattoosbychief.
“We’re excited to be here,” said Guillot. “We just look forward to serving the community.”