Owensboro tattoo artist uses 'sacred marks' to impact customers
'My kids…I just got a five bedroom house for them. Five years ago, at Friends of Sinners I was homeless…had a bag of clothes to my name,' says Baughn.
Inside, every needle stroke writes a line in TJ Baughn's story of redemption.
'I used to be a very bad addict and an alcoholic. I kind of grew up around partying and everything. I ended up running into a tattoo machine one day at a flea market, and so I started tattooing on the streets,' says
His story of recovery began down the road at Friends of Sinners, a Christ-centered substance abuse treatment program.
5 years after he left that flea market, he says he had a big encounter with God.
'The men that he put in my life, my pastor, I have probably 200 brothers in my phone I can call right now,' says Baughn.
Baughn graduated out of the program in 2022 and is now a decade into his tattooing career.
Sacred Marks's doors opened in October. 3 weeks ago, Skyler Chilton came on as an apprentice.Chilton is also the daughter of Baughn's pastor and has watched him grow over the years.
'It's helped me understand that people make mistakes and to be more forgiving with myself, as everybody should be, I think,' says Chilton.
The mentorship extends beyond staff. For Baughn, every tattoo session is a chance to connect and encourage.
'I'm not going to say I'm perfect or anything. They vent to me, and I'm able to help them out through things and struggles. They always leave a beautiful piece of work,' says Baughn.
Baughn says he's grateful his Friends of Sinners community means he'll never be alone again, and that each day is a chance to become stronger, wiser and take care of his family.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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