Laura began her professional tattooing career in 2006, following an unexpected invitation to apprentice under master tattoo artist Steve Smith, in her hometown of San Diego. This was quite a shift from her graduate studies in Psychology, however…that background dovetailed perfectly into the intimate nature of tattoo artistry. In another fortunate twist of fate, barely out of her apprenticeship, Laura was hired by retired SEAL Master Chief Mike Martin (1949-2019) at his tattoo shop and was introduced to the world of Naval Special Warfare. Ever since, she’s worked nearly exclusively with that community on both coasts.

In 2021, Laura relocated to Virginia Beach, after COVID lockdowns in San Diego shuttered her own tattoo shop for over 6 months. She found a unique yet total disaster of a space and began transforming it into a working art studio and gathering spot for NSW operators and their families. As renovations on the space progressed, it seemed to speak to her…asking to be made useful in a much bigger way, a far more impactful and robust manner that could bring desperately needed assistance to the NSW community as a whole.

Since its inception in 2010, many of Laura’s clients and friends have shared their experiences participating in the NICoE clinic at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. With very few exceptions (one to be exact), the art therapy portion of this program has always been the clear favorite. Until now, no step-down initiative has existed where operators could continue their therapeutic explorations into art-making. Last Room is that place.

When Laura set foot in the world of special operations 18 years ago she could not have predicted this moment. What began as a career quickly evolved into a passion. Clients became friends, and friends grew to be family. NSW isn’t just a community she loves. It is her community. Last Room embodies her profound personal interest in healing and growing from trauma, psychology, neuroscience, and her very first love…art.