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“I created a community chat with my clients because these women all shared a journey with me and now it makes me smile that they’ve become friends,” interview with tattoo artist Swasthik Iyengar

The work of tattoo artist Swasthik Iyengar is a mix of Indian tribal and Hindu, but with a contemporary edge, that helps connect people to their roots. And we’re totally obsessed. Her Instagram feed – gunga_ma – is filled with bold and beautiful designs that clearly empower their wearers, so much so that she’s created a community of women who wear her tattoos.

She’s been immersed in the tattooing industry from her early twenties, starting out as a counter girl in a shop in Australia in 2015, she did her first tattoo at the end of 2017, and has been tattooing for nine years now. But tattooing is in her blood – her grandmother was a traditional handpoke tattooer in India.

She’s currently in the US, but we hope that she comes over to the UK soon, so we can join her community of badass women by adding a piece of her work to our own collections… We couldn’t wait to hear more about her journey. Settle in, it’s absolutely fascinating!

When did you first fall in love with tattoos? Was there a poignant moment from your past? Tell us about it, take us there…

I fell in love with tattoos from the moment I got tattooed when I was 20 in London. It was just so magical. Not only did I love my tattoos, but I fell in love with the experience and the energy and vibrant colours in the tattoo shops. For most of my teen life, I found it very hard to fit in, so when I moved to London and got my first tattoo at the world famous Into You [sadly now closed] owned by Alex Binnie, I just knew my journey of tattooing was not going to stop.

Swasthik’s first tattoos on the inside of her forearms seen here while holding her friend’s hand

I remember seeing Hindu influenced imagery in the shop and I felt so at home, I felt a belonging. To see that there was a community of people out there that cherished Hindu imagery and gods made me feel comfortable in my skin – literally as my first ever tattoos were my family gods: Lord Narasimha and Lakshmi.

by Swasthik

What was your childhood like, were you always artistic? Tell us about your family connection to tattooing…

I was born and raised in India till I was 10 years old. I came from a deep spiritual background. India is filled with rich art and colours – because of the people, the sounds, the temples and houses, people’s prayer rooms. I lived a simple life there with my parents and extended family. I remember going to sacred sites and temples on big road trips with family and cousins, playing with cows, playing on the streets, going into nature.

Swasthik and her grandmother

And my grandmother did stick-and-poke tattoos in Chennai in India. While this was not her sole job, she did kolam tattoos for reasons of healing as these specific tattoos have medicinal healing connotations based on deeply rooted traditions. To put into context, I can explain a little about the tattoos she did.

Swasthik in India

Kolam tattoos are extremely sacred. It is important to define first what is kolam. Kolam patterns are planetary based geometric/mathematical line drawings physically drawn on the ground (earth mother) with rice flour or grounded natural seeds. Each kolam is formulated around a matrix of dots, whereby folklore mandates that all lines must be connected to symbolically prevent evil spirits from entering inside the land/village, hut/home, territory or temple where the kolam pattern exists.

Swasthik with her family

Why did South Indian people like your grandmother historically tattoo kolam patterns on the skin?

Kolam patterns were tattooed (by sacred stick-and-poke instruments called Mungurah) on people’s skin by female tattooers and or medicine healers to protect family members from evil spirits and disease from entering the body. Evil spirits included the lost souls of those that died and could not find karmic closure and diseases included cancers and many others that caused pain and stress on the body.

The reason that only ladies and medicine healers were allowed to tattoo this is because it was said that since ladies were mothers, they had the magic touch of empathy and love that surpassed the control of any evil spirit. Medicine healers were trusted to tattoo kolam patterns as their hands held the power to cure illness. The stick-and-poke instruments were made of many different materials but the special ones used in ritual were made of brass.

Swasthik’s grandmother’s tattoos

Your work has Indian tribal tattoo culture and Hindu imagery infused in it, but with a contemporary edge. How did your style evolve to become what it is today? Is it important to embrace both past and present?

Not only as a student but as a person who holds space and has an extreme amount of respect for the craft, it is very important to study and acknowledge the tattooers and the tattoo practice in the past. These people have paved the way for tattooers today. Since I have a strong connection to my motherland – India, even before I was tattooing and I was painting – I was always inspired by references/motifs/imagery linked to Hindu culture and traditions/stories in different parts of India. For such a small country, India has an extensive and diverse array of painting, arts and crafts as well as tattoo practices.

Through studying these different styles and mediums of art and tattoos, and continuing to do so, I tried to and I am trying to take reference from such practices (use them as tools so to speak) and draw from my heart and mind. That is how I formed and continue to form my style of work. It is important for me to keep evolving, learning and tweaking my skills both in tattooing and art so that I continue to grow. I also like the challenges it brings, because it pushes me to think outside of the box and to always try my best. By embracing the past, I hope to connect my clients to their roots, to our ancestors, to the spirit that forms us and connects us to our people, our land.

Her customers have become a community. This photo was taken on the day that her customer Gloria got tattooed, with Humairaa (one month healed) and Pavi (a few years healed)

Your Instagram feed is filled with the most beautiful photos of women with bold designs that sprawl across their bodies, do you find the process of tattooing someone empowering – for them and for you? Do you notice people’s attitudes towards their own bodies change during and after the process?

Thank you so much for your kind words. Honestly the best part of tattooing is hearing my clients’ stories and making them smile through body transformation. In most of the situations, both my client and I have cried with happiness after the execution of the tattoo. In beautiful ways the universe has given us signs when the tattoo is finished, which makes us feels their ancestors (Pattis – grandmothers) were in a sense there with us. Tattooing is painful, especially in those sacred parts of the body, so it’s so empowering to see my client’s strength to endure, to get through it.

I sometimes forget when I tattoo every day, and I remember when I get tattooed, and it really humbles me because it is a journey and with such body transformation comes pain. I do see attitudes change after. In fact, I receive the most beautiful emails months and years after from my clients/friends of how strong they feel in their skin. I decided to create a community chat with my clients because these women all shared a journey with me and now it makes me smile that they have become friends and catch up from time to time and collaborate on projects.

How do you like to work with your customers? Do you consider the tattoo to be a collaboration? What kind of ideas do customers bring to you and how do you turn those ideas into tattoos?

It depends on whether the email I get is someone wanting a flash that I have posted or if someone is wanting a tribal chest/sleeve/back etc. If it is a flash piece, then it is very easy to communicate the booking via email as people see the finished product/painting and know somewhat what they will get. When the time comes, it’s very nice to then meet the client in person and connect because I am very grateful that they want a piece of my work.

If it is the latter, I usually bring people in for consults because it is important to connect in person and feel a sense of comfort. By interacting in person, I can understand what a person wants and I’m able to spend time asking questions as well as taking tracings of the body in order to commence drawing the design for the tattoo.

I always have the option for consults, whether small or big or someone who wants to get their first tattoo – these are permanent markings and big decisions, so I want clients to feel happy and safe if they wish to get tattooed by me. Also, this allows for the tattoo concept to be a collaboration.

What’s your studio like? Is the environment you tattoo in important to the process?

I work at the wonderful Good Luck NYC in Brooklyn. It is a great creative space whereby everyone there does amazing work – which inspires me. Everyone there is always willing to help when it comes to talking about art or tattoo techniques. There is a lot of sun that comes through the shop and it has a lovely energy so I feel very lucky to be a part of their team.

For sure, the environment is important because tattooing is very tricky. For example, everyone’s skin is different, sometimes stencilling the tattoo can be challenging, so when I am in a peaceful, friendly and supportive environment, I can calm down and do the tattoo the best I can. I always want to try my best and to make my clients smile.

Are you doing any guest spots this year? And how do we book in?

Right now, for the summer, I plan to stay in New York. As I’ve just moved to the States –almost a year ago. For me, it is important to remain focused, paint and build a local clientele. However, I will do guest spots through the USA after the summer. I have not set in stone any particular places but this is something I’m exploring. The best way to book in with me is by emailing me. My body of work is on my Instagram page – gunga_ma – and my bio on my Instagram page has my email enclosed. This way people can see the tattoos I’ve done and the new designs that are available. My email is: swasthikiyengartattoos@gmail.com

Do you have any thoughts about the industry as a whole? Its past and its future?

Honestly, I don’t feel I’ve been tattooing long enough to say because I am still very much a student. I know that the tattooers I’ve met in my journey here and the people I admire have been so kind in sharing their knowledge of tattoo applications and executions, which has been so amazing. So I am very grateful to meet these tattooers and be able to learn from them.

I also think now, especially with social media, it is so cool to see so many different styles of tattoos/art that inspires and motivates me. It is awesome now we have access to more things within the tattoo industry, such as different types of machines etc.

What path are you on next and where would you like the style of your work to go?

I would like to move towards doing larger bodysuits/larger projects such as sleeves within my tribal Indian work – fingers crossed.

I just really want to thank you for giving me this opportunity to be able to talk a little bit about my culture and tattooing within my culture to your readers on your platform because I think what you both do is truly great. I also want to thank everyone that reads this interview, and my emails are always open if you want to get tattooed here in New York. I look forward to hearing your stories and what brought you to want to get tattooed. Thank you again.

We can’t wait for the next step in your journey. Follow: gunga_ma

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“Tattooing someone is a real bonding experience and I love to discover what makes them tick,” tattoo artist Nick Lazaris

Tattoo artist Nick Lazaris, aka Laz (@Laz_tattoo), creates black-and-white realism tattoos at Animalistic Body Art in Adelaide, Australia. He started working life as a security guard, but art was in his heart from a very young age – so he did an old-school apprenticeship to learn the trade and now he’s known for tattooing football players and Olympic swimmers, we sat down with the artist to find out more about his art and passions…

What made you fall in love with tattooing? Was there a poignant memory from your past? Tell us about it…

I was getting tattooed at 15, which was very young – too young, really. Around that time I was collecting magazines and every time I saw a photo of a tattoo on someone I’d always stare and want to know what it meant to the person.

When did you decide you wanted to become a tattoo artist? How did you learn?

I think it was around the time I left school. I was a security guard and I was looking for a career. I’d always shown talent with my drawing, and I started getting tattooed when I was young. So, it was pretty clear to me that’s what I wanted to pursue. 

I started getting tattooed at a place on the road where I lived in Newtown, Sydney, and got to know the guys there. The boss had a few shops and someone was leaving his shop in Sydney suburb Kings Cross so I took my portfolio in to show him and he took me on. 

I did an old-school apprenticeship; getting stencils ready for the artists, cleaning and watching and I slowly got into it as I went along. 

We love that first and foremost you call yourself an artist. Can you tell us a bit more about that side of your work?

I was always drawing when I was young and never touched any other mediums. When I was an apprentice I had a friend whose parents had an art store that had closed down and she had a big box of oil paint that she gave to me. 

They sat around for a while ’cause I was a little scared to use them and one day when I was down on life I got them out and had a go. I think I painted Vincent Price from Dr Phibes and it opened up a whole new world to me.

Laz’s portrait of his mate Kyle for a portrait painting competition.

What I loved the most is it helped my tattooing and as I got more into tattooing that then helped my painting. I’ve designed album covers for some of my favourite bands, t-shirt designs and football jerseys.

It’s as much a part of me as tattooing is. I also teach drawing and painting now at an art store here in Adelaide that has a workshop, which is really fun.  

You’ve been tattooing for 20 years now, how much has the industry changed in that time? What was it like back then compared to now?

It really has changed a lot, walking into a tattoo expo used to be so loud and now it’s all quiet from all the rotary machines. When I started it was still a bit of a tough guys’ game, you’d have an element of fear walking into a tattoo shop in the mid 2000s and because of that a lot of really good artists were deterred from tattooing.

Now, those quiet people who are great at art who would never have dreamt of being a tattooist are doing it – and it’s upped the quality 1000 times, which is a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I loved it back then too, there was an exclusivity to the industry that made the community a lot tighter, so it wasn’t all bad. But it’s great to see how far the quality has come. 

Laz and Port Power Star from the AFLW, Gemma Houghton

Why do you think you’ve become the go-to tattoo artist for football and basketball stars in Australia?

I’m a sport lover myself, so I’ve been involved in some art projects for our sport teams here in South Australia. I’ve done murals up at the clubs, among other stuff, so I’ve got my foot in to meet a lot of athletes over the years.

I tattooed a few people, then they told their mates and it snowballs. It’s become a right of passage for teams like the Adelaide 36ers and Port Adelaide football club to come see me when they get drafted or traded here. I’ve had people come in on their the first day in Adelaide at their new club hearing I was the guy to come to for tattoos, which is cool.

I’ve made a lot of great friends through the clubs, we have a lot in common – we’re meticulous about our preparation and we always want to be better.  

It’s also a good way to get to know these guys, it’s a real bonding experience tattooing someone and I love to see what makes them tick. It’s very inspiring to be around people at the top of their craft.

Laz with BA player and NBL Star Jacob Wiley – a “great basketball player”.
Laz with Port Adelaide AFL champion and cult legend Willie Rioli.

We hear you’ve tattooed Olympic swimmers like Kyle Chalmers? What was that like?

Yeah, I tattooed Kyle and that opened so many doors for me, he’s a great friend. I tattooed him a couple times and we hit it off, we’re very similar in a lot of ways, and we became like brothers over the years. We even had a YouTube show (Mates & Plates) where we interviewed athletes at his house and made a meal for them. 

The chest piece Laz did on Kyle Chalmers is probably the most recognised tattoo he’s done.
When Olympic gold medalist Kyle Chalmers asked Laz to tattoo his name on his arm.

Who’s the most interesting person you’ve tattooed?

I tattooed Fred Durst from Limp Bizkit some years ago and we had a really good chat about an incident that happened at a music festival where a young girl lost her life. Fred opened up and showed a lot of emotion during the tattoo and I saw a side that only people that know him would see. It was a fun day hearing some of his touring stories from over the years. 

Tattooing Fred Durst at Bondi Ink.

What album covers have you created for bands?

I’ve been very lucky to do album covers for some of my all-time favourite bands. Most recently, I did Carnival of Killers by Macabre – if you haven’t heard them you should check them out they do true crime songs and call it ‘murder metal’, a very unique band.

I did The Murder Junkies album Road Killer, which was quite controversial and received a lot of angry press – perfect for an offensive punk band!

My good friend Nick Oliveri who played in Queens of the Stone Age and the Dwarves has a band called Mondo Generator and I did the cover For Hell Comes to Your Heart.

Does this mean you get to go to lots of fun gigs?

Absolutely, I love my music as much as I love my sport so I’ve been lucky to tattoo a lot of musicians when they tour. Also projects like this get me in touch with bands directly so I get lots of tickets thrown my way, which never goes unappreciated.

How do you like to work with your customers? Do you mostly do custom work or flash too?

I do all kinds of tattoo work, but I mainly specialise in realism. So, people will come to me with an idea and give me a few references and they’re usually fine with me doing my own thing with it. That’s the good thing with online portfolios and social media these days, our clients put trust in us when they’ve seen what we’ve done before.

Does your style of art and the style of your tattoos complement and inform each other – if so, how?

It’s funny but I do mostly black and grey with tattooing, but mostly colour in painting. I don’t know why that’s turned out like that but it has.

However they’ve really helped each other over the years. I use a lot of the structure from my painting from my tattoo preparation and I’ve used a lot of colour theory to help my tattooing.

So they definitely complement each other. I find I’ll be doing something while I’m painting that I’ve adopted from years of tattooing, like working in a certain direction and not even realising it’s happening at the time.

What do you do when you’re not tattooing?

These days I have a bit more of a low-key life, if I’m not tattooing I’m teaching art or painting and hanging with my pets (my dog Curtis and my cat Polly) as much as I can.

Going to sport games, live music, hanging with friends and seeing my family as much as I can, too.

Laz and his pets.
Laz’s dog Curtis and cat Polly.

What are your hopes for the future? Both for your personal work and more general in tattooing?

I’m looking to tap into the horrorcons and comicons to share my art. It’s a bit of a dream of mine to go over to the US to tattoo and showcase my art at conventions and do as much of that kind of stuff as possible. I love to paint horror movie characters and things like that and no one does those kind of expos like they do over there.

Same with the tattoo conventions – we don’t have a big market for it over here and I’d love to be able to get my name out more.

We’ve loved chatting… See who @Laz_Tattoo is tattooing next and find out more about his painting commissions by following @PaintingsByLaz.

We’re always talking to amazing tattoo artists, check out our latest interviews.

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“Cute pictures on your skin forever? Sign me up!” – India who runs Jeepers Squeakers tells us about her tattoos and nostalgic toys…

We met India selling super-cute toys on her stand at Brighton Tattoo Convention back in February – we were immediately obsessed. Covered in tattoos – of course – she was selling nostalgic toys that spoke to our soul – think Beauty & The Beast-themed Polly Pocket compacts and creepy dolls; all sold under the brand name: Jeepers Squeakers Ltd. India is based in East Sussex and sells her 80s and 90s toys on Etsy. We sat down for a chat to find out a bit more about her toys and tattoos…

Tell us a little bit about yourself…

I’m a bit of a hermit and live in the woods with my partner, our dogs, pet turkeys and chickens. I spend my days in my workshop, essentially playing with toys from my childhood and I can’t quite believe it – but I get to call it a job and I bloody love it. Jeepers Squeakers sells vintage toys and collectibles and I focus on 80s and 90s toys, as well as squeak toys from the 60s.

What kind of child were you? Did you always love toys?

I was always an animal nut, I loved any animal based toys – especially My Little Ponies (G1s, obviously), Puppy In My Pockets, plushies etc. Being a 90s kid, I went through all the crazes of stickers, Pokemon Cards, Pogs, Tamagotchis etc.  

I wasn’t super into imaginative play as a kid, but oh boy did I like learning the different Puppy In My Pocket breeds and making my My Little Ponies look good. I’ve got a vivid memory of washing my ponies’ hair – I was in the bathroom using shampoo and probably talking them through their hair treatments when my mum caught me, gave me a strange look and asked me what I was up to.

Here I am almost 30 years later giving My Little Ponies spa days for a living.

What made you fall in love with tattoos? Do you remember a moment? Take us there…

My dad showed me The Prodigy’s video for Firestarter when I was about seven. I didn’t know whether to shit my pants or scream with excitement, but it lit something inside of me. While I don’t think there are obvious tattoos in the video, I saw a Keith Flint manically dancing with his iconic hair and septum ring and it fascinated me.

From that, I started taking more of an interest in the “darker” side of life and fashion, I guess with tattoos just being a part of it. So that, along with being an art kid and drawing all over myself until teachers repeatedly told me I’d get ink poisoning (did that ever really happen?) doesn’t surprise me I ended up loving tattoos.

Cute pictures on your skin forever? Sign me up!

When did you get your first tattoo? Tell us a bit about your tattoo journey up until now… any fave tattoos? Artists? 

Three days after my 18th birthday I got my first tattoo. I got a teeny lady bird on my wrist. I was then getting tattooed fairly regularly for around the next 10 years. I’ve got my fair share of stupid inside jokes, tattoos from friends learning to tattoo etc – they’re not always technically the “best”, but they are some of my favourites.

Saying that, I do sometimes wish I’d planned things out better and waited until I was a bit older to decide what I wanted. I didn’t hesitate to slap things on back in the day. I’ve loved seeing the change in the tattoo industry since the 2000s – like a lot of us (before the Instagram explosion), my first few tattoos were from the local tattoo shop, I went there because it was what I knew.

Obviously there’s still absolutely a place for that, but being able to discover so many incredible artists online with such a variation of styles is just magic (though it does make it harder to choose what I want!).

One of my favourite artists is @KateSelkie – I’ve got part of my arm and shoulder done by them: daffodils and various creatures, including an ode to my heart pony from childhood. I just love their illustrative but realistic and anatomically perfect style. I can’t wait to go back to finish things up and inevitably start on more.

When and why did you set up Jeepers Squeakers? What’s the reaction been like? How do you source toys?

I set Jeepers Squeakers up a few years ago, initially just to sell off a few squeak toys from my collection. My favourite squeak toys are usually in the US, so I’d purchased a big lot, knowing I couldn’t keep them all.  I popped a few of them online and they sold quickly, showing me there was a market for them.

With my previous business experience, knowledge on import and export and passion for nostalgic toys, I knew it was something I could at least have a go at. I’m a dog with a bone when I get my teeth into something, so I threw myself into it and then added toys from the 80s and 90s too. It then snowballed and became my full-time job.
 
It’s super fun getting all the toys I both did and didn’t have but wanted as a kid. I didn’t expect to meet so many lovely people out of it, and to hear how much toys mean to other people. These old plastic “friends” were big parts of our small lives. They really meant a lot to us back then, and they still can now – reconnecting with these fun things from our childhoods can bring a little nostalgic magic back into our lives and be quite healing.  It’s a connection to our past, our families and simpler times (I’m a sentimental fool if you can’t tell).

I had a fun full circle moment with a customer recently who was re-buying toys she had as a kid, when she realised one of the items I had was the ACTUAL specific set she had as a child. It used to belong to her as she recognised the writing on the tag!

Sourcing is the toughest part of my job (with cleaning being the grossest), and there’s no way around it – I’ve had to invest a lot in both time and money, it is hard work. Obviously, I’m limited with stock and it’s a long game too – I’ve got hundreds of Polly Pocket dolls and hundreds of the compacts/play sets, but that doesn’t mean they’ll go together. I buy in large quantities when I see bulk lots in auctions and have built up various contacts here and overseas, so it’s quite sporadic.

What did you love most about selling at Brighton Tattoo Convention this year?

It’s such a lovely crowd at Brighton Tattoo Con, and an all-round great event with a super lovely atmosphere. I LOVE seeing people light up when they see toys that they haven’t seen for 30 years.

People end up apologising for being overexcited and squealing at things – there’s really no need to apologise, I love it! Scream about it and I’ll probably scream with you. 

What’s next for Jeepers Squeakers?

We’ve just built a second workshop in the garden for more storage – and it’s already almost full! So I’m just trying to keep on keeping on with it, hoping to attend some more in-person events and I plan on starting to bring in some 2000s toys this year too. I truly love what I do and feel super fortunate – I’ll do it for as long as I can, that’s for sure.

Tell us a bit about the creepy doll you can’t re-home?

She’s a weird one that I have no information on. But sometimes that’s the best! I have so many questions, who made it? Why? Was it made for a child and was it meant to be cute, or was it meant to look like something out of a nightmare? Is she haunted? There’s not a lot I can tell you about her other than she’s questionable and I’ll be a little sad when she finds a home. 

fancy giving her a home? is she creepy or haunted?

What’s the next stop on your tattoo journey? Anyone you’d love to get tattooed by?

I haven’t been tattooed since before Covid… I’ve really got to change that! I feel like I need an MOT, some touch-ups, some small bits and to finish some pieces before starting new ones. I’m keen to finish my arm with Kate, who I mentioned earlier, and I need to finish a sweet lobster on my leg with @tobyrocketattoo. After that I think I’ll move on to getting my hands/fingers done – for which I keep going back to look at @leahstanmore‘s work – I love those perfect lines.

Do you think there’s something about tattoo collectors loving toys and weird stuff? Is there a link?

I do! I’m not sure what it is. Maybe those of us that get tattoos are more open and expressive, and therefore more open to collecting things both on our bodies and in our homes? There seems a bit of a connection with toys in the tattoo world – whether it’s tattooed kewpies, nostalgic tattoos or artists decorating their stations. Whatever it is, we’re all just big kids at heart chasing the high of nostalgia and I love seeing that come out of people.

I really think we need to just do what makes us happy and not take our short lives too seriously, or think we need perfectly aesthetic “adult” homes. If that treasured Furby from your childhood still brings you joy, then put him on your shelf in pride of place – even if he doesn’t match your colour scheme (but RIP to you if he starts talking in the night again).

PS 20% off full online prices when you message India and mention THINGS AND INK! *Terms apply.

Wahey, thanks so much India, we loved chatting, happy shopping Things & Inkers: https://www.instagram.com/jeeperssqueakersvintage

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“I wanted to take my feelings and put them outside of myself” – we chat to tattoo artist Ashes Bardole about her poetry collection

Utah-based tattoo artist Ashes Bardole transforms both skin and soul – and her debut poetry collection, Just a Romantic Collection of Words is out on 28 March. For years, Ashes’ tattoo chair has been more than a place for ink. It has been a space for people to process, heal and be seen. This book is an extension of that. Raw, intimate, unfiltered, it’s for anyone who‘s ever needed an outlet for their pain or a reminder that they aren’t alone. We chatted to the tattooist and poet ahead of the book’s release…

What made you want to publish your poetry collection?

Initially, I wrote all of this poetry just for me, never expecting it to become what it is today. At its purest form, this was creation for the sake of expression.

I wanted to take my feelings and put them outside of myself, so I could look at them and see them more clearly. To give them a life of their own so I could let go of them. It’s also an homage to all the people in my life who I love, have loved, will love. The change they and I have inspired in my life.

I am publishing this book in honour of my grandmother. She was an artist of many mediums, but a poet first and foremost. For the last two years of her life, she was quite literally on her deathbed, unable to write, her mobility and dexterity deteriorating. While that was happening, I was travelling and the fear of losing her was constant. However it also showed me the love and weight of her presence in my life. She is the reason I started oil painting, the reason so many beautiful parts of myself exist. Without her, I would not be where I am today.

The act of sharing my words came from a place of great love and heaviness, of experiencing the loss of my grandma. Before she passed, I told her I was writing a poetry book for her. She never got to read it, but her eyes lit up with joy when I told her.

What do you love about poetry?

It gets things out of my head and into a different space to see them. A moment of clear self reflection. I spent a lot of my life suppressing and avoiding my emotions because many of them were too big. Poetry gives them a space to be held and processed. I no longer suppress or turn away from my feelings. Poetry releases the stories we assign to the feelings, breaking it down into an abstract/vague thought leaving the raw emotion to be processed. 

There are many times I turn to reading the poetry of others to help me understand my own feelings. Emotions are hard to describe and pinpoint. Often they’re complex and layered. You may be feeling sadness but also relief, or happiness. None of those feelings are wrong. Poetry gives you a language to feel and express the complexity and intricacies of the emotional experience without judgement.

In addition, reading poetry gives a sense of not being alone. Someone else somewhere has felt this similar thing, even if the details of the experience are different. The abstraction of poetry allows the connection of two strangers through shared emotional complexities that transcend specifics of language.

Poetry doesn’t have to be pretty or rhyme or follow specific rules – it is pure expression. 

Why do you think people often spill their innermost thoughts while they are getting tattooed?

Part of this puzzle is being open to holding that space for others, as the artist, that really allows people to open up. Not to mention you spend hours with each other. They come in as strangers who have to inherently trust you because you are not only about to cause them pain — which is incredibly vulnerable — but also mark and alter their appearance forever. There are not many situations in which these conditions exist. 

As an artist you also immediately skip the small talk. Additionally, I feel such curiosity and compassion for people, and this is the perfect environment to truly see another person without the filters they usually project. Once you are in physical pain, the facade you put up via social media or in public is immediately gone. Clients must let go of the extra mental work to be able to process the physical pain as it is happening. There’s no room to hide.

Tattooing can be a space of no judgement. The job of the artist is to witness that space your client is in and guide the experience. There have been times where I have asked just the perfect question that has allowed the space for a client to open up about some of the most difficult experiences in their life.

Pain is such a key player in this. Being in pain of your own choosing can give a sense of control. There is research that suggests the brain processes physical and emotional pain through similar neural pathways. This creates an opening and trigger point of connection within the brain allowing someone to share the things that have happened to them.

Also being in pain while being able to talk about pain is so cathartic. When I was getting my palms tattooed, it hurt so badly that I started to cry not just about the pain I was actively experiencing, but about every painful thing that had ever happened to me. It was a pain that transcended a physical space to allow for an emotional space to come forward. Whether a client chooses to talk about it or not, this process happens for everyone to an extent. 

Why are tattoos so powerful in helping people heal?

The brain is an incredible thing and it also has specific needs to be met in order to process trauma. 1.)  to be physically present in your body and in the moment and 2.) to have mental and emotional safety.

Many of us dissociate from our lives and from our physical form. I, for many years, ran away from my body and the pain I was feeling because of emotional trauma and chronic illness. When you leave your body like this, it makes it hard to be able to process the things that have happened to you. Your brain does not know the difference between a thought and perceivable reality. Thus, many people who experience PTSD are not grounded in current reality to realise that a flashback is just that, a past moment. They then experience that memory as if it is happening in real time causing reoccurring trauma. Which is why it is so necessary to be aware and grounded.

Many people turn to yoga, exercise, meditation to ground themselves in reality. However, tattooing bypasses that effort and forces you into your body. You cannot escape the feeling of getting tattooed. There is no other sensation in time or space that feels like getting a tattoo, so you could not possibly think you are anywhere else. It is the anchor point to the here and now, and that anchor is being experienced through your physical body. 

The second part of this is mental and emotional safety. As a tattoo artist you have the opportunity to create that space. You have complete control in how you engage with your clients — how you speak, how you act, how you set up and guide the experience. Something as simple as checking in with a client during a procedure. Getting them water, and food. Making sure their basic needs are met so that they sit their best for the tattoo so you can do your best work. Those things are enough to fulfil that second requirement. 

Personally, I cannot and do not want to separate this spiritual, transcendent space from tattooing. They belong together. Which is  why I believe it’s important as a tattoo artist to go to therapy and resolve your own traumas so you can be a mirror and a listener without projecting your own traumas on to the client. You are giving them the space to express whatever they need to in that moment. 

Do you think the art of tattooing and writing complement one another?

I feel that as an artist you cannot separate any art from another. All art forms complement each other. They are all an extension of ourselves, just different expressions of that extension.

The vulnerability my clients share with me within a tattoo space is being reciprocated through the form of poetry. Where I get to share my vulnerability with clients in a safe space. Themes that are outlined within the poetry book are shared within the tattoo space as well, there is so much crossover between the two. 

My artwork in any medium draws inspiration from each other and also from my experiences in life. Those experiences help me create and also connect to other people. All of it is growth, all of it is expression, and the different vacillations of these invite different people to interact with me and with others in different ways.

Just a Romantic Collection of Words will be released on 28th March 2025, through shop.ashesbardole.com

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“Most of my pieces are custom designed through dialogue with my clients,” interview with tattoo artist Yujhi

Yujhi (@nowthisyujhi) tattoos in Seoul and Daejeon in Korea and runs their own shop (@thatsallgood.std). We sat down for a chat with them to find out more about their horror style…

What first drew you to tattoos?

When I was in high school, my best friend got an Irezumi (tattoo) on her arm. I saw it by chance and I remember feeling both scared and excited. At the time, I was preparing to go to art school. Inspired by my friend, I thought it would be fun to have my own artwork on my body. So, that’s when I thought I should become a tattooist.

Do you have a memorable moment from your past when you fell in love with tattoos?

About two years ago, I was invited to visit Seoul Ink in South Korea as a guest artist. At that time, an artist named JinQ (@jin_qchoi) was tattooing there and I was very shocked when I saw his work. The colours were the most vivid I’ve ever seen and the work was very fast and so alive. To this day I remember how cool the design was. He is one of my favourite artists.

Your incredible blackwork tattoos have a futuristic horror quality to them, really mesmerising, how did you hone that style?

Thank you. This was my favourite genre to design even before I started tattooing. I’m refining my style little by little to make it a good piece of art for when I transform it into a tattoo.

What inspires your tattoos?

Since I was a kid, I have loved Japanese anime from the 80s and 90s. I love the artwork and that era inspires me a lot. Recently, I read Berserk, and I’m enjoying it very much. I find this manga very helpful to me and it inspires me to work harder on my own art.

How do you like to work with customers on pieces?

Most of my pieces are custom designed through dialogue with my clients. Other methods, like flash, are also welcome.

Where do you currently tattoo and what’s the tattoo scene like there?

Currently, I am tattooing in Seoul and Daejeon in Korea, and my main location is a small city called Daejeon. I run my own shop (@thatsallgood.std) and it’s small, but I’m with friends who have been tattooists for a long time.

How do we book in with you? Will you be doing any guest spots this coming year?

Booking in with me is very simple, you can book through DM on my Instagram, and you can see the instructions on my feed and profile. I am working on making it easier and more convenient for customers to book in the future.

Do you have any thoughts on the tattoo world itself? Its current state, what has come before and any hopes for the future of tattooing?

This is a question that seems to divide opinion among artists. My personal opinion is that compared to the past, more artists are now tattooing with their own colours and designs and the level of quality is so high that I think this is a very good thing for the market.

Clients can choose from a wider spectrum of tattoos and it’s a level playing field for each individual, which I think creates a better synergy.

What’s next for you?

There are so many things I would like to try, but I would really like to make figurines or statues. I would like to try tattooing my designs in full colour. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of tattoo I can create.

Like the sound of Yujhi’s colour tattoos? Message the artist for colour tattoos and make sure to follow @nowthisyujhi for more awesome work, too.

We’re always talking to amazing tattoo artists, check out our latest interviews.