The Coven girl gang

We met up with Sapphire, founder of The Coven, an online membership for female founders and freelancers, to find out more about her girl gang, her tattoos and inspiration.

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What inspired you to set up The Coven? What’s the ethos around it? Do you have any membership requirements or rules? 
When I started, my first ever business (a flower studio) I went from being around lots of people all of the time to working by myself. I don’t think until you are in a situation where you work by yourself all of the time, you realise just how isolating it can be. I was battling such conflicting feelings – I was so excited to be running a business and so desperate for it to work but, on the hand, I was also extremely lonely.

This isolation inspired me to build a virtual platform to bring women from across the UK (and now the world) together, so that you’d have somewhere to log in, a place to go to break that isolation and make you feel supported even when you’re sat by yourself.

We don’t have any requirements, we are a Coven not a clique – we are for those who need us, as long as you identify as female and are happy to follow our only rule, which is to be nice, then you are welcome through our virtual doors.

How is it different from other clubs? How do we join? It’s funny, I get asked this question a lot now. When I started The Coven, there wasn’t much else like it, I knew of two other membership platforms who also targeted female founders, one of which was in America. Fast forward 15 months since launch and they are everywhere.

Our main difference is that absolutely everyone is welcome, we have been all about community over competition since day one. And we encourage our members to adopt the same ethos. What’s so beautiful about The Coven is that there are women from hundreds of different industries, all following different paths – we aren’t targeted at a particular industry or a particular type of person. We just want to support those who need it, we are for the people who believe in the power of community and want to be a part of something magical.

Another difference, one that isn’t as obvious, is that I work on The Coven full time and I have since day one. I’m heavily involved, even now we have a team, in the running of the business. I chat to members via email every day, reply to posts in our FB community and often jump on accountability calls to find out what a member has been doing that month. Many platforms take your money and leave you to it, I care about every single one of my members, I see them as people and not money signs.

We have a waitlist, you can add your name to the list to join us. We reopen doors on 1 October and will let in only 500 members, act fast!

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Saph, tell us a little about your background, where you grew up and where you live now? What do you love about it? With a name like Sapphire people always expect me to have an exotic background but I was born in Crawley, West Sussex – you can’t get any less exciting. I moved around a lot when I was younger we lived in various places in Sussex, West Sussex and Surrey before moving to Essex when I was nine.

IMG_5204I went to Thailand at 19, tried New York at 23 and then moved to Ibiza at 24, which is where I’ve been living for the past eight months. I’ve actually made the decision and taken on a flat back in Essex near my family. It was a really difficult decision to make, I’d gone through a real bout of loneliness in Ibiza (loneliness seems to follow me!) as I didn’t manage to make very many friends. Once again it was difficult because I had all these people telling me how amazing it must be to live in Ibiza and how lucky I was but… a beautiful view isn’t always fun if you don’t have anyone to share it with. I looked at moving to London but the prices are extortionate and I craved being close enough to my family to have Sunday roasts and see my friends. The flat has literally been signed today, so I’m back to being an Essex girl for at least the next year or so!

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Tell us about your tattoos and piercings. Are you planning more? I am covered in tattoos, all of which are extremely random. Tattoos to me, are like memories and I tend to get them as a spur of the moment thing to look back on… this is sometimes a good way to do it but has lead to some hilarious regrets.

My first tattoo I got on my first girls holiday to Magaluf. I absolutely hated the place, maybe if I’d gone to Ibiza I’d have got a classier tattoo. One drunken night led to me getting a chinese symbol on my back. It says courage, to remind me to be brave. The first thing my mum said when I got home was ‘wow, Chinese symbols, they were tacky even in the ’90s’. Every time someone asks me about it, it makes me laugh, although for a while I regretted it, now it just makes me smile.

My second tattoo covers the bottom half of my left arm and is of two very detailed red roses, a completely random idea at the time, wasn’t a particular lover of flowers but I went on years later to own my florist, so it ended up making sense.

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Another funny one… I am a HUGE Bill Murray fan and have been for years. During my time in Thailand, my friend said he was going to get an ‘I love Nicholas Cage’ tattoo and so I ran off to get a Bill Murray one. Into my local tattoo shop, shoved down my shit drawing of what I wanted and got inked right then and there. I marched back to the cafe where we all hung out, next to my little wooden hut to proudly show everyone. Turns out he spelt it wrong. It says Bill Mummy. F*cked it.

They aren’t all funny, some are cheesy. When I had a huge and very messy break-up just a few days before my and ex partner had booked to go travelling around Asia together, I was absolutely shattered – both because we’d broken up and because it meant the trip I’d planned for eight months was cancelled. I couldn’t bear to go alone so I said f*ck it and booked a one-way flight to New York and found an apartment to rent. While there I nursed myself back to full happiness and got a tattoo of a broken heart with the American flag in it to remind myself of how strong I am and how much fun I had.

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What are your hopes for the future? My only personal goal is to be happy, I want to live a life that makes me happy almost every day. Too many people wish each day away, whether they are waiting for summer or counting down to a holiday or imagining how things will be better if only X thing changed. None of us know how long we’ve got (I have another tattoo that says life is short!) and when our time will be up. I want to enjoy whatever time the universe has planned for me.

The Coven is a whole other story, I’ve got targets and plans coming out of my ears. In 2020 we are expanding, we already have members in 16 countries around the world but we are planning to expand our events worldwide.

You can sign up to The Coven waitlist (which opens tomorrow, 1 October) at thecovengirlgang.com

Interview with tattoo artist, Cassandra Frances

The face issue Things and Ink

The face issue Things & Ink was published in 2013, this is an interview with its cover star, tattoo artist Cassandra Frances.

first met Cassandra in 2012 at End Times in Leeds where she used to work – I instantly fell in love with her warm nature and dedicated work ethic. She put me at ease while she tattooed me, chatting about life, music and magazines. We were like old friends, talking away, of course the conversation always returning to tattoos.

When the decision was made to make issue 2, ‘The Face Issue’, I knew I wanted Cassie on the cover. With her fiery red hair and delicate porcelain skin, you almost don’t notice that she has facial tattoos. Her tattoos are so delicate and feminine, and will certainly make people think twice about their preconceptions about women with facial tattoos. The image on the cover is very powerful in its beauty. I hope it will make a statement to anyone with preconceived notions about women who choose to tattoo their face. We chatted to Cassie about her life as a tattoo artist, her style and how she decided to get her first ever face tattoo…

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Who did your face tattoos? Andrew Mirfin, who owns End Times in Leeds .

How did you decide to get your face tattooed? First one (now covered up) was to celebrate getting my tattoo license. It felt like it was all official and I wanted to mark it with something special.

Who did the first one? The first one is now covered up, and was done by my old boss
Don Richards, just a small outline of a heart. I decided to make it a bit bigger and bolder
after time. Andy has done all the others.

How did you feel when you were getting tattooed? I trust Andy, so I wasn’t really nervous and I knew I definitely wanted it. The tiny ones hardly registered, but the bigger heart was fairly painful and gave me a headache. It was over in 15 minutes or so, though.

What kind of reaction do you get to having tattoos on your face? None really. I very rarely get any kind of reaction from anyone, I’m never sure if I just don’t notice it, but even my mum was sitting looking me in the eye over lunch for an hour and didn’t notice the heart and flower, I had to point it out.

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Do you feel any different about your face now? After getting my beauty spot on my cheek, I instantly felt a million times more confident. When I draw women I more often than not give them a beauty spot, just something about them really appeals to me. If I didn’t have tattoos I think I’d be pretty boring to look at. My face looks how I want it to look and that’s all that really matters.

Do you think there is a difference between men and women getting such visible tattoos? Never really thought about it. Not in my little world really. Whether people think it’s unfeminine, I really don’t care. I like myself and so do the people who matter. If a man judged my level of attractiveness on that, he wouldn’t be worth the time of day anyway

Would you ever tattoo a face? I am  too scared to tattoo a face, it is such  a huge responsibility.

Has anyone ever asked you to  tattoo their face and what did  you say? My best friend wants me to do her a beauty spot on her, but I just don’t feel comfortable with it. 

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How would you describe your style of tattooing? It’s pretty feminine. I think my work naturally comes out quite delicate. If left to my own devices, I like to use red, gold and green, and I’m happiest when working on smaller pieces. My favourite thing to tattoo is lady faces and wish I could do that all day every day.

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How do you feel about the tattoo industry? Including tattoo magazines/media. I’m not sure I know enough of the industry yet to have a valid opinion, I’ve been working away in a little bubble really. I do feel excited to be a small part of something so amazing and exciting, though. Tattooing is the love of my life, and some days I kind of hate it, but even on those I know deep down I don’t want to do anything else.

How did you feel about doing the cover shoot? To be honest, not 100% comfortable. I’d rather people looked at my work than my face. Bit of a strange experience having a room of people focused on me for that long. I feel honoured to be asked to do the cover and said yes as I’m not sure anyone will ask me again!

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Did you enjoy it? It was an interesting experience and a nice bunch of people. Spending a day with people telling you repeatedly how beautiful you look is good for the ego.

Would you do it again? I’m desperate to be photographed as a flame-haired Pre-Raphaelite. 

Moko Kauae: the chin tattoo

Te Hāro o te Kāhu ki Tuawhakarere
See beyond the horizon

Piiata Lauren Turi-Heenan, 45, from Haumoana, New Zealand, tells the story of her chin tattoo, which was first published Things&Ink The Face Issue.

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Photo: Bashan Te Rau Oriwa Heenan

Moko Kauae, the chin tattoo, is a rite of passage, a symbolic expression and manifestation of a dynamic upward movement of time and space within sacred feminine energies. It is a time of collaborating SELF-identity and collective identity within the Iwi, the community/clan. 

‘Rites and rituals were performed over the wearer of Moko Kauae by Tohunga, specialists in their chosen area (birthing, tattooing, ritual prayer etc.) in honour of their journey from female child to entering the realms of Te Whare Tangata – Womanhood: The House of Mankind.

Moko Kauae is the beginning of a higher consciousness of learning and upholding of sacred knowledge and understanding of cycles, biorhythms (moon/tide), rites of childbirth, rites of menopause, arts. Māori women were revered, honoured and seen as the embodiment of Papa-tū-ā-nuku, the earth mother/sister.

‘As contemporary Maori women we have sat in an oppressive colonised state of being for well over a century. Our rites and rituals obscured, even lost to us. But Māori women refused to be imprisoned by western constraints and fought multiple states of oppression to be free from racism, sexism, prejudice, and to reunite nation, community and SELF.

‘I am a descendant of this ancient race and Moko Kauae is my birthright as a Māori woman. It is one of many rites of passage on my amazing journey in the realm of Te Whare Tangata. I express and manifest each personal rite of passage through the art form of Moko.

‘At 27 years of age, I agreed to wear Moko Kauae. My grandfather (Rii Tiakitai-Turi, our tribe Ngati Kahungunu) had made the request, because he didn’t want to see the tradition lost.

‘Over the months that followed, I consulted with tribal elders on maternal and paternal sides, family and friends. There were a few negative comments, “You will ruin your face”, “It’s barbaric”, “It’s Tapu/Taboo – sacred/forbidden”, “Why would you do that?”.It did not deter me, I have never regretted my grandfather’s vision or my decision.

‘At 28, my Moko Kauae was tapped into my skin with tattooing chisels called Uhi. The Tohunga Ta Moko (tattoo artist) was Te Rangi Takuku Kaihoro Laurie Nicholas. Since I was already a mother to five of my 13 children, I also received Moko Pū Whakairo, the lower abdomen tattoo for child bearers.

‘I am now 45, a grandmother of seven (five of whom I’ve delivered), and I will be receiving my Tātua, a mid section tattoo. This will be done the traditional way – with Uhi and pigment from aawheto (mummified caterpillars) by Henriata Nicholas, an incredible Tohunga in her own right.

‘Wearing Moko Kauae has enhanced my life in many ways, including my desire to become a traditional tattooist. I have never been afraid to be me, and my children (four through to 27) and grandchildren see me in the same light they always have –as Mummy and Nanna.

‘I enjoy children’s curiosity and questioning nature. I am not offended when they ask to touch my chin, as I believe this tactile approach helps them learn. I have even given class presentations to students of all ages about my Moko Kauae.

‘Each spiral and curve has a name and a story.  The Whakatakotoranga, the spiral under my chin, is the foundation that knowledge is built upon, the open koru (spiral) represent building blocks of life. The Pūhoro, the wave/tidal patterns, that draw downward from the corners of my lips represent our cycles, biorhythms and our natural affinity to the moon and the tides.  My bottom lip acknowledges earthly/human rites/rituals, and my top lip acknowledges esoteric rites/rituals.

‘I am grateful to all my ancestresses and ancestors who have fought to enable me to stand in my absolute truth beauty and light today as Whare Tangata…The House of Mankind.

‘He Tapu Te Wāhine na te mea he Whare Tangata. Women are sacred because they are The House of Mankind.’

An ode to Carbs

We adore carbs in all their various forms: crisps, chips, pasta, noodles, pastry. We think about them all the time. And we’re pleased to see that there are a lot of people who love them as much as we do, so much so that they have chosen to immortalise their carby passion in ink. Here’s a round-up of our fave carb tattoos… 

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@hayleyblackwoodtattoo

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@fakeskintattoo

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@slonenkotattoo

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@melgracietattoo

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@lucybluetattoo

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@jillhollingsworthtattoo

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@keelyglitters

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@j00lie

Hmm, now we’re hungry. Share your carb – or any food really – tattoos with us on Instagram #thingsandink 

Wee Moody Judy: leather, pink and black tattoos

We’ve been following @weemoodyjudy on Insta for a while, we love her style – think black leather trousers and pastel pinks galore – her beautiful tattoos and her inspirational illustration work. Find out more in our chat…

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Photos: @ryanmormelo

Processed with VSCO with c6 presetWe totally love your style, where do you get your inspiration from? Thank you so much! My style is so intrinsic to who I am, and what I am going through during certain periods of my life. My wardrobe has definitely seen its fair share of experimentations through the years, all of which were fundamental to the development of where my style is today… regardless of how on point (or not!) each look was during that process! As a child I loved to wear my beloved pair of leather trousers and studded heeled boots. Stomping around in them I would feel so “grown up” and empowered!

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Other days, I would leave the house wearing an entirely pink outfit accompanied with sparkly trainers and a cutesy attitude. That juxtaposition has pretty much been a permanent fixture in my style ever since! My style has always helped me to discover a sense of self, and has became a way to visually represent how I feel.

When did you get your first tattoo? What was it and who did it? My first tattoo was a matching one with my late father when I was 19 years old – it was his first one too! We snuck out telling my mum we were having a “Father, Daughter Bonding Lunch,” which she unfortunately was not invited to. We skipped the fake lunch and drove ourselves straight to @blackdottattoo, and met with @tomtomtatts who did our tattoos for us. They were two Canadian rock formations called “inuksuk (inukshuk)” – we got these as a memorial tattoo for my cousin Luke, who was from the North Western Territories of Canada (Yellowknife) and who had died the previous year after just turning 22. I know that will always be my most cherished tattoo.

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What made you feel an urge to get tattooed and what do you like about being tattooed now? From a very young age, I always loved tattoos. Growing up I really didn’t know any adults with tattoos… or visible ones at least! Any time I was lucky enough to see someone with tattoos or colourful hair I was pretty much in awe, and knew I wanted to look like them when I was older. When I was twelve years old I even did a presentation in our school assembly: “when I’m older I want to be” about how I wanted to be a tattoo artist – all my slides containing half naked grizzly tatted men… this still makes my mum laugh. Although I’m not a tattoo artist today, it does make me happy knowing I am becoming that person my younger self always dreamed of looking like. Tattoos make me feel in control of my body, who I am, and how I present myself.

Processed with VSCO with kp3 presetTell us a little about all your tattoos… Currently I am only at the beginning of my tattoo journey, but so far it has been a very enriching and empowering process. My first tattoo with my dad will always be one of my most cherished experiences. I also have a pentacle hand poked on my sternum by @stickaroundtattoo, which I got with my housemates/coven when I lived in Melbourne. Recently I got that pentacle tattoo expanded by @jayrosetattoo to include cobwebs, a spider, and twigs from a bramble bush, which is significant to my childhood. I also have the word CUSTARD tattooed on my side, purely because of the sheer enjoyment I get while eating that golden goodness.

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Do you have plans for more? If so what and who by? Most definitely! I pretty much have my entire body planned out, and I’m very excited to see how my ideas materialise themselves by the artists I’ll be working with. Most of my tattoos are planned to be either botanical, witchy or mythological tales. My next one is going to be of Bacchus by Caravaggio and I’m trusting the lovely @patriciashim with that piece.

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So tell us… What do you do as job and what do you love about it? I am a stylist and an artist! I’ve styled for various freelance jobs, but I’ve just landed my first full -time position. I am fortunate to have a job that not only I love, but one that comes naturally to me. I recently started my own brand @WeeMoodyJudy, where I am selling prints and pieces of cool merchandise! In time I’ll be steadily expanding this to include clothing and accessories too – you can check out my website at weemoodyjudy.com. Being self employed is a tough gig and I often feel overwhelmed, but there truly is nothing more rewarding than seeing your work develop from concept, to design, to a tangible object which can be shared and enjoyed!

Tell us a secret… The name Wee Moody Judy was given to me as a child because I had serious “wee man syndrome,” which in Scotland means I was hella small with a LOT of rage.

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What advice would you give to someone who wants to get tattooed but feels nervous? I’m pretty wimpy when it comes to pain, so I definitely wouldn’t be able to do much to sooth their nerves apart from maybe offer them some paracetamol and tell them that it’ll all be worth it in the end. What’s a few hours of agonising pain compared to a life time of self love?

We love your Insta account, what do you hope to share with your followers the most? I hope to be loving and empowering/empowered by the women and queer people who I follow and who follow me. I want to share my art and looks and to be outspoken through them. I want what I share to be truthful to my own thoughts and experiences. I’ve found that when I’m most honest and vulnerable is when I can communicate best through my work. I use those moments of vulnerability and charge them with my own personal style and humour. I usually describe my work as a “fuck you”, but with a smile! So I hope that my followers can get their own sense of empowerment through the message I’m sending out.

Follow Judy on Instagram or visit her website.