Careers: Tattooed Veterinary Receptionist

We chatted to 24-year-old Bristolian Sadie Oliver a senior veterinary receptionist at Higcroft veterinary group in Bath about her beautiful tattoo collection and her animal filled days… 

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My very first tattoo at the tender impressionable age of 17 ( I knew a studio that wouldn’t question my age) was a traditional large red rose of my left foot which I showed off to all my friends but hid from my mum! It truly felt like I had opened the floodgates almost immediately after, I basked in the compliments I received. I still do to this day, I love how they are a starting point of conversation between strangers. The genuine intrigue people have about them that have no work themselves. Flash forward three years I got that same piece brightened up by a different artist, and had a snake added to it weaving in and out of the petals. I’m glad I added to it, it pops out at you a lot more now. I don’t regret the tattoo I chose for one minute.

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Rose on Sadie’s foot 

It sky rocketed from there and from the age of 18 onwards I’d get a piece a year up until my 23rd birthday when I discovered the amazing Jody Dawber (Our Fruity Issue cover star), then I went nuts and got six large pieces one after another. In between each piece, the empty skin would become more prevalent and I’d want to brighten them up mainly with more animals as I’ve always been passionate about them. I’ve got big plans to start a rabbit back piece based on my bunnies with her next year, which I know she’ll totally nail!

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Butterfly by Jody

Leading on from my love of animals I’m very lucky to say I’ve finally found my dream career working with small furries every day at a veterinary surgery where I’ve been since January this year, working my way up to a senior receptionist position.
I’ve had lots of different jobs back in the day, rushing straight into full time work  in retail after college. I’ve found through all my jobs that my tattoos have never caused me a problem. I’ve always been asked about them respectfully and complimented, I guess none of them are offensive just bright and beautiful. I’ve always been upfront at interviews and dressed smart but made a point of mentioning them/showing them to the prospective employer if I thought it might have been relevant.

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When I was hired at the vets, I won’t lie, I was apprehensive for once that my tattoos would effect my chance of getting the job. It would be the first job I would apply for since getting my neck and hands tattooed. Something I do not regret for one minute and would continue to cover in a heartbeat. At the interview I dressed smartly and covered my tattoos.  I remember wanting the chance to walk in there and blow them away without them getting a chance to judge me straight off.
The interview went well, nearing the end I felt confident enough to take my blazer off revealing my arms, which are fairly covered. The lady interviewing me stopped mid question, had a little gasp and asked me straight away about my work. She seemed genuinely interested and asked me to give her a twirl, which I did embarrassingly! She did however go on to tell me that she would have to check with those above her that if I was to be hired the company wouldn’t have a problem with my hands and neck tattoos, as she was aware that tattoos aren’t to everyone’s taste.

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I just wanted a chance to show I’m no different to anybody else waiting in the hallway to be interviewed, and that I had more than the necessary experience for the position.
A week later I was invited for a trial shift, which was a ton of fun. I was told later that day the good news that they couldn’t wait to have me on board, and that some of the older ladies working on reception found me to be very friendly and helpful, it felt like a victory that I could be myself and prove wrong shitty stereotyping older generations seem to find it difficult to shake off.

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Almost 10 months on, I’m super settled in my own branch in Bath, a small practice where I work alongside one vet manning reception and taking complete control of the practice. I get to cuddle puppies and kittens practically every day which is awesome! In particular I enjoy watching routine operations like spays and castrations, and have expressed my interest to go into veterinary nursing school sometime next year.

I’ve only ever had one older chap be a total stick in the mud and try to make a show of me,  questioning me why I felt the need to “litter my skin with monstrosities!” I think if I wouldn’t have been professional and at work I would have told him what of it! He asked me “how I got this job looking like I sold the big issue” which particularly upset me. I squared up to him and sweetly explained I got the job for being more than competent at what I do, and that my appearance had absolutely nothing to do with it.

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I won’t lie I sometimes receive negative comments from people under their breath, say for example on the bus stop. I think it’s sad when typically older people move away from me as if I’m infectious, but I don’t dwell on it. They’re missing out on a good person so it’s totally they’re loss to be close minded! I’ve always found tattoos beautiful and interesting, I love the idea that we can jazz ourselves up and stand out from the crowd, show everyone this is who we are. Take us or leave us.

I’ve found my home and future career now at the vets, they’re more than acceptable of me and others in the industry who are heavily tattooed, just recently they took on a vet who’s head to toe covered. We do our jobs to the highest of standards, our appearances don’t change our values or work ethics tattoos or no tattoos.

Art Love: Eugenia Loli

Fantastical surreal collage artist Eugenia Loli started her career in the technology sector, but she left that impersonal world behind in order to build new, exciting worlds via her art. Her collages, with the help of the title, often include a teasing, visual narrative, as if they’re a still frame of a surreal movie. The viewers are invited to make up the movie’s plot in their mind.

Three Minutes to Nirvana

Three Minutes to Nirvana

Mind Alteration – Dusty & Dicey
Part III of the “Smoke & Mirrors” trilogy.

Dusty & Dicey

Cultural Bias

Cultural Bias

All Fun and Games – Reptilian Snack

Reptilian Snack

Objective Obscurity – Reflection on Contemplation

Reflection on Contemplation

Find out more about the modern vintage collage artist at eugenialoli.tumblr.com

Film Reviews: 5 Best War Films

Our guest blogger is hobbyist film and TV series reviewer and writer Harry Casey-Woodward. On th-ink.co.uk Harry will be writing a series of posts in which he will be sharing  his opinions on things he has watched. 

Last Sunday was Remembrance Day and World War One is now over a hundred years old. Yet we’re still obsessed with war. War films, that is. Not only does war keep marching across our screens in a variety of guises but we love revisiting the classics and rightly so. War is one of my favourite film genres. You’re guaranteed extraordinary action and emotion when you thrust characters into extreme situations. So here’s a countdown of what I believe are the five best war movies and no, Saving Private Ryan did not make the list.

5. All Quiet on the Western Front, 1930 

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The power of this film is evident due to the fact that it was censored while troops were mobilising for WW2. Based on Erich Maria Remarque’s novel (which I still have to read), this is a classic story of an idealistic young boy going off to war and getting traumatised and, bar Kubrick’s Paths of Glory, this may be the finest WW1 movie. Not only is it extraordinary for being an American movie about German soldiers but it is beautifully shot and it foreshadows a lot of the anti-war sentiments of modern war films.

4. Cross of Iron, 1977 

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Film director Sam Peckinpah is a favourite of mine and is notorious for breaking the late 60s/early 70s film violence barrier in such intense classics as the Wild Bunch  and Straw Dogs. His one war film is equally violent but like his best films, under the action there is surprising depth. Also casting American actors as German soldiers, the story focuses on a German squad on the Russian front during WW2 and an ideological battle playing out between a disillusioned but caring sergeant (James Coburn) and an ambitious but cowardly captain. This epic wins for depicting relentless action together with the emotional turmoil of war.

3. Come and See (Idi i Smotri), 1985 

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A Russian film with the familiar storyline of a boy going off to war only to discover how horrible it is. This is, however, still one of the most unique war films you will ever see. It is an artistic, beautifully shot emotional bruiser on how much it sucked to be a Russian peasant during WW2. It is notable for depicting more of the common people’s suffering during war rather than just the soldiers and for getting such extraordinary emotional performances from its young main actors. Be warned, this film will leave you shaken.

2. Full Metal Jacket, 1987

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As well as being revered for making The Shining and Clockwork Orange, Stanley Kubrick has directed a handful of the greatest war films. There’s the heartbreaking drama of Paths of Glory and the satiric comedy of Dr Strangelove. But nowhere is his vision of war more savage or bitter than in his penultimate movie Full Metal Jacket. Dealing with the Vietnam war, his depiction of young soldiers is one of the most realistic and biting I’ve ever seen. His characters get kicks out of prostitutes and insulting each other with crude slangs, yet even Kubrick can get humanity out of them when they’re pushed to their limits during the Tet Offensive in Hue City. This war film is unique for spending half its length in the training camp, where young American boys are shaved and broken down psychologically to be rebuilt as killing machines by the unbelievably foul-mouthed Gunnery Sergeant Hartman (a monstrous performance by ex-marine R. Lee Ermey). This movie also boasts a cracking soundtrack, including Trashmen’s Surfin’ Bird (way before Peter Griffin tormented everyone with it in Family Guy).

1. Apocalypse Now, 1979

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Another film about the Vietnam war with a great soundtrack. But while Full Metal Jacket is your punk war movie, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse is your prog-rock war movie: a steaming three hour drug-fuelled, hallucinatory, nightmarish odyssey into humanity’s heart of darkness. But this is what makes it such a good movie, that and the fact that it’s shot like a work of art. As well as boasting a gallery of magnificent actors like Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando and Dennis Hopper (even Harrison Ford and Laurence Fishburne in small roles) and killer lines that have cemented themselves into popular culture like ‘I love the smell of napalm in the morning’ and ‘the horror… the horror’ (taken straight from the novella Heart of Darkness the film was based on, giving a dread history to the line), this epic succeeded in depicting all the faces of war within its rambling episodic plot of an American captain voyaging upriver into Cambodia to assassinate rogue colonel Kurtz. There’s action (helicopter attack set to Ride of the Valkyries), black humour, tragedy and of course the horror. This film also succeeds in rising above simply depicting the absurd nightmare of war and tries to answer the ancient philosophical question of what to do about evil. It’s incredible that such an ambitious, philosophical nightmare got made and came out looking perfect, especially regarding the horrendous problems that plagued production that led to their own documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. I feel Coppola should be more revered for this than his Godfather movies.

Interview with Tattoo Artist: Mattia Rivolta

Mattia Rivolta is an Italian born tattoo artist who works out of UEO Tattoo in Switzerland. We chatted to Mattia about the process behind his tattoos and what inspires him… 

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How did you become a tattooist, what did you do before? I have spent my whole life cultivating a passion for art, especially painting and sculpture. I first began tattooing in 2004, when I was 24-years-old. I have always been attracted to oriental culture, but when I was learning to tattoo I did all kinds of styles.After a while I began to do more Japanese art as this has always been my first love. I opened a shop in Como in my grandfather’s old cobbler shop, to honour him in a way. If you know a lot of people you can compare your level, assimilate the best elements and suggests how everyone, including yourself can improve.  Tattooing is a life school, you learn how the people are, it is a kind of ‘work in progress for ever’, it not only tests your commitment but also develops your soul.

How would you describe your style?  My style is unique to me, I call it ‘Japan revisited in a modern key’ or UEO. My work is easily identifiable and I wanted to personalise the bodies of my clients, like a signature. I use oriental Japan as a guide, but it is not purely traditional, I don’t like to copy. I like to find the best way of expressing historical figures and turn their energy, stories and beliefs into art.

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What inspires you? I take many of my subjects from books and looking for something usually inspires me. I love mixing real elements of Japanese, new school and traditional with different perceptions.  I try not to use the internet as it is too commercial. I am inspired by the feeling I get when I see the result of my drawing and planning tattooed onto my client. I think that the place in which you live is radically important to the way you work. When I was in Japan, it was great, I was excited and everything I experienced added to my soul and excitement.

Can you explain the process behind your tattoos?  The process of transferring thoughts into ideas start with concentration; at the beginning the background starts to move, after that I try to focus the subject in my mind. Everything in my head is dynamic, I think that the movement is my work is my calling card, especially in Italy, as many artists tend to do fixed or flat shapes. On the contrary Japanese work is all about fluidity and balance. The process of tattooing is very intimate both physically and psychologically. I fit the pieces on the client’s body to enhance them, respecting their personality and energy. In the years there are many changes to the body and you have to attentively study the customer’s body.

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What do you like to draw or tattoo? I really enjoy drawing my designs onto people’s bodies rather than using a stencil. I think they fit so much better and the movement of the lines add a flow to the images. I try to find more unusual subjects and broaden the Japanese horizon in my work and I tend to mix styles.

Do you have any advice for those starting out in the tattoo industry? The more hours you give to study, the more an artist grows. The key word is DEDICATION , and also a little talent can explode. I am continuously studying and pushing myself, my life is an ongoing commitment to my work. I live and breath art, I live in an artistic dimension and I love it!

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What does the future hold, do you have any conventions planned? My biggest wish is to travel a lot in more and to work at more conventions. I really want to work on more full body pieces, as I love working on a large scale, I find it really satisfying. Although I am always striving to be better and I am critical of my own work. I aim for continuous growth and progression, to do the best tattoos I can do.

Illustrations by Ree

We spotted Ree’s cute tattooed babes on Instagram and had to talk to her about her pastel palette and love of tattoos. Ree has created a tattooed out of this world girl just for Things&Ink

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Tell us a little about yourself?  Everyone calls me Ree, I am a 25 years old freelance illustrator and I’m from Venezuela, but my current location is Miami, Florida. My location changes a lot! I’m a lucky girl. I’ve lived in Madrid, Spain for a couple of years too. I will be moving soon to Dominican Republic for work, and then who knows!

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How would you describe your style? My style is always changing, but right now I feel more comfortable with it than ever. I’m bad at describing these sort of things but I would say it is a mixture between cute, girly, surreal with a pinch of girl power.

What inspires you? Most days I get inspiration from what I am feeling at the moment or what I am thinking. Sometimes I watch a TV show and get really into it and won’t necessarily draw fan-art but something that inspired me from it.

What do you like to draw? Girls and powerful girls, sometimes in a surreal way. I would love to draw boys and plants better and post them more often too, but I have to practice a lot first!

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Do you have a background in art? Yes, I’ve been drawing since I was little. I studied Art History in Spain but decided to pursue the career I really wanted and now I am studying animation at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh (online division). It’s alright but I think the real way to become a good artist is practicing everyday!

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Can you tell us about your tattoos? I have four tattoos, and I love them. My first tattoo is the biggest one that I have and it is on my thigh, it means a lot to me. All of them do, but I don’t mind getting something that hasn’t a deep meaning necessarily. I want to get a lot more just because I love tattoos, but I need to save up! I’m loving the blackwork style tattoos especially.

Can people buy your illustrations? Yes, I don’t have a proper online store open yet (I am working on it) but you can contact me personally through a private message on Instagram or send me a quick email at ree.rv31@gmail.com

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