Tag: artist

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Out For Blood: Interview with SAFIRE

We chat to female crossover metal artist SAFIRE about her new single, aesthetic and tattoo collection…

How would you describe your music? DOM POP! I make dominant pop music drawing inspiration from my love of metal/hardcore punk, RnB and Pop. My music is angry, empowering and sexually charged by my lust for shifting the power dynamics from the masculine to the feminine.

What inspires you as an artist? Rage! War! Blood!

When did your musical career start? I’ve been singing, dancing and acting since I was a kid, but I guess things really started to come to life during the pandemic lockdowns. I lived alone and had a lot of time on my hands to get creative, which is where things really began to take shape.

I wrote a whole record and even recorded two music videos during that period. I think that was the only thing keeping me sane! 

How have you got to where you are today? Blood, sweat and tears. And then some more blood and tears! I’m a self made, independent artist.

I’m lucky to have had the support of some incredible thinkers and creatives to help me develop what I see in my mind. My career and life are synonymous in that respect.

Can you tell us about your new single? I’ve arrived at a point where I have absolute respect for the divine feminine and will no longer tolerate oppression of any kind from the masculine. This is the message.

Out For Blood is about reclaiming your feminine power. It’s a self chant reminding you that you’re a fucking warrior!  

I think the message is clear. You fucked with the wrong woman. You’re on my list and I’m coming for you. 

What’s the process behind your songs? I sometimes draft a concept or storyline based on thoughts that I’ve been having or maybe it’s a nightmare I’ve had. I then draw together a playlist of elements that I’m vibing and will then sit down with my producer and start creating the track.

Whilst the track is being built I’ll start to hear melodies and rhythms. I then build in the storyline and lyrics that I’ve written. The process can be different depending on the mood but that’s a formula that works for me. I like to work in small circles of people that I trust, respect the opinions of and share a similar vision with.

Where can people see you live and find your single? OUT FOR BLOOD is out on all streaming platforms now! The music video is out on the 11th October at 6pm on YouTube.

I’ll be announcing other releases/live shows on socials so follow me there for dates.

When did you get your first tattoo, what is it and do you still like it? I got my first tattoo with a fucking amazing artist and human – Woody @woodfordtattoo. It was a heart made of question marks with soundwaves. It’s done well but nothing I’d have done now. It’s hidden amongst my sleeve on my inner arm. Even though I’m not a huge fan of it I do remember drawing it whilst listening to Tool’s new album (10,000 Days) and it holds some cool memories for me so I wouldn’t change it. 

Walk us through your tattoo collection, do you have a favourite? On my fingers are lyrics from a track by The Hope Conspiracy “It’s a gun at my neck, a voice in my ear, to never look back” handpoked by Adam Sage @adamsage13 and I think they are my favourite tattoos.

I have wings on my neck which is my latest tattoo done by Woody which are my second favourite tattoo. Number three has to be my cat x-ray on my leg by Jack Newton @jackthomasnewton. I got that one done shortly after my cat Canaan died, so it holds a lot of meaning. I’m really into iconography so a lot of my tattoos have some of these pieces within them. 

Do your tattoos help you to feel more confident? I think they did when I was a lot younger but I don’t really see them now.

They’re a part of me and an extension of my thoughts and feelings that I’m willing to convey outwardly. It’s a similar process with my music and visual art. 

Did your fashion style come first or your music, how do these come together? I think both elements have evolved concurrently and are both just a culmination of my interests and influences. I’m influenced by darker aesthetics and sounds for sure! Always have been.

Do you listen to music while you’re getting tattooed? Yes! I remember listening to Isis’s (then) new album ‘In The Absence Of Truth’ whilst getting my tattoo sleeve done. I LOVE Garden Of Light. Very cathartic.

Being tattooed has opened doors and conversations for me that I don’t think would have otherwise been opened. It’s equally closed some!

Can you share any experiences, good or bad, of being a tattooed woman? People definitely make judgements about who you are based on your looks and tattoos. I remember being stared at by an old and very disgusted couple in Belgium years ago. That felt weird to me. I don’t even notice my tattoos any more so I didn’t know what the hell they were looking at!

I’ve had the opportunity to appear in tattoo magazines and to host conventions when I was younger which was amazing. I met some incredible people during that period, so no regrets! 

Follow SAFIRE for more music, fashion and tattoos.

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Sextiles: Molly Cavell

Molly Cavell is an erotic feminist artist based in Leeds where she creates stunningly colourful and detailed textile art, ranging from sex themed rugs to plush vaginas and sex toys. We caught up with Molly to discuss her personal tattoo collection, her inspiration and what drew her to creating sex inspired art…

Tell us about your artistic journey, how did you first get into textiles and how did you come to create your business? My mum first taught me how to use a sewing machine whilst I was in high school and I absolutely adored it, but never stuck with it. It wasn’t until my foundation course and then university that I properly got into textiles as a medium. I just adore creating things with my hands and find sewing beyond therapeutic. Being such an impatient person, it’s taught me patience and allowed me to take that time out for myself and just sit and listen to music or be at one with myself and create art.

From sewing I then started to get into punch needling. Amy Hastings on Instagram was the first account I saw creating rugs and I became obsessed (her work is beyond beautiful). However, I still wanted to create art by hand as the process of hand work is really important to me, through this process I then discovered punch needling which is now my main way in which to create work.

As for my business, this came about accidentally to be honest, I first created my art account during my foundation course about three years ago. I made this account as a way to document my art and in no way thought I would ever make money from my art let alone grow a following. As I kept on posting my art the account slowly grew momentum and eventually, I got a message requesting a commission. This is mad to think but this only happened at the end of 2019 so just over a year ago and from then I have started selling my work. My dream goal is to become a freelance artist, so fingers crossed I can get this going in 2021.  

What made you want to create sex/masturbation/pleasure/genital diversity inspired work? Since high school I’ve been creating feminist art, however it wasn’t until my A-levels that I began looking at sex and masturbation. For me personally, I have always been a really open person in regards to talking about sex and masturbation. I just did not care, I’m a very sexual person so why should I hide that when it’s something I love? I soon realised though that with owning your sexuality comes a lot of backlash. I’ve had creepy men assume that just because I talk openly about these things it must mean I automatically want to have sex with them. I’ve had people make pre-assumptions about me, I’ve been called a ‘slag’ and all kinds of sexist names, all because I’m not embarrassed to say I love all things sex.

Creating my art is all about being true to myself and saying a huge fuck you to all the misogynists that expect a woman to act a certain way, cause news flash hun, women are just as, if not, more powerful than you. Why should women have to sit at home like I did when I was younger and think my labia are wrong, that I have to act this way, I should orgasm through penetration alone and I can’t express my sexuality because I’ll be shunned etc? It’s just disgusting that women feel that way and have for so long.

My art is all about empowering and educating women and it’s also been a personal self-love journey too. My work is really for all women (myself included) encouraging us to own that sexual power! 

What else inspires you, your art and designs? Women have always been at the forefront of what inspires me, not only in regard to my artwork but in my personal life as well. Female artists that create work surrounding their sexuality have always drawn me in. The fact that when I was in school, boys could freely have sex and talk about it openly but a girl doing the same was shameful. To then come across these powerful women that were essentially saying ‘fuck you’ to a system that told them to behave a certain way was amazing to me. Womanhood and the coming together of all women, whether they’re cis, trans, white, woc, disabled, working class etc. is what really inspires me and my work. 

The power sexually rebellious women exude is something I really try to bring into my own work as I think it’s so important for other females to know they can exert that same power.

How important is feminism within your life? Feminism to me is everything and is beyond important to me in everyday life. I have seen so many women from my mum to my closet friends experience struggles, backlash, and abuse at the hands of patriarchy and there is nothing more important than standing up against it. I speak from the position of a very privileged person, I am a cis white femme woman and although I am working class, I am still very privileged compared to other women, so I feel its so important for me to knowledge that and support and uplift the voices of those who do not have this privilege.

Feminism is extremely important to every aspect of my life especially my art. 

Feminism is all about equality and not just between women and men, it’s about trans women and women of colour having equal opportunities and rights as white cis women. It’s about non-binary folk and all those on the gender and sexuality spectrum having equality.

We love that your art and designs are so strongly empowering, do you intend to help educate your followers on female sexual liberation? I think my work started as more of a reassurance for myself more than anything. I used to be a very shy and quiet child and as I grew up and discovered that I was a very sexual person. I started creating art to express that and kind of input the message that ‘yeah you are completely normal and it’s okay to express yourself this way’.

My art has given me so much more confidence. When I started posting on my Instagram account and explaining my own personal experiences about things such as labia shaming and masturbation and the ignorance. I experienced more and more women came forward and began messaging me with similar experiences and then it’s just become this creative outlet for me to empower and validate myself and also educate and (hopefully) liberate other women. I absolutely adore this aspect of my work and it still blows my mind that people actually enjoy and connect with the art I make. 

Can you tell us about your personal tattoo collection, do your tattoos inspire your work at all? I only have 15 tattoos at the moment, but I plan on covering my whole body in them. I got my first tattoo at 18 and god its such a bad tattoo but we move! Most of my tattoos are done by completely different artists, I have all sorts of different styles on me, however my most recent piece is more traditional style, and this is something I want to stick with going forward. If I’m completely honest my current tattoos don’t have much connection to my art and I don’t take my tattoos too seriously. I feel like some people want really meaningful tattoos (which is so lovely) but for me it’s not about that it’s more about the art side of them. Most of them are animals – I got my flying pig because pigs are my favourite animal, the two headed lady because I saw her on a flash sheet and fell in love with her and

I am starting to get more meaningful tattoos though, the most recent ones I got was the words ‘feminist killjoy’ above my knee because that is exactly what I am! I have a Venus symbol on my arm with plans to get ‘no terfs no Tories’ above my opposite knee. I want my body to reflect my political beliefs as I’m a VERY political person but also displaying my genuine love for art at the same time. I’m really not precious about the tattoos I get, most of the time if I see a design or a flash that I love as an artwork then I’ll get it tattooed.

Tattoos for me are self-expression and make me feel literally about 100 times more confident in my skin and I cannot wait to be covered head to toe in them. 

Do you have a particular design you want to create more of? At the moment I am enjoying creating my sex scene work. I started making work about sex toys in order to normalise them and their use and slowly that developed into me actually showing scenes of sexual nature displaying masturbation, pegging scenes, oral sex etc. I’m really loving how it’s going. I don’t think too far into the future about where my work is going. I just think the best things develop and grow naturally so I’ll continue creating this work until I feel another direction or concept would be exciting to explore! So, expect a lot more sex scene rugs! 

Do you have any upcoming plans or collaborations you want to share with us? My plans for the rest of the year are to hopefully get my website up and running and I’m going to be bringing back my vulva cushion commissions very soon which I am so excited about! I graduate from university this year and I’m so excited to be able to put all my focus on building up my business and hopefully going freelance! I have a few collaborations coming up with some amazing artists that I can’t wait to share, mainly creating pieces to raise money for various LGBTQ+ charities and individuals, so keep an eye out on my Instagram for the details of these bitzz! 

Make sure to follow Molly on Instagram and check out her shop.

Words: Lucy Edwards, 21-year-old tattooed freelance writer, cat mum and trying-new-things enthusiast. You’ll most likely find Lucy posting about mental health awareness and self-acceptance on her Instagram.

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Modern Woman, Indigenous Spirit

The story behind Laurence Moniasse Sessou’s tattoos and scarification

Photography and Art Direction – Josh Brandao / Model – Laurence Moniasse Sessou / Words/Story – Laurence Moniasse Sessou and Alice Snape / Illustrations and Set Dressing – Katerina Samoilis / Styling – Olivia Snape / Make-up and Hair – Anna Wild using Nars / Septum Ring – Studio Lil Art and Design / Earrings – Manaka Handmade / Thanks to India Ame ‘Ye’

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From a very young age, I have always been fascinated by body art, everything that seemed a bit forbidden and weird, I pay attention to. I was always a dreamer and would often get in trouble for not conforming and being different (mainly from my peers in the neighbourhood). I grew up in a small town in France called Evreux. It wasn’t easy being a teenager, I’ve experienced a fair bit of bullying while growing up.

I have always been fascinated by body art, everything that seemed a bit forbidden and weird

I came to London for the first time in 1999, when I was 20 years old, to pay a visit to my sister. From that moment, I knew I had to come back to that sense of freedom. London was so big and messy, but I knew I could find myself in that mess. A year later, in 2000, I came back, supposedly, for one year to learn English – but I never looked back. I graduated in 2007 with a Bsc Natural Therapeutics (Bodywork and Neuromuscular therapy) from the University of Westminster. I have been practicing for over eight years now and hold two busy practices in London.

While I was at university, I started travelling, Thailand was my first big trip – I was amazed by the Thai culture and, of course, tattoo was part of it. One of my friends at the time had her full leg tattooed, I thought it was insane. I loved it, but never thought it would be my cup of tea. This idea of having something permanently on my body freaked me out. But as I travelled more through the world, I became more open to many things, including spirituality and body marking. My first tattoos were two little ankhs on my wrists. I was 21 and in London at the time. Then I went on another trip to Thailand and decided to get
a fairy on my right shoulder, it was an African fairy that looked nothing like a fairy after a few months. I had started losing a bit of weight and her face disappeared.

I love flowers. They are beautiful, feminine – I just love they way they always face towards the sun

I guess the big trigger to my transformation started in Mexico, when I went to Palenque for the first time. That’s where I met tattoo artist Sanya Youalli, and we had a chat. I was originally there just to view her work, but our conversation ended with starting to decorate my left arm with flowers and spirals. I love flowers. They are beautiful, feminine – I just love they way they always face towards the sun, I like to see myself as a flower and always look and walk towards the light. I love the warmth and the way the sun kisses my skin. Spirals symbolise infinity, this ocean of opportunity that never ends. I could have my body covered in them, I can’t see myself falling out of love with these symbols. Sanya and I became close friends, we’re like sisters, every time I go to Mexico, she continues work on my arm and when she came to London for the tattoo convention, last year, she stayed at my home and we carried on.

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Then I was looking for another artist to do a cover up of my right arm, Sanya had started doing some kind of removal work for the fairy, but we didn’t get a chance to cover it completely. I knew I wanted it to be covered as soon as possible, so I searched for another artist. I found Touka Voodoo at the Divine Canvas studio – again it was an instant connection. I loved his work, so Touka did the cover up of my right shoulder and we carried on the theme of flowers and spirals – I have a full sleeve now. I also met Iestyn at Divine Canvas, I knew the kind of work he specialised in: scarification and piercings. I remember thinking to myself, “Who on Earth in this age would want to go through this?’ He proposed to perform scarification on me as he’d never worked on black/African skin before. I told him, “No way! You will never cut my skin, never!’

About a year later, I was going through some changes in my life and my spiritual practice started to become more important. I initially wanted to tattoo my back with some symbols of my spiritual path, I spoke to my sister about it and she thought that my skin tone was so beautiful, if I did tattoo my back, my arm work would disappear. That is when the idea of the scarification came to me. I thought it would be a way to embrace my spiritual practice, as well as my tribal African roots. One day I went to see Iestyn, we discussed the design and we started. Iestyn knew me for about a year and he understood my journey and where I was coming from – I trusted him fully with it, he was absolutely amazing.

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The meaning of the symbols – the cross in the middle is ‘the Chakana’ sacred cross where the fire of life burns, the four arrows around it represent the four nations and four directions, flowers symbolise beauty and femininity, spirals symbolise infinity, and dots for their simplicity – and how lovely they look. To me, it is like carrying my dream in my back: the four nations enjoying the fire of life together in the four corners of the globe, in beauty and harmony with each other and nature… It sounds a bit dreamy, but that is the truth. I live to see a better world and become a better person.

Having the scarification done was very challenging, particularly the healing – it is a long and painful process. I was not been able to sleep on my back for over seven months. When the keloids form, it is very itchy. Receiving the scar wasn’t as bad as people may think, of course, you feel it as the first cut is done without anaesthetic, but there is no other way to go through it, you must feel and transcend the pain – and it is a beautiful feeling. I was very high at the end of it, feeling super-human.

I didn’t think the scar was going to raise that much, I thought I would have a very discreet design on my back, but my body decided how it was going to turn out and I love it! It is quite bold and shocking for some people, but I don’t really care, the journey and the story behind this back is worth it.

The chest scarification was also performed by Iestyn and filmed live by Nick Knight back in May 2013, it was supposed to be used for a music video, but it wasn’t in the end. But, hey, I got paid to have a beautiful piece of body art work on my chest and got the amazing opportunity to work with a genius like Nick Knight. It was a dream come true.

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I didn’t realise how emotional I was going to feel about doing this photo shoot for The Modification Issue using pictures of my family, including my mother and grandmothers. I started to have tears in my eyes, because I know how powerful and brave these women are and I know the struggle they have been through in life and in labour. They respectively brought my mother and my father, and my mum brought me into this world. I feel deeply grateful and proud to be a fruit of their lives, I feel they are still living through me, and my nephews and nieces, they are eternal. And I hope that from wherever they are, they are watching over with pride, their lives will always be celebrated.

 Laurence’s story was first published in Things & Ink magazine, when we were in print.

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Visual Artist: Ginger Taylor

28-year-old Ginger Taylor is a freelance visual artist from Sydney Australia. We chat to Ginger about the art she makes, what inspires her and tattoos…

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How long have you been a visual artist and how did you become one? I’ve been properly freelance for just over two years now. I started out sign writing at JbHifi about three years ago and got a taste of a creative job, and I LOVED it. After years of very non-creative jobs it was like a breath of fresh air. Being able to go to work and draw in a tiny room all by myself and listen to music and podcasts all day was my little slice of heaven.

Where do you get the inspiration for your designs from? I would say travelling mostly. My sister lives in LA and when I go to visit her we go on a lot of road trips, eat in diners, stay in motels, go visit weird places. I also just recently visited Japan for the first time and I think you can see that through my work.

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What’s your favourite project you have worked on or piece you have produced? I’m always happiest when I get to paint on a large scale – so murals are my favourite project to work on. I just painted a mural at my local pub so that’s my favourite recent one.

What’s the process behind your pieces? Winging it! I paint bowling pins, watercolours, murals, motorbike helmets, tanks, jackets etc. anything I can get my hands on really so the process is different for everything I do.

How would you describe your art style and your fashion style? If there was a style that lived somewhere in-between a road side diner, a log cabin, and Harajuku – I’d say that.

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Does tattoo art have a big influence on your work? I’ve been into tattoos since I was a kid, even when I was six I remember drawing what I wanted to get tattooed one day (glad that didn’t turn out it was bat wings on my back, yikes.) I wanted to be a tattoo artist all through high school, So I’d say yes, even though I don’t particularly want to be a tattoo artist anymore I still think tractional tattoos make an appearance in my work heavily.

Can you tell us about your own tattoos, did you design any of them? I got my first tattoo when I was 18, it’s an anchor on my head. The rest of my tattoos all have funny stories or dumb ones like the cover up of an ex’s name, your 20s are for huge mistakes, right? I don’t take my tattoos too seriously – most of them have no meaning at all I just like they way they look. I actually just got my art tattooed on me for the first time, it’s a cowgirl with a canteen, snake and horseshoe. @emilyjanetattoo did it and nailed it.

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Have Courage and be Kind: An Interview with Lady Chappelle

Birmingham-based illustrative artist Lady Chappelle has been tattooing for over three years. With a passion for travelling, Lady Chappelle has managed to do a lot in what could be considered a short time in our fast-moving industry. Guest blogger, Rebecca Rimmer Givens chats to the Disney fanatic about hopes, dreams, ambitions and why it’s important to stay focused in what can be a crazy place to be…

Photo by Calvin Tasker

Photo taken by Calvin Tasker

You are based in Birmingham but also regularly tattoo in London. You’ve also done guest spots at a lot of different shops in the last few years. Has it been a busy journey so far? I have crammed a lot in – it has been a crazy few years but in a good way! The moment I got my apprenticeship there were certain goals I had, so I wanted to work hard at them. I used to not feel confident enough to approach places for guest spots, or I was worried I wasn’t good enough but then I thought – ‘what have I got to lose?!’

Luckily, some fantastic shops agreed to have me work with them. I’ve loved getting to know cities like Leeds, Edinburgh, Derby and Manchester, and recently visited Heerlen in The Netherlands. I can’t express enough how valuable guest spots can be for artists, both in the early stages of your career and thereafter. They are a great way to learn off of other artists and have valuable conversations.

In terms of travel goals for the future, I have a love affair with Southern California so I would love to guest there as well as the East Coast,  Canada and Australia.

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Which is your favourite studio to visit, if you have one! I have been to so many now but I have to say one of the best is Semper Tattoo in Scotland. I worked there this this year and had the best time. David Corden and the other artists are all crazily talented and friendly, some of the most super humble people I’ve had the pleasure of tattooing alongside.

Let’s talk Birmingham. You work with Dawnii and the team at Painted Lady – what’s life like there? I adore working with Dawnii and love being a resident artist at Painted Lady. I followed Dawnii and her shop online for years and really idolised both. To work there now in all honestly feels like a dream – I feel so so grateful to be part of the team, I work with some very talented people and again, learn so much from each of them.

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You’ve come such a long way in three years. Do you take time to stop and reflect on where you’ve been so far and what you plan to do in the future? In terms of achievements so far, a lot of this is down to mindset and being clear about what my goals were, and are. I have always been quite an ambitious person and if I really want something then I will work hard to achieve it. I didn’t start tattooing until I was 31 and so felt like I had a lot of catching up to do – not with anyone else but with my own personal goals.

I think when I take a few minutes to reflect on the whirlwind that has been the last three years, I am proud of what I’ve achieved in a short space of time. I feel very grateful for all the opportunities I’ve been given. For me it’s imperative to have goals – without goals and dreams I would lack focus, direction and probably live a mediocre life. I want the best life for my family and it’s all possible so why not aim high?

There’s a lot that I would still like to achieve and someday I believe I shall, but for now I just focus on making each tattoo better than the last and giving it my all.

What do you see as your single biggest accomplishment? I think having the opportunity to work at such a reputable shop as Painted Lady – it was my proudest moment when they told me I had gotten the job.

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What pushes you the most out of your comfort zone? I tattoo a lot of character work and although it still requires skill I can only push myself so far with it. I love a challenge so recently I have started doing more portrait tattoos in my style – I used to really love painting and drawing them and was intrigued to see how they would turn out on skin.

It took me a little while to be brave enough to try one but thankfully my fiancé James offered me a free thigh so I thought ‘why not?’ I was happy with how it turned out and most importantly, so was James, so that gave me confidence to try more. Now, portraits are one of my favourite things to do and I really hope I get to do more in future.

Do you have a favourite tattoo of all time? Or a favourite recent one that you’d put at the top of your portfolio? I have a few favourites so it’s hard to pick. I am currently working on a large back-piece though which has taken multiple sessions and has been a huge learning experience. I think once that’s completed, it will be my ultimate favourite.

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Do you think you’ll always focus on Disney-themed tattoos or are you keen to explore other avenues? I would say that 98% of my tattoo work is based on Disney characters. I grew up on Disney and will never get bored of it but there are certain elements in my character work that I want to develop and explore.

When you are using a pre-existing image of a character, there is only so much you can do with it to turn it into your own creation, but still there are so many of us Disney tattoo artists out there, all identifiable by the little quirks we have that make us unique. There will always be a long-running argument that tattooing Disney characters is an easy job but I want to show people otherwise. I hope what makes my creations different and likeable is the way I add other elements to them and have an attention to detail with every tattoo I do. I LOVE detail and in 2019 I want to focus on larger-scale pieces without so many elements in, so I can do less elements, really well.

Regarding keeping Disney to its true form, sometimes I ask clients why they have picked me to do their tattoo and they say it’s because I keep the characters’ faces true to the movies and original Disney concepts. Because I have always used Disney film stills and books to reference my material, I have always tried to make the designs as honest to the original as possible. However, there are some amazing artists out there who create their own more stylised versions of characters – this is something I would love to dabble around with more in 2019.

As much as I love tattooing characters, I also love flowers, animals and portraits, and enjoy working in more of a photo-realistic way. This imagery and approach offers me a different and exciting challenges (in comparison to my character work) because I have to think more and question myself and my decisions. I will definitely be doing more of this moving forward – I get a thrill from challenging myself with something new and then being pleased with how something has turned out.

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Tell us five tattoo artists that you look up to:

  • Russell Van Schaick – He was the first artist to introduce me to an illustrative, sketchy style and is someone that inspires my daily.
  • Michelle Maddison – There is nothing this lady can’t do! I’m obsessed with all of her tattoos. I fell in love with her floral work first of all. She tattoos in a colour realism style and it just feels so rich and luxurious.
  • Miss Mae La Roux – She’s the queen of Disney tattoos – no more needs to be said!
  • Marie Cox – I have known Marie since my apprenticeship and she’s always been a massive support to me. I’ve had the privilege of working with her too at her studio in Tamworth. I love her nature and botanical work and her amazing compositions.
  • Jenna Kerr – I love how intricate and detailed Jenna’s work is. Everything is so clean, precise and super pretty.

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I know you’re quite interested in motivational speaking. What drew you to having a focus on self-improvement and self-care, why do you think it’s important in an industry like tattooing? I spent the entirety of my 20s feeling incredibly insecure – insecure in myself, insecure in life and insecure in my purpose. I had great jobs but never felt fulfilled. As I was reaching 30, a friend introduced me to a book called The Secret – after a few listens to the audiobook and further time researching The Law of Attraction, something began to click. Shortly after got my first tattoo it all fell into place – I knew what I wanted to do and knew how to get there. What I needed was to write an action plan, work hard and most importantly have the right mindset. I gave up my managerial job and went in pursuit of an apprenticeship.

I was focused, positive and relentless, which is important because the tattoo industry can be crazy (in good ways and bad ways). If I hadn’t done so much work on self-development then I wouldn’t have been so. Overall, this is an incredible industry and we are all so lucky to be part of it, we should be grateful and humble that tattooing enables us to pay our bills whilst doing what we love. As the tattoo industry grows, having an awareness of your own self-development and improvement really aids your work. I don’t think you can be a true artist if you don’t care about doing the best you possibly can, wanting to be better each time.

Like many artists, I live and breathe my craft and am always pushing to improve myself. Whilst I am entirely grateful and happy that I have been so busy this year, I have neglected my own welfare a little too. One of the biggest lessons I’ve learnt is that you cannot serve to be the best you can if you are not looking after yourself. In 2019 I have promised myself more time out because resenting my art is something I never, ever want to happen. Self care is essential.

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Well that’s tattooing… what about non-tattoo life? Where would we find you during your free time? Outside of tattooing, you’ll find me playing my cello (I’m part of a symphony orchestra) walking our little sausage dog Winnie, or jetting off to Southern California (when time and money permits).

Any last words? In the words of Cinderella, ‘have courage and be kind’.