My journey
Hey there, welcome to my blog! I thought it's nice to do a ''get to know your tattoo artist'' post first and give you some insight to my chaotic world. I will try to keep it short and entertaining. :)
My love for tattoos started when I was 14. I said when I will have enough money I will be fully covered in tattoos. I started to get inked when I was 22, my very first tattoo was a letter B. It was to honor my grandpa's memory after he died. When people get their first one it's always something meaningful. By now about 70 tattoos later there is often no meaning, just doing it for fun or decoration. Some of them means ''we were bored at the tattoo shop'' or ''had a cancellation''. Those are actually the best memories.
Most of my tattoos are from brilliant artists, I just love to collect a piece of their artwork. But back to my story...I have been always interested in art, I was drawing a lot when I was a child, but somehow I still chose business school and wanted to build a successful accountant career. I eventually did, made it from a complete beginner to being the Head of Finance at a small start up, but after 10 years I realized this isn't making me happy. I was missing the appreciation and gratitude, the kind of one I got when I was working in hospitality. I also wanted to do something creative, but wasn't exactly sure how could I combine this all. I had a certain drawing style already, I loved to doodle botanical elements and a little bit like children illustration style animals. So on the way of creating my friends and family encouraged me to become a tattoo artist. Finding the way to make this happen can be difficult, but somehow when I follow my gut feeling I always walk on the path that's so to called destiny. I really believe that everything happens for a reason!
Because this is what exactly happened. I went to a tattoo studio to get a tattoo and was chatting about this all when the tattoo artist said ''oh we have an opening for a tattoo apprenticeship, you should try'' and so I did! A year later here I am, living a surreal life, tattooing people (including my family, friends, even my favorite tattoo artist!!!), exchanging knowledge with the best artists, guesting at cool studios, making friendships with those I admire the most in this industry and it all feels crazy! I always wanted to do something creative, but I never thought I will be able to do such a cool thing and call it ''my job''.
The art i do
In the process of figuring out what kind of creative career I should take after the boring office job I had loads of stress and anxiety that I was not managing very well. I just couldn't figure out what would sell and make enough money to be able to survive month by month. Even though I loved drawing and being creative, this all put an enormous amount of pressure on me.
I had to remind myself time to time that all those great artists I admire a lot weren't just born with their drawing style, they must have spent years on working it out and they probably spent months or years to figure out what to do as well.
This is something I am noticing now, after months of learning to tattoo and intense drawing practice I finally realized that my art and style is actually evolving. I sometimes struggle with wanting to tattoo or create certain things, for example surrealist pieces, but I think at this point my audience is here for something else. (this Frida piece is one of my first tries from 3 years ago, but I still love it!) Maybe one day it will turn a different way and I will be able to do other things too, but for now I will just keep doing and working out my own little ornamental, botanical and illustrative tattoo style (in this note, if you have any surrealistic idea, shoot me a message! I am always up for it :D).
What I like the most is really the illustrative style designs, it is somewhat difficult to sell it sometimes, but I am very happy when I get a request to do something like this. I like to illustrate animals being happy, kind, sweet and to put botanical elements around them. The outcome is a little bit cartoony, children's book illustration style. If you like this style, I am here for it anytime! :) I never planned to make realistic art, my technique and drawing style is different from that and the other hand, I like it more if it's a bit playful.
One thing that I probably do the most is the symmetrical ornamental pieces. This became very popular overtime and I love how it decorates your body like a jewelry, it's delicate, feminine, soft, sometimes covers a big area so it's big, but still not aggressive. I really love doing these designs because the result is very pretty on every single one of you. It can be a small piece and a big piece, it can be simple and complex, that's the beauty of it, that the variety is seriously endless. Can be placed literally anywhere, the most popular is definitely the sternum pieces, but also pretty on arm, back, legs, foot, hand, anywhere you like! :)
Another thing I like to do is botanical elements, and purely botanical designs. I often combine all my designs with botanical elements, as said even the illustrative ones and also the ornamental ones. I grew up appreciating nature, we had a big garden, we had many plants and flowers and with my great grandma we took care of them together. We spent a lot of time outdoors. Later in adulthood it was nothing different. During summer I still like to spend time in the garden and like to take care of my plant collection (fun fact: at some point I had 120 plants, it was way too much! :D)
The process
Before I started this whole journey I already had many tattoos and met many different way of doing this whole process from start to finish. Since it's a service I always think having a customer first mindset is important here because that's one thing that will really engage clients with your art and make them come back to you for more tattoos.
Even tho I am an introvert I am a people person, hence I call myself a social introvert (or anti-social extrovert haha) who will hug you at the end of the session and overshare during. I might say something awkward to just to top it up with my social anxiety. But no worries, you are in good hands! :)
If you are a tattoo addict you already know the drill, but I often have people who are first timers or have only a few tattoos. I want to give you some details about how a session looks like with me. Before the session we have probably talked either in email or on Instagram about your tattoo plans. We discuss placement, size and I ask for reference pictures, if it's something made for you we discuss all important details. After this I give you a price indication or if you have a budget we fix that too. Some tattoos can be adjusted or worked out within a budget, but there is a minimum size requirement for every design which we need to keep in mind. After all this the designing process begins. f we are doing a custom design, I only reveal that on the tattoo session and I don't send anything in advance. I do this because I want to see what you honestly think of the design. I always make two versions so you can pick one you like the most, or mix and match elements from both.
I always plan with a little extra time, so if there is any changes needed, we can easily do that. I am proud to say that it's been always a success. :) In some cases it's better to have a chat in person before the appointment (especially if we do a cover up or extending a tattoo you already have), then we can have a short design planning session. After this we start the session with stenciling and preparation. Some body parts and tattoo designs are more difficult to stencil than others (for example big symmetrical pieces) so in case we have something like this it can take longer. I might seem to be a perfectionist and spend extra time on big pieces, but I think it's something you cannot just rush, it's going to be on your body forever, so kinda has to be perfect! When it's all done, we start with tattooing. During this process you can always ask for a break, a blanket, emotional support, whatever is needed.
It can be intense, it can be quick, some people fall asleep, it's different for everyone. For longer sessions you should prepare with some drink and snack in case you get hungry, or with something to entertain yourself (music, a book, crossword, anything). Also happy to chat during the session, but if you see me zoning out it's just a line, I don't even breathe when I pull them :D it's the most difficult part of tattooing for me (and I guess for all of us haha). So, we will just take it easy and have a chill session. Oh, and don't forget: tattoo artist 5 minutes it's like the last sprint on spinning class: it's always a lie! :)
Preppin'
Preparing for a session it's also your part of the job. :) I want to give you some tips what you can do to prepare for your tattoo session. Don't drink alcohol or use drugs the day before the session, leave the celebration of your fresh ink for after the tattoo (it's not advised to drink 24h after the tattoo either, especially if you were bleeding a lot during the session, cause the ink can fade out).
If you have a drier skin or we are tattooing a dry skin area, you can help with a little moisturization for a week before the appointment (but please don't put any lotion on your skin the night before and on the day of the tattoo).
Make sure you sleep enough the night before (says the one who can never sleep when she has a tattoo appointment, too much excitement :D). If we have a long day it's smart to take some snacks and drink with you, we will definitely have a lunch break. For a long day you can also bring something to entertain yourself, headphones, a book, sudoku etc. Wear dark clothes, even when I try not to spill any ink, it's still possible. What kind of clothes should you wear? Here are my tips for certain placements:
Arm or legs: nothing tight that you cannot roll up or take off easily. Especially for legs, calf, thigh, try to wear, or bring a loose or baggy pants that you can roll or pull up, or you can also wear shorts.
Hips/bottom: a long skirt, baggy pants, that you can roll up so your hip can be free. For the bumm, wear loose panties, or adjustable bikini bottoms with strings.
Lower back: comfy, loose pants that you can pull down a little for the tattooing or adjustable bikini bottoms with a string.
Back: a hoodie with a zip, buttoned shirt or a cardigan that you can put on from the front so your back can be open and nothing covers it.
Neck: definitely not a turtle neck :) something that gives me space to tattoo the area
Sternum/torso/ribs: in some cases you can still wear a bra but best to wear a bralette or a sport bra with no wires, especially after the tattoo it's also advised not to wear wired bra because it can irritate the skin or cause a little bit of pain/fading of the tattoo. Best to let the ladies free! :D I use nipple covers and we have a room divider for privacy. You can still bring a hoodie with zip or a cardigan so your arms aren't getting cold but allows me to work on the area.
Chest: a top without straps, or easy access to pull off the sleeves (or get your arms out of them) so your chest is completely free for the tattoo.
Foot: put on your most comfy shoes. Summer time is always the best for feet tattoos, but winter shouldn't stop you either. If you wear your shoes a little loose until you go home, it shouldn't be too uncomfortable after the tattoo. Wear comfortable socks, not too tight ones.
Taboo
We tend to talk about the positive and nice things only, but there are occasions when things go wrong, but nobody talks about them. I think it is important that we mention this, because it should be a very important topic, so here it comes: what to do when your tattoo gets infected?
While I put a lot of attention to the hygiene rules and make sure everything is sanitized and sterile, it is still possible that sometimes things go wrong. Not on purpose, but because we are humans and things can happen. When it comes to my side, I can assure you everything we use is clean and sterile, and I follow the best hygiene practice when setting up my workstation and my machine and when preparing for the session. You can see during the session how many times I disinfect my hands or how many pair of gloves we throw away.
A lot depends on also you, how you take care of your tattoo. A very important thing that I want to highlight, because I have been asked this often: please do NOT workout at least for 24-48 hours after you get a fresh, brand new tattoo. Not even with second skin. Heavy sweating can make your skin too moist and the second skin can get off. Please plan your workout according to your tattoo session (or the other way around) and let it be for at least a day before you go to exercise. If you are planning to do any water sports, you have a different rule, not 24-48h but 4 weeks, this is very important. No sauna, no tanning salon, no sunny vacation, no water sports during this period if you want your tattoo to last for a long time.
Let's have a look at the two way of healing, with second skin and with cling foil. While second skin is great to keep nasty bacteria's away from the fresh wound (because your tattoo IS an open wound) it can sometimes cause irritation. Some things to pay attention to, based on your feedback from the past months:
- if you see a bubble under your second skin with a lot of moist/ink/blood in it, best to take the second skin off
- if you notice irritation and your tattoo gets red under the second skin, take it off
- if you notice irritation around the second skin....again, take it off
Sometimes skin doesn't like it, some brands are using stronger glue than others, sometimes it works perfectly, you can never be 100% sure. For me second skin worked for years very well, then it started to not work, then another time it worked again, it's like a lottery. I haven't figured out why is it different in some cases, I guess it's just once we get lucky, another time, not.
Let's talk about cling foil. Some people are a bit scared to use it, some love it, I am the team loving it, because nothing ever happened when I let my tattoo be and breathe without anything covering it. Few things to know about using cling foil:
- leave it on for a few hours only, go home, take it off, rinse the skin with water and some natural soap or UniCura and LET IT BE! Do not put on any cream for 24 hours so the wound can start to close up and ''dry''.
- if you are bleeding a lot or if we tattooed a big amount of skin you can put back a new and fully clean foil for a little (or overnight) but don't put it back for days, not needed at all. I had once a tattoo that needed a lot of work and it was still bleeding after a few hours, and since it was a bigger area, I wrapped it back overnight to be sure it doesn't stain my sheet and nothing crazy gets in the wound.
- after taking off the foil and rinsing the tattoo, and I cannot stress this enough, always put on completely clean clothes (so not your t-shirt from yesterday). I know they always say you need to put on something loose, but honestly for me that's really annoying and bothering my skin so I always make sure I put on something that doesn't move or cannot rub the skin and it's made of cotton. Synthetic can cause friction. So even if I seem to be paranoid, please put on clean pajamas for the night and also best to fully cover your tattoos with fabric (your sheets can get messy of it anyway).
- be careful if you have any pets, they smell the wound and the blood and may want to help your poor tattoo to heal by licking it :) my dog smells everything immediately so keep it away from them!
But what to do if you notice your tattoo is looking weird and might got infected? Here are some VERY important things to follow:
- first of all, message me immediately! Send a photo so I can see if there is something going on.
- don't start putting on cream multiple times a day, the more you touch the wound the more bacteria's you are putting in and the more cream you use the more soaked it gets, that doesn't help on the tattoo (in any case it is always best to keep the cream on a lower end, two times a day is enough, yes it can seem to be dried out, it can be itchy, but it's all part of the process)
- do not use any cream that was not advised by us, Bepanthen Tattoo is good, I personally don't like it and use a special tattoo butter brand, we also sell one from Balm Tattoo, it's great. Do not ever use vaseline, it is not for aftercare, do not use the normal Bepanthen cause it's for a different purpose, don't just use any cream that comes at hand.
- sometimes we can get bruises around the tattoo, I have had it too, but that doesn't mean it will be infected. Some part of the skin is very thin and also if you get easily bruised it can happen. In a few days that goes away.
- infections can take a long time to heal, keep this in mind, if it gets very bad looking, please contact your GP, they can give you a specific cream or antibiotics if needed
I hope this helps a little, it's a note for both of us, to make sure we both take good care of your fresh tattoos. I do my best, please try doing that too! :)
shameless session
Body positivity and acceptance is becoming more and more important nowadays and I meet with so many concerns before/during the sessions that I thought it's time to talk about it.
I can totally relate to all of your worries, because I myself as well a super concerned person when it comes to my body and most of the days I feel super uncomfortable in it. But this is what I want to avoid at all costs that you feel uncomfortable during our tattoo sessions. I know how difficult is to believe that everyone has bits and parts on their body that they are not happy with and nobody is perfect, but believe me: nobody is perfect.
Nobody is symmetrical, if I correct your posture during the stenciling it is just for being sure that the stencil is straight. I don't judge if you aren't paying attention how you sit or stand, tattoo artists sit like shrimps, so I can totally understand if you do too. Nobody has a perfect body, we all have bad periods, and most importantly, you do not have to be skinny and fit for having a tattoo. I know, I also feel the same ''I will have my booty tattooed when I have a nice booty'' my exact words, but this is the biggest bullshit I can possible say to myself. EVERY BODY IS A TATTOO BODY. We can all dream of having tattoos on every part of our bodies and this shouldn't stop you from going for it! I hated my legs, so started to decorate them, now I love them! All I see is the art from my favorite artists. So if you feel like you aren't perfect here and there, believe me I never judge.
You do not have to have a hairless body, I do have to however shave the skin, but this doesn't mean you should get rid of your body hair. If you like it with, good for you! And if you forgot to shave your legs because it's winter time....I get it! It's super feckin' cold without that extra coverage during winter! And btw, no, you do not have super hairy chest/back/etc. but I do need to shave this part too before we stencil. :)
You absolutely do not have to feel ashamed if you have scars or any other marks on your body.
You also do not have to be ashamed for telling me to move the stencil. I always say it, if you don't like the placement, let me know, we can put it higher/lower/wherever you feel like it's better. I always want to be sure it's straight, it's in the middle, it doesn't look off, we will look at it together.
You should not feel ashamed for asking for a break or to stop. If you had enough, you had enough. If only a little bit left then we can try to push it through and finish the session, or there are occasions when it's best to at least finish the outlines, but nobody should be ashamed for tapping out. It can be a bad day, I can sometimes push through a whole day but sometimes can't manage the pain. It is what it is. Some people can get over it, some cannot, I can end up in a panic attack if I get overstimulated of the pain, I cannot control it so I get it, but a lot depends on the environment as well. For long days it's best to prepare with food, we can take a longer break to get some energy and go on. If you need a simple toilet break, don't worry, just say it. One thing to know, if you feel like it's enough for the day I might need to ask for a small fee for the finishing session to cover the material costs. This will be communicated to you and we can discuss.
Did I miss anything that you'd feel ashamed of? Don't, I never judge, this function is just missing from my vocabulary. :)
