ABOUT MY PRACTICE
I first want to give thanks to all who have trusted me to mark their bodies. I wouldn't have been able to be here without y'all.
I practice machine tattooing on Tsleil-Waututh, Squamish and Musqueam territories (Vancouver, BC) and I often travel to offer tattoos. I tattoo from a private studio with two sets of stairs entering the building and love the home-like feeling of curating the space of a private studio. I am self-trained and also have been trained in a professional tattoo setting surrounding cross-contamination. I have been tattooing for 6 years, but have only been practicing with tattoo machines for two years. I am still learning! I use a trauma-informed lens in my practice and have taken Tamara Santibañez’s Trauma Informed Tattooing workshop.
I am deeply in love with the process of collaboration that arises from creating a tattoo design with other people. I hold in my practice that tattooing is a sacred form of body and spirit work. I also understand that this relationship to tattooing is not for everyone, or that a tattoo is a ritual in itself and doesn’t always need extra pieces! My relationship to tattoos stems from using pain as a portal into a space that could be called trance, or deep relaxation. It allows me to process emotions, calm my nervous system, get through a challenging time in life, or commit to my outward creative expression with confidence. Really, I think tattoos are magic, healing and liberatory.
I am in an ongoing learning process about how to be a more caring and skilled tattoo artist and how to create spaces that feel safe for people. I welcome all kinds of feedback. It is your feedback that really helps me grow as an artist (and as a human being in general). I also welcome questions. I do not believe in gatekeeping anything, especially body work and art-making such as, tattooing and am happy to share the knowledge I have!
FAQ
HOW DO YOU CONSIDER ACCESSIBILITY NEEDS?
As someone who has disabilities myself and therefore specific needs in spaces, I try to make the tattoo space as accessible as I can. I make space in the tattoo booking form and in our consult to discuss needs! This may be anything within physical, mental, emotional, spiritual realms.
Unfortunately my studio is up two sets of stairs. I will always consider tattooing elsewhere if my studio is physically inaccessible.
WHY DO YOU TAKE A DEPOSIT?
Over my 5+ years of tattooing I have had so many people not show up or cancel after I have already put energy into their vision. The 50$ deposit pays me for the time spent on our consult and on drawing the design. You will not get this back if you cancel and I have already spent time with you, unless in cases of emergency.
HOW DOES SLIDING SCALE WORK?
I charge 100-160$ / hr. Below is a general idea of how I would break it down. It is up to you to place yourself in one of these categories. This system is based off of trust, so please be honest here!
Click here for a graphic with all my sliding scale information.
CAN I SEE MY DESIGN BEFORE OUR APPOINTMENT?
Absolutely!! I really want to uphold that people need time to sit with their designs and see how it feels. Sometimes this is a slow process and sometimes it is fast. I will try to get the design to you 4-7 days before our appointment, unless we have previously spoken of a different timeline.
For large changes to the design we can communicate through email or phone if necessary. For small changes I ask that we do it together on the day of the appointment.
*THIS IS IMPORTANT* I will only make TWO SETS of changes to a design before I either 1) charge you another design fee or 2) come to the realization with you that your vision might be suited for a different artist, in which case I can refer you to people!
WHERE DO YOU TATTOO?
I tattoo out of a private studio. This is a studio out of my apartment that has been curated specifically for tattooing. As I come into tattooing treating it as a ritual and as sacred, I am very particular about the spaces I tattoo out of. I have trouble being fully present when others are working around me, so I cannot always work in shared studio settings.
This choice also helps me keep tattoos more affordable, work within a sliding scale, and donate/give tattoos for free.
HOW DO YOU CONSIDER FINANCIAL ACCESSIBILITY AND WEALTH REDISTRIBUTION?
It feels so important to me that tattoos are available to anyone who would like one. Here I think about the ways that tattoos have been practiced within marginalized communities throughout history (Indigenous roots, prison tattoos, etc.) and how dominant culture (informed by whiteness) appropriates traditional and beauty practices turning them into something sell-able, a luxury product. Being conscious of this is at the centre of my practice. I am always trying to brainstorm better ways to balance making enough of a living from tattooing and sharing the wealth that comes with this craft. My intention is to not have my tattoo practice completely tied to capitalism, but to be something different, a way to work with money responsibly.
Here is a breakdown of what I have brainstormed so far for financial accessibility.
** please note that as of January 2023 I will not be tattooing for work, as I am taking an extended break