I recently completed an online course called Sacred Tattooing which was facilitated by two lovely ladies, Ashley River and Rachel who together founded The School of the Sacred Arts (which has recently closed as of 8/2023). What motivated me to take this 8 week journey was a small but growing noticing of my own spiritual growth as well as the motivation of the clients who have been finding their way to me.

Something that is paramount in the tattoo industry is sanitation. Blood borne pathogens are a serious concern for both tattooer and the recipient. When I became licensed as a tattoo artist in the state of Tennessee, it was required that I attend a class on how blood borne pathogens can be transmitted. I already had some knowledge of this coming from a career as an aesthetician. Sometimes people bleed when you engage with their skin (via waxing, extractions or tattooing) and it’s very important to know how to manage that and avoid cross contamination. Beyond viruses like HIV there’s also Hepatitis (B + C) which are extremely serious and the possible exposure must be carefully managed by the tattooist.

Recently I’ve been asked more frequently about the kind of tattoo ink I use. Is it vegan? Organic? All natural? These are very reasonable questions as the ink will be placed within the skin and stay there for a really long time (as long as the recipient is alive unless they choose to utilize laser removal). I didn’t think to ask these questions when I first started to receive tattoos over 25 years ago. I just assumed that there were regulations in place and didn’t think much more beyond that. Allow me to do some clarifying on the matter!

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve poked around on my website or Instagram and gleaned that I work from a private studio. This is not particularly common in tattooing and most people envision a shop with a lot of stations, artists and maybe even a front desk person. So why do I choose this arrangement? It comes down to personal preference and client happiness.

A lot of people I interact with are curious about why I would tattoo without a machine. Modern tattoo machines are quiet, effective and create crisp lines and saturated color. These are all good things. Hand poking is the older approach to marking the skin, like thousands of years old. As I write this the oldest documented evidence of tattooing was found on the “Iceman” mummy who has been carbon dated to be 5,200 years old! Humans all over the globe from varying cultures and ethnicities have marked their skin by hand to serve as protective talismans, declarations of love, indicators of status, religious beliefs, and simply for decoration. I’ve always been fascinated with ancient tattoo practices and traditions which is one reason I feel called to use this method.