My Journey to Find My Weird... (the story of how a car helped me become a tattoo artist)

Over the past year, I've really grown a lot, both as an artist and just as a person. I feel like my artistic skills have improved a ton, and I can finally express myself in my work the way I’ve always wanted to.

I have moved house more than 50 miles away from where I spent my entire life from birth. I moved to a new tattoo shop which was scary even though I was surrounded by friends. Me and James have a place of our own where I have to space to pursue my millions of hobbies!

It's almost been a whole year since this massive upheaval of my life and I find myself reflecting on the past and how I got here more on more.

It all started pre-covid, around 2019. I was a level 3 in a nursery in North Heath and I was rather depressed. Unable to do any of the things my creative mind yearned for. Sure I was drawing in my sketchbook but I wasn't creating the way I used to when I was younger.

It wasn't long after a Sainsburys Van had crashed into the rear hatch of my 2001 VW Lupo, I had tried my best to paint the car and failed and James had the idea to give the car 'tattoos'. I though "Fuck it! Why not?" and got to work painting Japanese inspired tattoos on the car on my mothers driveway.

This act born of boredom and necessity, believe it or not, was the beginning of my Tattoo career.

Fast forward a few months, I was feeling depressed, useless, and not finding any joy in my days. Additionally, social distancing rules were beginning to be implemented. I found some happiness in painting more parts of my car and helping James' Grandad Fred (one of the greatest men!) every Saturday. However, I felt something was lacking, as I wasn't fully utilizing my creative mind.

James turned to me one day and had asked me why I didn't try to find an apprenticeship.

To provide some background, I had attempted this previously. At the age of 16, I visited local shops with my A level Art, hoping someone would mentor me, only to be told, "Tattooing is a dying art!" and "Go to University!"

I couldn't afford university, and as far as I knew, 2013 marked the start of the modern era for tattooing. So, I gave up!

That was until James suggested that I try again. So, armed with a new portfolio and a tattooed car, that's exactly what I did. I went to around what must have been about 20 shops but my last stop, a shop called Stars and Swallows in Dartford, was the shop for me.

(I later found out that my car, rather than my portfolio was my in).

Here is a picture of me, newly apprenticed, living the dream 2 days a week. I Joined Spencer (the owner), Conor and Scott whilst still working part time at the nursery. The first machines that I used were Conor's coil and Spencer's Rotary, It wasn't long before I bought my own machine, an FK Irons Spectra, and I also started messing around and rebuilding some of Spencer's old, cheap coils (they are still in display in my station).

I remember feeling terrified, terrified of new beginnings and a feeling that life was about to change. I had yet to find out if it was for better or worse (spoilers it was better!).

It honestly wasn't very long until I tattooed real skin. I used Conor's machine to tattoo dots on my fingertips one day, and then the other hand a few weeks later.

Conor watched me tattoo mostly as we were in adjoining stations in the basement of the shop. I then tattooed my knee, which later I used as my logo, and life was good!

I see myself as a fast learner, this was what I had wanted for so many years so eventually I quit my job at the nursery, with the safety and privilege of still living at my mother's house.

I remember one day I was sitting on the sofa in the front of the shop, drawing a bird and a snake. Spencer came to see what I was drawing (a crude sketch really, if you've ever seen my sketches they are messy af!), he said "That's mine! You're tattooing that on me".

This photo is of the tattoo when the lines were healed and we had just done the colour I believe. Although I was kind of thrown in the deep end, we did this tattoo in multiple sessions.

That is to say, If Spencer hadn't thrown me into the deep end, I wouldn't have had the confidence to do my first walk in when I had the opportunity.

Before I show you that, here are a few photos of some of my very first tattoos.

All of these photos and others are still on my Instagram if you scroll down far enough.

I remember being so scared when I moved on to tattooing clients and not myself and Spencer. My hand would shake and I wouldn't be able to breath, the anxiety of those first few tattoos was overwhelming, but worth it.

I'm going to name drop the people in these 3 photos, Finn who is an amazing friend, who I tattooed just a few weeks ago. He has never stopped supporting me.

Coral, who I used to work at in the nursery. We went to secondary school together and she was one of my very first clients.

And Dahlia, who still has one of my favourite tattoos that I've done to this day.

My first walk in was scary. I initially refused but I'm not sure why now, the client left their number and it took me all of 30 mins to decide to do it and call them.

I'm very fortunate to have loyal clients, even after moving more than 50 miles away, clients from Dartford still come to see me to get tattooed. It's amazing that I have left such a mark on people.

I learnt fast, listened well and soon I developed a style of my own.

Years down the line I often think about the time at the beginning of my tattoo journey and I like to reflect and laugh at myself occasionally about how good I thought I was back then, I love to learn new things and improve, that's just how I am, but It felt like I had finally made it. I had done what I set out to do but once the teething years were past I saw improvement a lot less and progress became slow.

A few years in I set out to learn new styles, I took myself back. I got the fake skin back out and practised things I had never tried to tattoo before. Portraiture, colour realism, fun things like sticker tattoos, I ultimately decided that none of that was for me.

I set about drawing things that I wanted to draw, as tattoo artists, although I wouldn't trade it for anything, we rarely draw for ourselves because we are so focused on what the client wants. I got my sketchbook out and drew things that I wanted to draw and put them out as 'flash'.

Now, Stars and Swallows is a street shop and I didn't get to tattoo a lot of my flash, I'm very fortunate now at Drawn and Quartered to tattoo quite a bit of my flash, but back then I had a few loyal clients who would get my flash tattooed and I can tell you for nothing that it still feels amazing every time!

To think that someone wants my artwork, artwork that came from my imagination and my emotions, and they want that on them permanently. It still blows my mind! I can never thank you, my lovely clients enough.

I think these days I have a pretty solid idea of what 'my style' is. I still experiment with styles and subject from time to time but I'm confident that when the people that matter see my artwork on Instagram or even in person, they might occasionally recognise it as mine.

Now that we are this far down the line, I'm super confident in my art, and comfortable where I am career wise but I still love to learn and I will always endeavour to gain knowledge. I hope I never stop learning and growing and that I never stop creating.

Now for the mushy stuff. I'm going to let you know all the people who made this happen, I wouldn't be here without them so I would be doing them a dis-service to tell this story and not mention them.

James, my partner, I would have never even tried to start tattooing as a career without his encouragement.

He helps me at every convention, he watches me draw and deals with me staying up till the early hours of the morning to complete a design for a client. He has supported me through every work induced panic attack and every hard decision.

Of course, my Mum. Me and James lived with her up until very recently. I have been extremely privileged to do all this with her backing me, when I first started it was around 3 years of me not earning any money, If she hadn't been there for me this would have been impossible.

Conor and Spencer, my mentor and tattoo bestie, the original 'Stars and Swallows' team. They both watched over me, told me when I was wrong, and when I was right, and taught me the fundamentals of tattooing and the industry.

I have been at Drawn and Quartered for almost a year now but I still miss my boys!

Now, for everyone that has read this far, thank you for letting me tell this story to you. It has been cathartic, reflecting on good times, bad decisions, amazing people and the art I made along the way. I have mainly written this for myself, to reflect on how I got here and everything that has happened since it started. This post will be my time capsule.

This blog will hopefully have a lot of learning and adventures (and not too many mushy posts hopefully). Maybe in a few years I can look back on this again and I will be even better, even more confident and I will have so many more stories to tell.

Thank you.