I grew up on a farm in Te Awamutu in New Zealand. It was always assumed that I would stay in T.A and work on the farm too. But growing up, I loved punk. Music was my solace. That love of the punk genre naturally came with a love of tattoos. Originally, I never sought to be a tattoo artist.
I knew that I loved to paint and draw and so I studied animation. As I began to progress in my career in animation and actually earn money, I would always save to get tattoos.
It was actually the process of being the canvas and a client...watching myself be tattooed... that I found myself really considering being a tattooist. It was quite daunting to change careers in my late 20's. I didn't know if my animation and design skills or my love of oil painting would transfer to tattooing. Skin is very different to a canvas. But, fortunately, world renowned tattooist Claire Reid gave me my shot. I packed up my entire life in Melbourne, left my career and moved to Byron Bay to work as an apprentice at Anja Tattoo.
Learning to tattoo was tricky. There is so much more to learn that how to "draw" with a needle. Everybody's skin is different. The skin on different areas of the body differs in density and you need to know how to tattoo each area in a way that will hold the ink. When we move or stand, the skin stretches. The placement of the tattoo is super important. If someone is laying down and slightly twisted, a portrait on the ribs can quickly look deformed when they stand...even if you tattoo the piece to perfection. I was way out of my depth, but keen to learn!
It took a couple of years and lots of practice...which largely involved tattooing for free and basically begging my friends to let me give them some permanent skin art...for me to be able to build my portfolio and be confident as a tattoo artist. I am so grateful to Claire for the opportunity to learn and build my career under her guidance.
I suppose the moral of the story is, if you have something you are passionate about or something you would love to try and you are wondering if you should take a chance, even if it means leaving a high paying role...my advice is, do it. When you love something or when you choose a career that taps in to a talent or something that brings you joy, work no longer feels like work. Life is too short to be stuck at a desk, wondering what if....
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