Stacy: Brand New Tattoo
Ewing has it's own tattoo shop here conveniently near The College of New Jersey and I was able to meet up with Stacy. Stacy has been tattooing there for more than a year but previously worked in PA at Blue Velvet Tattoo. I know Stacy from when she worked at Blue Velvet because she tattooed a tea cup on my finger; and while I got to visit her, she re-did my teacup for me.
K: To start off, you can introduce yourself, say where you got started...where you went to school or if you just started tattooing. What was your start essentially?
S: Okay, I'm Stacy. I started tattooing probably five or six years ago. I didn't' go to school for it but I did go to school for animation, so I do have an art background for sure.
K: Awesome! How exactly did you get into tattooing?
S: I got into it mainly because I was getting my arm worked on and getting a sleeve. Just kind of going to the shop every two weeks to get more work on it done; and just being in that environment. Hearing the artists there talk about new projects that they were working on, just seemed really exciting to me.
K: Besides being like, a lifestyle for you, what does tattooing do for you?
S: It does a lot. As an artist, it's very challenging start for sure. It's not something that is like, super easy that you just pick up. So everyday it is something new, a different challenge artistically. So I really like that cause, if it was something that was super easy, I think it would be boring to me. But everyday is something new and I love doing something new everyday.
K: This may be a personal question, but do you believe in any type of therapy?
S: I mean, I haven't really had to come across much of it. So I don't really know much of different therapies. I mean, if it works for someone that is awesome.
K: And when it comes to when you're tattooing someone, depending on the tattoo, can it be an emotional experience for someone?
S: Oh yeah. definitely. Especially if it's something like in memory of someone or a pet or a family member, loved one for sure. I've had a few people, where you can see it is helping them get over the pain.
K: Do you believe that tattooing can be a form of art therapy?
S: Yeah, I think so. For sure, people come in and they tell you everything about what's going on with them; and I think it kind of helps them get through their stuff. Even though I'm not a licensed therapist, haha.
K: Do you have any clients who have had an emotional experience with a tattoo before?
S: Yeah, for sure. I had a woman in not too long ago who had lost her dog. And so she wanted a portrait of her dog. So as I was doing it, I could see she was trying her best to keep it together because she was pretty distraught over the lose of her dog. But when she saw the tattoo, she was super happy. She emailed me and called the shop to say thank you, that she loved it and that she would be in touch. It was cool to see that it brought her some sort of joy. Because when she came in, she was kind of a wreak over the lose of her dog.
K: It must feel pretty rewarding.
S: For sure, yeah. And it's lots of fun too. Just seeing people happy, it's awesome.
