Day in the Life: Tattoo Artist

Midday

‘I’m a nighttime person, so I think my schedule is quite different from most! I usually wake up at eleven or twelve o’clock. Usually I get a coffee and take the MTR to Friday’s Tattoo. I like to be in the office at least an hour before any appointments are scheduled so I don’t feel rushed, and I can prepare everything for the session. If I’ve got time, I usually draw tattoos or do research. Although I’m not from a Japanese background, I mainly focus on Japanese-style tattoos because I really love the culture and their drawing techniques. When I started out, I had a hard time getting clients as a lot of people in Hong Kong think Japanese-style tattoos are for gangsters or the Yakuza, but actually it’s a style that’s rich with positive history and meaning.’

Afternoon

‘Sometimes the team orders in food and we eat together, or I just grab some lunch to-go from somewhere like Starbucks. Sometimes clients drop by, or we talk over text messages about what they want to get inked. Often clients don’t have an original idea, but instead want to replicate something they’ve seen on the Internet. That makes me uncomfortable as I don’t want to copy another artist’s work, so it’s an issue I’m constantly navigating. Usually I have to explain that I can take some influence from someone’s work, and mix it with my own style, to make something new. I generally find people in Hong Kong are looking for tattoos that are small, fine and cute and that are placed somewhere hidden, like on their ribs or back.’

Early Evening

‘Often, sessions with clients don’t start until five or six o’clock, when most people start to finish work. Usually, I just take one client a day as the process takes two to three hours, often more, and I want to make sure I’m really focused and alert so I can do a good job. The longest I’ve worked on a tattoo is two to three days. I don’t really get nervous anymore but the first time I tattooed someone I was super scared! I was still a new apprentice when my boss told me I needed to find someone that would let me tattoo them. I was like “What?! I don’t even know how to set up the needle!” Luckily, it went fine — well, the person getting tattooed thought it was fine — but I felt like I could have done a better job. I still feel like that sometimes. I want to be the best tattoo artist I can be.’

Evening

‘Once I get out of the studio I usually meet up with my boyfriend for dinner, which sometimes isn’t until nine or ten o’clock. He’s also a tattoo artist. Neither of us likes routine, so usually we go somewhere different every night. Our conversations used to always be around tattoos, but now we don’t really talk about work — we’d rather just relax. I used to get so stressed because I put a lot of pressure on myself and was constantly thinking about how I could be a better artist, so I find for my well-being I need to switch off. If I just focus on tattoos the entire day I feel tired!’

Late Night

‘In the evening when I’m back home, I usually do some more work — preparing designs for clients and researching tattoos in books and online. I love Hide Ichibay and Filip Leu, both famous Japanese-style tattoo artists, and read books on ukiyo-e, which are important to the history of Japanese tattoos. You need to know the history and the elements and drawing techniques before you can reinterpret. Then, if there’s time, I’ll often watch Netflix or play video games with my boyfriend until two or three.’