After Stephanie's colorful tattoos, I present to you Lauren and her flawless black and grey collection. Her tattoos are not only undoubtedly beautiful, Lauren's testimonial is a great read for anyone who loves tattoos. I hope you all enjoy it!
I have adored tattoos ever since I can remember. In my childhood, I was drawn to tattooed people for their beautiful skin. In my youth, there was a time I went to this little shop with my mom, and the counter girl had this large snake tattoo on her shaved head and I thought, "I love the way she looks." I used to spend a lot of time in high school and college in photography dark rooms, and often, I photographed heavily modified and tattooed people. My interest in tattoos grew through my teenage years as well as a love for piercings, which took precedent over tattoos when I first turned 18 for a few reasons. I didn't know a lot about tattoos, what I wanted to get or more importantly, who I wanted to do my tattoos. So, I put my first tattoo on hold and delved into the world of piercing. I went with friends when they got tattooed, but I always felt a little apprehensive about getting tattooed myself. During that year, I met one of my best friends, Sophia, who is funny, beautiful, and heavily tattooed. We talked a lot about tattoos when we first met, and we even got friendship septum piercings. She was with me when I got my first (tiny) tattoo from her husband and was greatly supportive from the start.
I got my first tattoo in 2004. It was a little heart outline on the back of my neck. I thought it was going to be so painful, but I was relieved by how little it hurt. I have a high pain threshold, and I've breezed through most of my tattoos. Most people think I'm a little peculiar when I tell them I think the healing process is worse than getting tattooed. When I first started getting tattooed I got several tattoos that are somewhat regrettable now, but I think that's pretty commonplace. Many people have confided in me that they have at least one disappointing tattoo.
A couple of the first tattoos collected // Friendship Friday the 13th tattoo
When I first started getting tattooed, I wanted to be heavily tattooed, but I thought, eventually, I'd reach a finite point. Now, I feel like I won't ever stop. I thought I'd have more coverage by now, but I'm glad I've taken my time. I hope to get most of my coverage in the next ten years, but even once I'm mostly covered, I think I'll still be squeezing in little sentimental pieces. Honestly, I hope I never stop getting tattooed.
There were three years my husband and I lived in Italy, and during that time, I was only tattooed once. Those were years of tattoo contemplation for me. It gave me time to think about what was really important for me, what kind of tattoos I wanted, and what tattoo artists I liked. I had gotten quite a few tattoos in my teenage years that weren't meaningful or that I even really liked much, and I wanted that to change.
These days, I think concept and artist are most important to me. I have general ideas and placements in mind I'd like to have tattooed. I choose an artist whose work I like, and then I decide on a tattoo that I know will complement their style. There's a lot of spots I'm "saving" for different artists, waiting for our paths to cross at some point. I know a lot of people prefer to work on a certain body part until they have full coverage, but that's not how things have unfolded for me. Most of my tattoos are spread out on my body, but I know someday, it will all come together. I do think about placement because of aesthetics, but also because I try to leave adequate space for future projects.
Butterfly and strawberries by Mike Adams // Beach babe by Marie Sena // Vintage camera by Tony Talbert // Flower by Jacob Neuman
I've always loved the look of black and grey tattoos. When I first started getting tattooed, I got a couple black and grey tattoos, but the artist that worked on me preferred color so I got talked into quite a few color tattoos. Once I branched out and started getting tattooed by other artists, I went back to black and grey, and I'm so happy I did. Once I get more coverage, I'll probably end up lasering or blasting over all those old color tattoos. I have had quite a few people, including tattoo artists, tell me that if they could do it all over they'd do all black and grey. I know I would. However, while I enjoy black and grey for myself, I do like color tattoos on other people.
I get a lot of inspiration from the artists that tattoo me. I choose artists that I truly respect and trust. As far as subject matter, I pick things that are significant and meaningful to me. Vintage things, nature, and music have all acted as muses for my tattoos. Also, I love lady heads. I don't think I could ever have too many lady heads. I love traditional flash, but while I'm vastly influenced by those pieces, I generally get tattoos that are personal and special to me.
Picking a favorite tattoo is kind of like picking a favorite song or a favorite book. I have a lot of favorites, but I love my lady on my upper arm with the birds and laurel crown.
Lady by Marie Sena (fresh and healed)
I have work from Marie Sena, Josh Stephens, Ashley Love, Myra Oh, Marina Inoue, Tony Talbert, Jacob Neumann, Antonio Roque, and Mike Adams.
I usually travel to Albuquerque, NM annually to get tattooed by Marie Sena. It's my hometown, but I always plan my visits to coincide when she'll be there, too (she's a Santa Fe native, but currently based in Dallas). I love getting tattooed by Marie. I just visited Frederick, Maryland to be tattooed by Mike Adams and Antonio Roque. Last time I was in New York, I skipped getting tattooed in favor of having my stretched ears (1.25in) reconstructed. So, next time I'm in New York I look forward to getting tattooed. There are many other places I plan on traveling to so I can collect tattoos from all the different artists I like, but it can be frustrating waiting to make that happen. There are just so many talented artists tattooing right now; I want to get work from all of them.
Heart locket by Antonio Roque // Lady head and flowers by Myra Oh
This list of artists I wish to be tattooed by is way too long and could be much longer, but the top 10 people I'd most like to be tattooed by are Cassandra Frances, Matt Houston, Jemma Jones, Katya Krasnova, Ibi Rothe, Bob Geerts, Becca Genné-Bacon, Rose Hardy, Ryan Cooper Thompson, and Ivan Antonyshev.
I just found out I made Cassandra Frances' list for her New York visit in October. I also have plans with Josh Stephens to work on my other elbow and plan on continuing work on my stomach with him. After that, the Richmond convention is in November, and I'll definitely be collecting a couple from traveling artists there. Next year, I'd love to have Rose Hardy do a big back piece for me.
Stomach piece and elbow by Josh Stephens
As a contumacious teen, I thought my tattoos would ward off most people. I don't think I could have been more wrong. I get a lot of attention because of my tattoos, almost always positive. A lot of people do stare, but I don't necessarily think it's negative. I think a lot of people are just too shy or find it rude to talk to a stranger about their tattoos. Sometimes when I'm in forced interactions with people, like say in a doctor's office, my tattoos are generally met with surprising positivity. I get compliments from people I wouldn't expect to like my tattoos or tattoos, in general. There are the people who stop me on the street, in stores, or restaurants to tell me how much they like my tattoos or ask who did them. I occasionally get asked those cringe-worthy questions like "did that hurt?" or "how much did that cost?" or my personal favorite "are your tattoos real?" I've gotten so used to it though that it doesn't bother me. The attention can be tiresome at times, but regardless, I would not change being tattooed even if I could.
I love my tattoos so much. I love everything about getting tattooed, and I know it's unwittingly become a big part of my identity. But even though tattoos are a part of me physically, they haven't changed the person that I am intrinsically. I think there's an assumption that having tattoos changes you, and even though I may look different, I'm the same person I've always been. It wouldn't be completely honest if I didn't admit that they make me feel happy or beautiful because they absolutely do. Tattoos are one of my favorite things in this world.
Globe by Marie Sena // Heart by Ashley Love // Girl and cat by Marina Inoue
Becoming a tattooed lady has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. I feel lucky to be involved in tattoo culture, even in a minimal way. It's allowed me to connect with so many wonderful, audacious, and interesting people. I'm indebted to the artists I've been able to be tattooed by thus far, and I can't wait to continue adding to my collection. I still have a long way to go. Thank you so much to Heloisa for including me in this project. I'm looking forward to reading about all the incredible lady collectors out there."
Thank you so much, Lauren! I'm so happy I've met you, and this is why I love working on this blog.
And you, dear readers, go follow her on Instagram @heroinebunny to see her future additions.
Thank you so much, Lauren! I'm so happy I've met you, and this is why I love working on this blog.
And you, dear readers, go follow her on Instagram @heroinebunny to see her future additions.
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