It’s officially been a year since I moved to Vancouver. Before I arrived, I remember trying to stop myself from creating unfulfillable expectations of my post graduate life while simultaneously holding my self esteem up and away from imposter syndrome. When I left Rhode Island, I didn’t know if there would be space for me in this community or opportunities to do the kind of tattooing I wanted to do.
I’ve seen other artists on Instagram express their gratitude for the tremendous leaps and bounds that they made in their first year of tattooing— going full time, gaining massive followings, opening private studios, etc. It was crazy to think that’s what would happen to me, but crazier still to think that that would be the only way to find success doing what I love.
Now, going into my second year of tattooing, I want to share how grateful I am that own my progress is not a dramatic whirlwind of professional success, but a slow and (relatively) steady journey. I don’t tattoo full time, I don’t quite have two thousand Instagram followers, I don’t have my own private tattoo studio— but I also don’t have imposter syndrome, I don’t worry about making ends meet, I don’t feel disrespected by my peers, and I haven’t had to compromise my values as a tattoo artist. I’ve taken risks in my designs, tailored some signature styles, done guest spots, collected every book on tattooing I could get my hands on, moved from a homey living room studio to a professional collaborative space, and started meeting and learning from other local artists who share my love for this work and a vision for improving this industry.
At this point, I definitely still get insecure about how many clients I book and how many followers I have— which, I have to remind myself, is okay to worry about sometimes as tattooing is half of my income and I rely on it as such. Every once in a while I’ll go a week or two without any clients to tattoo, which can be stressful for the amount of groceries and cat food I buy, but I have a consistent second job at a flower shop for stability. Working between two jobs has led me to want to stay part time for the foreseeable future, so that tattooing someone remains a very special occasion for both of us.
As incredible and rocky as this first year has been, going forward, I want to spend more time writing about tattoos. I find myself telling my clients that I was a researcher and a writer before I worked up the confidence and the abilities to be an artist. Having the time and resources in university to study what little has already been written about tattoos first sparked my interest in this medium, and now that I have my own time and resources to spend, I want to jump back in.
It’s been lovely to settle in for a year and do my work on my own terms, but I miss the processes of documenting, reflecting on, and archiving the conversations that keep coming up in appointments. I have the pleasure to learn from my clients and fellow artists about how they interpret and live with this art form, and I still believe that it is valuable to keep track of the intellectual discoveries that we make while tattooing. So hopefully, this post marks the start of a more consistent writing practice (fingers crossed).
-Andy
Andy Pollard 