Amanda Follit, 42, Head of Digital Operations Services/Artist Management Director
I hear from a lot of hesitant tattoo enthusiasts who are very strategic about their tattoo placement or avoid getting them altogether for fear of jeopardizing their careers. Amanda is proof that this doesn’t have to be the case. She has a beautiful collection of tattoos but that hasn’t stopped her from rising to the top of her field in a competitive industry. Today she’s chatting about her body art and whether it’s had any implications for her career.
How old were you when you got your first tattoo? What was it?
I was 18. It was something I just needed to do. I didn’t think much about it so I just picked something off the shelf at the tattooists in Thanet, Kent. It was a guitar with wings and roses. It’s since been covered up.
How many tattoos do you have now?
I have a chest piece, a half sleeve and a thigh piece. I also have another on my other thigh that I had at 18 but that will be covered up
What are your thoughts on tattoo regret? Have you ever had any?
I wouldn’t say regret. I didn’t like the ones I had at 18 but I don’t regret them at all.
Do you think tattoos need to have a special meaning or can they be purely aesthetic?
I think it’s whatever suits the person. Personally mine are aesthetic but with meaning. My tattoos have stories of my life. I know people with their bodies covered and they are all aestethetic.
Have you ever faced any adversity in your career due to being tattooed?
Actually I haven’t which I am surprised about however I do cover up when meeting clients. The reason I do that is because I don’t want my tattoos to be a distraction to the points I am talking about.
What kind of reactions do people usually have to your tattoos and how do you manage people asking to them?
I get stopped in the street, in the supermarket and all sorts and I never have a problem with people asking. The feedback has always been positive so it’s kind of cool to have that discussion.
Do you have a favourite tattoo? What’s the story behind it?
My chest piece I think. It took me 10 years to find a tattooist I trust so it was a big deal for me. It has all sorts of stories in it. The main part of it was a design by a band I love and was managing at the time called The Catharsis. It was a design based on one of their songs called O’Recluse and some of the lyrics are ‘And I have this feeling, that my heart stopped beating, it’s counting down the minutes and the days I have left.
At the time of this I had just discovered that we have congenital heart disease in our family and that I was almost guaranteed to have it too. Also the time on the clock perfectly matched 10 minutes before my son was born 20 years ago. It was an horrific birth, I went into shock and he was in distress. The time on the clock was identical to the literal life or death situation we had and we both survived.
The makers mark on the clock I gave to the band for the design T/C.
Are there any artists you’re yearning to get work from?
My artists is Charlie Jones from Aces High Tattoo Studio in Shotton, North Wales. I trust her implicitly. I give her a concept and she designs it. I don’t even know what colours it will be, she has free rein over it. I couldn’t think about going elsewhere.
Thank you so much, Amanda! It’s so inspiring to hear that success and ambition haven’t kept you from expressing who you are.
For anyone wanting to keep up with Amanda’s adventures, be sure to follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
Until next time,
The life you want is possible and it all starts with learning to adore yourself.
I love the meaning behind her chest piece. I’m a firm believer that every tattoo should have a story. The more powerful the story, the more beautiful the tattoo will be to you. You just always need to trust the tattoo artist prior to allowing them to draw your story into your skin.