As a quick preface to this post, I wanted to let you know that I’ve done a major wardrobe clear out in preparation for my move this weekend. Most of it is headed to the charity shop but I’ve saved a few gems and listed them on Depop (my username is thelaughingmedusa). There are some real vintage beauties and even a few brand new pieces with the tags still on! So if you fancy shopping my wardrobe, go on and take a peek. But be quick! Whatever doesn’t sell in the next couple of weeks is also getting donated.

Okay, back to our regularly scheduled programming… Indigo has guest posted here before and today I’m thrilled to be interviewing her for Tattoo Talk. Although her collection is still small, she’s curating it carefully and I think it’s safe to say she’s quickly getting addicted!

Indigo Colton, 22, Full-time student, part-time retail employee, part-time freelancer in Austin, TX

How old were you when you got your first tattoo? What was it?
I was 19 when I got my first tattoo. It is a dreamcatcher, on the inside of my right wrist. The design was based off of a real dreamcatcher one of my friends made for me the year before.

How many tattoos do you have now?
I have two!

What are your thoughts on tattoo regret? Have you ever had any?
I personally have never felt tattoo regret, but I believe it is a real thing. I think there can be a tendency to get something done impulsively and sometimes that can result in either loving a tattoo forever or being over it in a few years. I have friends who have had tattoos removed/covered up because of this.

Do you think tattoos need to have a special meaning or can they be purely aesthetic?
I believe tattoos can be either or! The two that I have both carry the weight of meaning behind them, but I’ve seen so many beautiful tattoos that people have told me were purely aesthetic choices.

Do you have a favourite tattoo? What’s the story behind it?
I don’t know if I can play favorites with my two, gosh! I love both of them so much.

So the dreamcatcher is based off of a real dreamcatcher my friend Krystal made for me. To me it symbolizes that period of my life, that friendship that was forged in the back yard of a mutual friend at a gathering focused on Nikola Tesla. It also represents a concrete reminder to always follow my dreams, and that what I dream for is within my grasp. I also have humor associated with my dreamcatcher tattoo because I had to fight with an artist at the studio (not the one who did the tattoo, mind you) about having it point towards me and be upside-down to everyone else. He told me I would regret that decision in a month and, wouldn’t you know, it’s three years later and I haven’t regretted it for a day.

My second tattoo, which I got in South Florida when I was 20, is the word namaste written in Sanskrit. It’s on the inside of my left wrist, and is another reminder for myself. I’ve practiced yoga on and off for years and one thing that always stayed with me was the “namaste” at the end of each class. The instructor would put their hands in prayer, in front of the heart, bow their head and say “The highest and brightest in me recognizes and bows down to the highest and brightest in you. Namaste.” I try to incorporate that into my life each and every day, to recognize the highest and brightest in everyone I encounter. My namaste tattoo did a lot of work for me over the holiday break, when I was working every day at my retail job and people were yelling at my coworkers and I every day for hours. I would look down at my namaste tattoo on my breaks and take a deep breath, reminding myself that everyone has a highest self, and that is what I need to focus on instead. And that everyone deserves to be treated as if they are being their highest self.

Are there any artists you’re yearning to get work from?
YES! The one artist I’ve been yearning to work with for about a year now is Sasha Unisex. She’s a Russian tattoo artist and her work is absolutely phenomenal. I love her style and how her tattoos look on the skin.

If you’d like to keep up with Indigo’s adventures, be sure to check out her blog and follow her on Twitter and Facebook.

xoxo,

Theresa Christine, 26, Travel blogger, freelance writer and editor, and virtual assistant in Los Angeles, CA

I wrote a post about 50 Ways to Have an Adventure Without Leaving Town and Theresa writes a blog about living an adventurous life, so I think we might just be kindred spirits. Tremendous Times is a gold mine for anyone who wants to explore, travel, and make the most out of life even on a ramen noodle budget. Plus, this badass blogger babe has a budding collection of tattoos that I couldn’t help asking her about. Here’s what she had to say…

How old were you when you got your first tattoo? What was it?
I was 24. I’d always liked the idea of getting a tattoo but had never really sat down to think about it too much. At the time, I was living in San Francisco for about a year when one of my best friends moved to the Bay Area. She moved to SF like I did — not much money, not really sure what she was doing or why she wanted to be here. We were hanging out at my place one day and she was like, “I want to get a tattoo!” I told her that was a great idea but she should probably wait until she was actually making money to pay for it. So we talked about it and made a deal that once she found a job we’d both go out and get tattoos together. I think it was about a few days later and she texted me saying she was employed.

I got a very small tattoo on my wrist, “be,” in my own handwriting. It represents one of my favorite quotes, “If you want to be happy, be.” It’s actually in the perfect spot, and sometimes when I’m having a rough time I just look down and see it, and it makes me feel a little better.

How many tattoos do you have now?
In addition to my tiny wrist tat, I’ve gone into a shop for 4 more tattoos and had a few stick-n-pokes done on my knuckles.

I had my best friend do a few knuckle tats with a needle and some India ink. Painful but totally worth it and they are all great memories! I have a blue moon on one hand which was my first stick-n-poke. I have an earth and airplane on the other, which is actually what landed me a scholarship to The Blogcademy! It was kind of crazy, but I’m obviously glad I did it.

I have an anchor and some birds on my torso and shoulder and bows on the back of my legs. I’ve started some back art of a world map made of butterflies, and an intricate sleeve — both of which are still in progress.

What are your thoughts on tattoo regret? Have you ever had any?
I usually go into a panic mode right after getting a tattoo and think What have I done?! It happens pretty much every time without fail. But then the shock of being poked by thousands of needles wears off, I realize that hey, I actually have a pretty cool piece of art on me. That’s why the number one thing for me is to trust the person tattooing me. I don’t regret any of my tattoos — even the silly stick-n-poke ones I did with my friend.

Generally, I think that if you really like and trust your artist and the tattoo is important to you, then you’re way less likely to regret whatever you get. People put a lot of weight into tattoos — too much sometimes, I think. They’re like, “It’s forever. It has to be perfect, it has to be the perfect place and just the right design.” I honestly never have specific art in mind when I get tattoos, simply an idea of what I’d like. I decide on an artist, go into a shop, tell the artist generally what I’m looking for and I let them design it. It’s a little scary, but I’ve never been disappointed.

The truth is, it’s never going to be perfect. It’s a form of body modification and it’s man-made. The best thing anyone can do is find an artist that they trust 110%. I’ve scoured so many websites and looked through so many artist portfolios in order to find just the right people to do the ones I have. And when I’ve found them, I feel like I would probably let them tattoo whatever they want on me, they’re so talented.

The way I see it is that, no matter what they put on my body, it’s going to look good. And yes, tattoos are forever, but a well-done tattoo that is important for you at the moment will still be special years later. Perhaps in a different way, but it will still be a part of you.

Do you think tattoos need to have a special meaning or can they be purely aesthetic?
It’s sort of like, what came first: the chicken or the egg? I think tattoos can be purely aesthetic or they can have an incredibly special meaning. I also think the way you view that is fluid, and a once meaningful tattoo can become purely aesthetic over time, or vice versa.

For example, the anchor and birds on my sternum, ribcage and shoulder had a deep meaning for me when I got them. To me it represented this time in my life that I felt grounded in my personality, in who I was and in what I wanted, but that I still felt flighty and strangely unsure of things. Honestly, I don’t think that holds true for me anymore and I’m totally okay with that — it’s one of the most beautiful tattoos I have. It’s so fun to have that little bird on my shoulder (many a “Put a bird on it!” jokes have been made), and I especially love getting to show off the larger bird on my ribcage at the beach or something. In my life right now, they’re purely aesthetic.

I also think tattoos can gain meaning over time. I got the butterfly map on my back because of a similar beautiful image I’d seen online. But the more I travel and see of the world, the more of a connection I feel to that art.

Do you have a favourite tattoo? What’s the story behind it?
That’s tough! I love them all for different reasons, really. I am pretty excited about the sleeve I’ve got started that is still in progress. I had about 5 billion ideas going into the initial consultation, and the artist, Amanda Passero has really designed something amazing.

I wanted a tattoo centered around travel, particularly the quote “I always wonder why birds choose to stay in the same place when they can fly anywhere on the earth, then I ask myself the same question.” But I really didn’t want to just get a bunch of text tattooed on my body. So I had this idea of getting a few different images that could be viewed as two different things and tying it all into one tattoo. While it’s still in progress, there’s a compass that’s also a star, clouds that are also peonies, a sun that is also a moon, as well as a v-formation of birds and a big, beautiful stained glass window looking out at all this. When I told Amanda, the artist, some of these thoughts, she totally ran with it. She had these great ideas to add on and she drew some sketches that got me even more excited about it.

I love that all the art is inspired by that quote, and while parts of the tattoo can stand alone they also work together in a beautifully chaotic way. And while it’s certainly inspired by travel there are small elements that also mean more than that to me. I remember my mom saying years ago that she loved the way peonies smelled. I find it interesting how people are constantly looking for some kind of direction in their lives and that we all have our own personal moral compass. I also remember exactly where I was when I was looking out this huge window at my friend’s house, watching the world outside and feeling so incredibly small. The tattoo has a lot of stuff rolled up into it for me, and it’s incredibly satisfying seeing it happen.

Are there any artists you’re yearning to get work from?
I love the work by Dr. Woo in LA. It’s incredibly delicate and the lines are so fine, and I would probably freak out if I ever actually got to have an appointment with him. I have other tattoos in mind that I’d like to get in the future, but I’m trying to focus on finishing the art I have in progress right now.

Can’t get enough of Theresa in your life? Check out her blog and give her a follow on Facebook and Twitter!

Are you a tattooist or tattoo collector who’d like to be featured? Drop me an e-mail; I’d love to chat!

Love, tartan mini-skirts, and croissants for breakfast,

Jamie Dee, 34, Web Specialist, Blogger, & Marketing Manager for Tattoo Hero in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada

The tagline of Jamie’s blog Wolf N Whisky is ‘Weird, Wild, & Wonderful’ and that’s exactly what I love about it. She posts fantastic travel reviews that will take you off the beaten track, introduces readers to interesting bands through her music reviews, and with her keen eye for design, she shares interesting insights into alternative art and culture. And if you’ve ever seen a photo of Jamie, it’s hard to miss her beautiful collection of tattoos. Today she’s going to tell us a bit about them.

How old were you when you got your first tattoo? What was it?
I was 20 when I got my first tattoo, a late bloomer in comparison to my friends. In high school, it was a rite of passage to go and get something done when you turned 18, I decided not to at the time because I wasn’t 100% certain of what I wanted. Funnily enough, of that group I’m now the most heavily tattooed of all of us. My first tattoo was the Auryn (an ouroboros talisman) from the Neverending Story. Super fantasy-geeky, it was always one of my favourite books & films as a child.

How many tattoos do you have now?
I have several large pieces and a full sleeve, currently I have:

LEFT ARM: A 3/4 sleeve of Ozma of Oz by Mo Coppoletta of the Family Business in London, UK.
RIGHT ARM: Underwater Octopus/Pirate sleeve by Ben Ackerman of Tattoos By Ben in Toronto, Canada. The sleeve is covering up some older work and incorporating an Adam Ant Jolly Roger tattoo by Dave Bryant of Lifetime Tattoo in Derby, UK.
LOWER BACK: Large floral Art Nouveau piece by Patrick Cornolo of Speakeasy Custom Tattoo in Chicago, USA,
CHEST: Black & red nautical stars (soon to be covered up!)
RIGHT LEG: A ‘Cattoo’ by Jessica Purplekid, and a Moon Phase Lady by Hilary Jane Petersen both of Tatouage Royal in Montreal, Canada.

What are your thoughts on tattoo regret? Have you ever had any?
I think tattoo regret can happen if you’re impulsive, or if you don’t do your research and find the right artist for you.

To be totally honest, I have experienced tattoo regret. Normally I’m very thoughtful in what I get tattooed. I set myself a minimum of a year to think over an idea before actually getting it done. The only piece I never did this for, are the nautical stars on my chest. It’s not even the ubiquitousness of the design, it’s that they’re really not me. That’s the only tattoo regret I’ve ever had, every other piece I adore and it’s because I really thought them through first.

Do you think tattoos need to have a special meaning or can they be purely aesthetic?
I believe they can be both, it’s really up to the individual. Mine are definitely a mix of this. Some have deep meaning, others less so, some simply because they’re beautiful. And meaning can come after the fact. I may have had something tattooed without intention behind it at the time other than desiring beautiful art on me, but later on am reminded of a certain time or place. Tattoos end up taking on meaning, they’re highly symbolic of a personal history, your life story.

Do you have a favourite tattoo? What’s the story behind it?
Oooh man, that’s a tough one, but probably my Ozma tattoo. A lot of my tattoos draw upon my childhood, (even my pirate sleeve, is a direct result of my obsession with the Goonies growing up & the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyworld). I adored the Oz books by L. Frank Baum, such incredible stories and wonderful characters, my favourite being Princess Ozma. I was finishing up University in the UK and it seemed like the perfect way to celebrate completing my theatre degree, as well as a way to commemorate and take a little bit of those magic times with me. I loved getting tattooed at the Family Business and wandering around Angel Islington afterwards with a cup of coffee, always trying to miss rush hour on the tube. It’s funny how things can take on so much meaning, I look at my Ozma tattoo now and there’s a rush of so many wonderful memories that are now tied to this visual trigger on my arm. It’s really lovely.

Are there any artists you’re yearning to get work from?
A countless number! Working with Tattoo Hero is a double-edged sword, I’m exposed constantly to the most incredible tattoo artists around the world.

Off the top of my head, currently would love to get work from: Cody Eich, Rose Hardy, Emily Rose Murray, Erin Chance, Alix Ge, Eilo Martin, Robert Borbas, and the list goes on and on.

If you want to keep up with all of the weird, wild, and wonderful things Jamie gets up to, be sure to follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Love, studded bangles, & vintage combat boots,