My Tattoo

My first tattoo was on my leg; a stick n poke, me and my friend when we were about 15 just put some Indian ink and used a safety pin. There was a few (first tattoos). There’s a strange smiley face. And some that have kind of faded. A number 9 which is because I lived…

What I can remember of being first introduced to tattoos was my neighbour Walt who I’ve known since I was a baby, he was an old biker covered in tattoos from being in and out of borstals as a kid, he’s got some funny ones and in more recent years I photographed him/his tattoos.

When I was about ten years old my mum started getting tattooed, she has full American Traditional style sleeves. That always inspired me immensely, along with my surroundings – New Zealand has a rich history of tattooing.

Since I was a kid I always have been fascinated about art and drawing, so when I was 12 and started to see a lot of people with tattoos close to me I thought, ‘God I want to be like this’.

I’ve had a long-standing relationship with tattoos as far back as my memory will allow. I grew up surrounded by the tattoo community and culture. My grandfather, a retired navy merchant, was my biggest influence in wanting to be completely covered.

I’ve always been fascinated with tattoos since a young age and always secretly dreamed of becoming a tattoo artist haha. I always felt a bit different from the rest and tattoos became my way of expressing that. I knew back then I wanted to cover my body with tattoos.