Shop?

Urge 3 Tattoos

Location?

Penticton BC

Years tattooing?

I’ve been tattooing 10-ish years. It’s hard to nail down a number as the first couple years were put on hold by babies. So, I was understandably VERY part time while raising them, now 12 and almost 14, and can’t reasonably count those couple of years as full years of experience.

Preferred style?

There are so many styles I love to tattoo, but if I had to put a name to it, I’d say illustrative traditional. Bright and bold is the name of the game.

Biggest influences?

My influences change all the time. There are just so many artists that I admire for so many different reasons, but usually I find my most influential people are the rad, seasoned artists I’ve had the luck of working with over the years.

How did you become a tattoo artist?

How did I get into this? (Laughs.) It’s a weird, winding story with lots of ups, waaaaay more downs, and some shit in between. Allow me to condense. As a teen (16 or 17) I was offered a piercing apprenticeship I assume was based purely on my looks. Let’s just say, I was extremely “alternative,” (Laughs.) 

So, I accepted, because it sounded cool, and plugged away at that while trying not to fail miserably at high school. Eventually, the owner of the piercing shop sold his business to a tattooer who offered me another apprenticeship, this time tattooing. By that time, I had already realized that piercing was fucking gross. It made me queasy every time and was clearly not for me. So again, I accepted.

I stayed for a couple more years but after continually butting heads with the owner of the shop, as well as dealing with my own demons and addictions, I decided it was not the right time for me to continue that endeavor. Fast forward a few years, I have my ducks in a row and a baby, plus another on the way and a really great life. My husband helped to convince me I’m in a good place to pick up the machines again. Tada!! Thanks Max! He helped boost me up when I wasn’t feeling so confident in myself. I can say for certain I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.

What is it like working for Jeff and Kirk at Urge 3? Blink twice if you are being compelled to mislead.

(Rapid blinking) 

Just kidding. It’s awesome working with Jeff and Kirk! First of all, they laugh at almost all my jokes. What’s not to love about that?! Jeff cares so much about his shop, how it’s run and the happiness of employees and clients alike. It is truly a pleasure to work with such a big heart hearted, professional dude.

And Kirk is Kirk lol. Super smart guy and an incredible tattooer. Gruff around the edges but actually very kind and is quick to offer help and suggestions if he sees the need, which is great. I’ve spent more of my career working on my own than not, so it’s awesome to have both these guys in the same space to bounce things off of.

Likes?

I like connecting with people. I like knowing that I’ve made an impact (good, we hope!) on their day, or week, or whatever! There’s just such an immense positivity that comes with tattooing that I feel privileged to be a part of.

Dislikes?

The stress! Ohhhh, the stress. Obviously, as with anyone, we all have our strengths and our, well, not-so-strengths. (Laughs.) My main stressors come from challenging designs and balancing my time. The challenging designs thing is a catch 22 because once it’s done and I’m happy it’s a great feeling, but sometimes getting there can be a fucking process! Balancing my time is difficult as I have another full-time job as well; being a mum to two super rad kids that need me, a wife and keeping my house from imploding. One is always pulling at the other, but I come from a long line of blue-collar work horses, so it would be like this no matter what I was doing—this, I know.

Any parting words?

Parting words. Stop getting infinity symbol tattoos! (Laughs.) But really, in parting I want to say thanks. Your questions made me really think and focus on some points that I think I’ve been taking for granted. Upped my gratitude level for the day exponentially.