Dear Readers,

Sadie Bartch, tattoo artist and owner of Clover Tattoo, welcomed me into her shop so I can create an authentic storyline for Allee Grey.

I am grateful for Sadie's openness, patience, and inner joy.

If you're looking to get your first tattoo or wanting to add more,

I strongly recommend you contact her.

The senses are how we experience the world. They're how authors create believable settings and why readers keep opening their books.

A good story is all about the details.

Here's my Clover Tattoo sensory walk:

Smell The incense stick is lit, giving off the comforting scent of sandalwood that lifts up and away from clients as they approach the registration counter. Nervous first timers are instantly reassured as the slow, even burn melts anxieties.

Sight The fox’s eyes are almost hidden but I see the skepticism. I sit on the worn, floral couch as she glares from beneath the witch's hat. She knows I did not come here to adorn my body but to ask a lot of questions. This stuffed guard dislikes me even before I open my laptop. I will have to win her over by my open-mindedness, my respect for all things different, and my love for the arts no matter the medium.

She will keep me in check.

Sound Conversations drift effortlessly as in any other workplace: dropping children off at daycare, picking up coffee, weekend plans. Then a casual switch to a family member refusing to accept a trans nephew. There is no anger/contempt about either family member. The comment is just a matter of fact, family members dismissing other members.

It happens all the time.

Touch Sadie invites me to sit closer to her table, so I can see how she creates art with the tool grasped in her fingers. She’s adding color to redefine a black-lined chickadee (a tattoo in memory of the client’s mom) and magpie (in memory of the client’s dad). I watch and my own arm tingles then perks to attention. The client explains the heat of the poke, the pain zap that quickly lessens to a slight pinch then becomes strangely comforting.

When Sadie is finished, I walk back over to the couch to collect my things. Maybe I will get a tattoo. What would I get? How will I design it? The whole process has been very mind opening.

I shoulder my computer bag and look at the fox. The look of skepticism is gone. Instead, an almost imperceptible dip of the orange hat, a nod of acceptance letting me know that Allee is welcome here.  

And because of her, so am I.

More tattoo details in my next Newsletter!

Thank you for all your support. 

I'd love to hear from you!

Contact me

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Quote From This Past Month:

People are proud of their tattoos. It's like a modern coat of arms.

― Christian Louboutine

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