Booking Guide

I am slowly working to establish more thorough communication around my booking process in a way that is also workable for me with the limited amount of time and energy I have at my disposal! I really haven’t had the capacity to get back to the project proposals I haven’t been able to take on, and if I’m being real with myself I don’t think it’s something I’m going to be able address on an individual basis moving forward, no matter how bad I may want this to be the case.

This has been a big challenge for me as a self-taught tattooer whose tattoo practice came into being super rooted in community - literally just one person at a time asking me to do a tattoo, again n again, building up n up to where my practice is at now. I wanna engage with everyone like they’re the chosen family n community who first loved my practice into being but doing this all the time has left me burnt out and less able to be present with the clients I am working with! I also just really don’t want to leave y’all hanging or in the dark about why you can’t seem to land an appointment, or if I received your proposal/email/DM etc. so I’m hoping this guide will help us all out!

Ok before we start, I just want to say gratitude, truly truly. I don’t know how to tell you what it means to me that you want me to do this work with you. I’m so corny!!! but y’all honestly make my dreams come true, n I won’t forget it.

How come you didn’t choose my project proposal?

Timing

I am in the studio Wedneday through Saturday, and don’t usually offer appointment start times later than 2 or 2:30pm. I try to be as accommodating as possible for folks coming from out of town or with schedule restrictions by giving them first pick of appointments when I’m able, but there aren’t really exceptions I can make outside these hours. This also means my weekend appointments are limited and are usually the ones to go first, so if you know you have schedule restrictions, it may be coming down to a simple matter of timing.

Placement

I pretty much don’t tattoo ribs at all because the skin there is very stretchy and delicate work doesn’t always heal well/hold up in the long run. Same goes for stomachs, and I may say no to inner bicep for the same reason depending on the nature of the piece. Mostly I’m always down for arm and leg placements, and I’m super stoked on symmetrical placements (top of wrists, front of shoulders, etc), center of the back, n forearms. I’m open to hand/face/palm/feet/head tattoos as long as the client is aware that healing in some of these spots can be inconsistent/fading may occur at a more rapid rate than other placements.

Budget

Most of my tattoos fall within the 1.5-2.5 hour range and most folks will pay between $150-325 plus tip, unless they’re exceptionally large or involved projects. I do my best to make my work as accessible as possible while also maintaining a sustainable living for myself - and do offer sliding scale pricing - but it is helpful if you’re able to save up some money first, even if it means you have to wait to get tattooed. It’s worth the wait to get something we’re both gonna be really proud of - it’s an investment that’ll be on your body for a long long time!

Beyond whether or not the tattoo subject matter feels compelling to me, what I’m looking for in a tattoo proposal is whether or not all the elements present make a functional tattoo. This basically comes down to whether or not it is feasible to execute the desired design within the size and budget listed. I never want anyone to be in a position where they are getting a tattoo that they can’t afford, so when I make this calculation in my mind I try to leave a bit of a buffer in the event a tattoo runs longer than expected! If I’m going to take on a project, I also want to make it something I feel really proud about making, and it helps me not feel like I need to limit or simplify the design if there’s a little bit of a buffer in the budget. Usually a budget of $250-400 is enough to give me piece of mind that I won’t have to stress about rushing the tattoo or limiting the potential of the design - even if we don’t use it all!

Size

At this time, I’m not feeling too interested in taking custom projects that are smaller than 3”. I know y’all love all the tiny delicate stuff that is simultaneously extremely complex, but it just doesn’t look good in the long run if all those details are crammed into an inch or two. I end up having to weed out a lot of requests because I’m not confident that what is being asked will be feasible to execute without looking like a blob in ten years. Sometimes I’ll check in with folks to see if they’re open to going larger, but booking is always a really hectic time and it’s not always something I have the capacity to take the extra step to do so it’s beneficial if you can be mindful about what is a realistic size/have some flexibility around it!

I also know a lot of you want little ornamental things - sparkles/little behind the ear pieces/decorative finger bbs - and I hear you! I’m brainstorming a way to carve out some space for this kind of work in my practice, maybe in the form of a monthly flash day or something. In the meanwhile, it’s felt daunting to take all these projects on in a custom booking setting so I’ve mostly focused on larger, more content rich projects.

Subject

Things I generally don’t tattoo: Tattoos copied from other artists, religious symbols, mandalas, sacred geometry/geometric patterns, arrows, whole trees (unless it’s a bonsai tree), full human figures (usually down for a face/profile here or there tho). I also don’t tattoo cultural imagery/symbology/text that doesn’t come from either my culture(s) or the culture(s) of the client. There are also some things that I won’t tattoo, even if they are from one of our cultures - this is something I really just feel out on a case by case basis! For example - even though I’m Japanese, I won’t tattoo Japanese characters on non-Japanese people, it makes me feel icky lol.

I don’t really like to do cover ups, but this is also a case by case thing. I also generally prioritize completely original pieces over adding embellishments to existing work.

There are also some things I get asked to tattoo that I feel like it just makes more sense to be done with a machine, like your favorite inspirational quote in a cursive script or a shape/silhouette made with black fill. You can go to a walk-in shop and get it done cheaper, quicker, and more immediately than with me! Also these things just really aren’t my specialty and there are other people who will do a much better job!

Things I am taking a break from: Mountain/sun combos or stand alone mountains/suns, lavender, bees, constellations, stand alone moons (still down if they’re part of a broader composition).

Most of these I’m down to make exceptions for if they’re in a new or compelling placement/wrapping around or flowing with the body in an interesting way/incorporated into a sleeve/really big/something like that. Ex. two 7” long sprigs of lavender in the middle of your chest - yes! two 1.5” long sprigs of lavender on your wrist - no.

Things I’m stoked on: Animals, plants that your grandma cooked with/have cultural significance to you/honor your ancestors I love love love working with folks on pieces like this, Asian mythology, ikebana, insects, fruits and vegetables, birds, vessels/vases, hands, plant/animal combos, imagery from old ukiyo-e prints, abstract compositions like this I would really love to do more of, also compositions of small things of personal significance to you like this n this I think are really fun and I’m always down for.

I’m really excited about the idea of working on sleeves/bigger projects that we build up over the course of some time, so if this is something you’re interested in you’ll definitely receive priority!

I’m always down to work with folks on pieces that are more intention-based, or more based in abstract concepts/reminders/wishes/spells etc. but it really is so helpful if your requests around these are rooted in at least some specific imagery. It really is so much energy to design tattoos without any sort of visual anchors on the client’s part - so far I’ve proven decent at reading minds but it’s a pretty exhausting design process when you have no idea if you’re even in the ballpark of what the client is wanting lol. If you can take the time to conjure up even one or two concrete visuals you want incorporated along with all your intentions for the piece, it goes a long way.

Did you receive my booking request?

Most likely! I’m still working on figuring out a way to set up an automatic email confirmation when you submit, but everyone that has contacted me wondering if I got their booking request so far I have! I’m also hoping to get it together to send out a mass email to notify those whose projects I won’t be able to take on for this booking period, so you won’t be left hanging. Thanks for your kindness with this in the meanwhile!

How can I get an appointment with you?

If you’ve submitted a request before and haven’t heard back, my best tip is just to re-work your proposal following the considerations above and try again!