Over the past year or so a new trend ~thanks to Instagram~ has been the new rage. It's something unique in the world of Ink. Ever hear of Stick and Poke tattoos? You know, those machine-free tattoos. Yeah, they're pretty awesome. They've been put in the spotlight thanks to artists like Jenna Bouma who goes by Slower Black on Instagram and Tea Leigh, both of which work at studios in Brooklyn.
One day as I was scrolling through Instagram I randomly stumbled across Tea's Instagram back in summer of 2015. That was it -- thanks to her I was hooked and the rest is history.
Instagram is now one of the leading platforms to find tattoo artists. With all the hashtags, it's now easier then ever to search styles. Since discovering Tea, not only have I been tattooed by her personally, but I've also gotten three Stick and Pokes in total with the full intention of getting more. Oh yeah, and this was in the matter of four short months. Stick and Pokes are definitely one of the bigger tattoo trends I've seen, since, you know, the "basic white girl" tattoo era that began in 2014.
So what is it makes these tattoos so appealing? Is it the pain factor? Or rather the lack of pain?
Maybe it's because they actually do hurt less and cause less trauma to the skin -- basically what that means is that they heal faster because of its unique technique. This is done by a SINGLE needle being poked into your skin instead of needing the multiple amounts of needles which can take so much longer.
Is this just another crazy “must-have” because everyone else is doing it?
Personally, for me, it's a combination of the style and the healing because some of my traditional [machined] tattoos were a pain to heal. I really try not to follow trends since I'm my own unique person but honestly, this is one trend I don't mind jumping on the bandwagon for.
My first experience has got to be my favorite, though. I was going to Montreal for a four-day weekend while itching for some ink. So I hopped onto Google and found Shauna Eve, sent her an email and that was that. Being that this was my first Stick and Poke planned out, I was excited, but also a tad nervous. I mean, it was going to be my lucky seventh tattoo, so I at least knew what to expect -- pain-wise.
Anyway, the day finally came and I still had no idea what I was getting. All I knew was be seeing some of Shauna’s flash before deciding. I was super excited and was checking the time all day long, counting the hours 'til the appointment. When I got to her house [since she works from home], I'm not going to lie...there was definitely something magical about being tattooed on someone's dining room table while their friend hangs out with you. We talked and laughed. The whole process took about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. It was the best.
I just got my last one done this past week in Frenchtown, N.J., by JP who goes by Rogue Pokes. I'm addicted. I have another one yet planned for next week, but this time by Krista Morgenson AKA Moth Girl on Instagram.
Let's be real, Stick and Pokes are taking over. But get this -- Moth Girl is also being taught by Tea.
Small world isn't it?
