DAY IN THE LIFE: Body art designer

“I’m a trained graphic designer, but body art and piercing is my true passion. I have been at it for four years now. Because I have lots of late nights, I get to sleep in in the mornings. My workday starts at 10 am.

“My job entails drawing tattoos, erasing them, training tattoo artists on the art and doing body piercings. Tattoos have to be the best part of my day because I get challenged and I have to rise to the occasion

with each new client. Most clients come in with an idea of the art they want drawn on their bodies. The women mostly have simple requests but it is more complicated with the menfolk.

Their requests range from images of animals and people to images depicting religious beliefs. It is my job to understand the images they have on their minds and to translate these into body art.

Today for instance, I had a foreigner who has been in the country for a while and he wanted a tattoo of very intricate map of Africa as a souvenir. I nailed it and I am very proud of that.

The piercing industry is also growing. Women now are seeking to pierce more than just their ears and noses. Last month, I did a nipple piercing. It is the oddest request I have gotten so far.

“Many things could go wrong in this business. The most common are ruined tattoos because a client did not apply the prescribed proper aftercare. Being a young woman in this industry, my journey has been

mostly uphill. While the women trust me easily with their piercings, the men seeking to be tattooed usually need some convincing. Some will only relax after seeing work that I have done. Good professional

tattoos are not cheap. This means that sometimes, I need to justify my pricing.

“My workday often goes up to 10pm and sometimes even later especially on weekends. I have had countless drunk people come in with requests for tattoos especially at night, but I never tattoo a drunk person.

I will ask you to go home and if you still feel you want the tattoo when you sober up, then you can come back. I also do not tattoo anyone aged under 18. At that age, you do not even know who you are let

alone being capable of making a decision to get permanent body art. My clienteles’ ages range from 20 to 35.

“Some evenings after work, I do tattoo modelling usually to showcase the tattoos on my legs. It’s very exciting.

Otherwise, after work, I go home and unwind by listening to music. I am happy that I have been able to carve a niche for myself in an industry that is male-dominated. In future, I want my name to be what

people remember when they hear of tattoos.”