mini interview
snapshot of my 'tattoo journey' :∙)
Hi there, it’s been a long time since I’ve sent anything out through here, life getting in the way of life, etc etc. So I’m breaking the radio silence with this little interview I recently did for someone’s thesis project. I’m honored to be included and for the opportunity to reflect back on a bit of the journey that’s gotten me to this moment. It was a pleasure to sit down and put thoughts to words, I hope you enjoy this little snapshot in time.
Tell me a bit about yourself, name, pronouns, age, anything else you would like to add.
My name is Kilynne Higgins, my pronouns are they/them. I'll be 27 in April (I'm an Aries) and am currently based in Baltimore, MD on unceded Piscataway lands.
How old were you when you first began tattooing?
I did my very first tattoos on myself and with a couple other tattoo-curious friends when I was 16. That was probably the summer of 2012, and in true stick-and-poke style those were done with a sewing needle and India ink. I kind of just kept going from there, figuring it out as I went and talking to peers, doing research, practicing on myself and trading tattoos and knowledge with other diy-ers.
What inspired you to get into the art of tattooing?
I was just genuinely curious about it and started tattooing myself from that place of curiosity. It’s funny thinking back to that time as the start of my tattooing journey because I was really casual about it, in a slightly overconfident teenage way. I would draw little designs on my skin with a pen while in class, and was starting to dream of tattoos I'd want to get when I was old enough to get tattooed at a shop, and then started talking to friends about it who were also curious about tattooing themselves. One of my best friends told me her older sibling had a stick and poke, and we found a few rather janky blogspot tutorials and pieced together how to do it.
This was before tattooing had taken off the way it has today on instagram, before you could buy a "stick and poke kit" on Amazon, and before there was such a world of DIY tattooers carving out space for themselves and sharing resources. It was years before I ever charged anything for the tattoos I was doing, it was just something I did, something I liked doing, and just this reciprocal human exchange I’d have with the people who trusted me with their skins and bodies. It was something I made time for because of the gratification it brought everyone involved. I haven’t had a formal apprenticeship, my practice is self- and community-taught.
How did you find “your” style?
Iteration, time, listening to the quiet feeling that makes something ring "true" to oneself as an artist. The development of my tattoo work also unfolds alongside many other interests. Nature remains a foremost inspiration, in addition to other artwork, music, books and writing. I went to art school and studied interdisciplinary sculpture, and for a long time the work I was tattooing felt distinctly different from my other art and sculptural interests, but now I see them very much blending and informing one another.
I think that separation actually had to do with the development of my own skill in tattooing, too. The first flash sheets I made were quite simple in style, mostly solid black linework. I remember drawing flash sheets with technique in mind, first wanting to get really good at making clean lines, then thinner lines, a little bit of shading, then full dotwork shading, etc etc, until I felt less limited by my own technical ability and was able to explore style and concept more freely.
I definitely see the seeds of my current work in previous works, and even in early interests that were coming through in my sculptures from many years ago. Overall I think style is inherently found over time and through iteration, and it’s a feeling too. Finding a flow between the outside world, inside world, and one’s artistic ability to translate inspiration into the work. I think as an artist there’s a sense when you make something that starts to scratch the itch of what you’re interested in expressing, and then you follow that, that’s how style develops.
What roadblocks did you have to overcome to get to where you are now?
Many of the things I’ve “overcome” are also just the ongoing struggles that come up in the everyday. For example, imposter syndrome and self doubt are definitely recurring blocks for me, and although it’s something I’ve experienced and worked through, by no means do I think I’ve truly overcome it. These things are cyclical and find ways of popping up even if progress is possible. I recently read Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg, and there’s one part where she talks about how we may never overcome our fears, but we broaden and grow within and through them. I think many challenges in life are that way too, they revisit us and each time the encounter can be a little different as we grow and change. As I’ve gotten more familiar with bumps in the road it’s become clearer that either I can choose to let them block me or I can choose to see them as par for the course and find a way to keep going.
Another big challenge for me was making the transition to working on art more full time, as a self-employed artist and teacher. It wasn’t until the 2020 pandemic lockdown that I actually had a moment to reevaluate and even consider making the shift to full-time tattoo work, or working in a self-employed capacity. I was previously working 3 jobs, and scheduling tattoo appointments whenever I could, in evenings, off days, etc. Of all the work I was doing at the time, tattooing was the most gratifying and engaging, but it wasn’t until I was laid off from all my other work that I was like, okay, I need to try to make this leap.
What's one thing you wish you knew before getting into this profession?
Taking care of your body is so important! Our bodies are what makes this work possible, and this profession can be quite physically demanding. Tattoo artists spend hours leaning over their client’s body tattooing, and hours in similar positions drawing flash, customs, emailing, etc. I have a lot of artist friends who have struggled with overuse injuries such as carpal tunnel and tendonitis. I personally carry so much tension in my upper back and neck, and doing more preventative care would have saved me some literal headaches. Taking breaks is important, and so is stretching and strengthening.
Also, I sometimes wonder what it would have been like if I had access to all the online resources that are currently available when I was just starting out, but that also speaks to just how much the industry, the internet, and social media have changed things up in the last 5-10 years. I think one of the best things that has come out of the abundance and proliferation of DIY tattooing is the way the medium has been demystified for those interested in tattooing. More resources about safe practices and technique helps everyone and helps the artform grow and become more accessible.
If there is anything you could tell your old self, what would it be?
I think if there’s one thing I could reach back in time and tell myself it would honestly just be words of encouragement. Taking the leap to self employed work has had its ups and downs, and it’s not always the most stable path by any means. I've really had to lean into trusting the process and accepting a degree of uncertainty, which is often easier said than done. Being open to that uncertainty and unfolding of life has pushed me to grow in ways I couldn’t have envisioned previously, and I’m really grateful to be where I’m at, and excited for what’s to come. When I zoom out from the ups and downs and everyday tribulations, I still feel a heartfelt compulsion to make art, so I’ll keep on the path and see where it goes.
I also keep thinking about this one line from the movie Adaptation (2002), “The only barometer you have is your heart.” I think I’d tell my younger self that, too. Through everything I’ve learned through all the trials and errors, listening to your heart, your gut, your intuition, whatever guides you, is sometimes all you’ve got to go on when the road ahead is unclear.
What's your favorite tattoo that you have done so far?
Wow, it’s so hard to choose just one. Each piece and experience with each client is so different and so beautiful in their own ways. One of my favorite pieces that I’ve done was a group of tattoos for my friend’s family. It was really spur of the moment, but my friend’s family was in town and it happened to be mother’s day, and my friend asked me if I’d do tattoos for their whole family. Each of the siblings got a little sprig or flower and their mom got all of them tattooed together in a bouquet. That experience definitely stands out, and it was really sweet to have those moments with each family member as well as being present for their group dynamic. Tattooing is very intimate and inherently vulnerable and trusting, and it was special to hold and participate in that space in that instance. It was also really fun, silly, and casual, and we all ate shawarma together after, haha.
If there is any advice about tattooing what would it be?
If you make work that feels true to you and your interests, others will naturally respond to it. If you show up genuinely as yourself and hold space for others to come get tattooed as they are, everyone will be more comfortable and the work will be better as a result.
There’s so many different approaches to tattooing, for so many people it’s just a job, and of course it’s a job for me too but it’s also a medium through which I filter so much other interest, and which at its core is a medium of exchange which I deeply respect and feel honored to practice. There’s no one-size-fits-all approach. Don’t be afraid to get into something you’re interested in, don’t be too afraid to make mistakes to even get started. “Mistakes” are your friend and will teach you so much.
What does the future hold for you?
Hmmm. Lots of changes in the works. More art making. Of course I don’t know what the future truly holds, but this afternoon I’m going to spend time drawing outside with my grandma.
[March 20th, 2023]
Thanks for reading <3
Links to related things ~
Move/strength/restore compiled playlist of videos I like for upper body mobility, posture, art/tattoo related aches n pains, etc.
Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within by Natalie Goldberg - I listened to this on audiobook and really enjoyed it. the audiobook is cool because she’s reading it in her mid 50’s and looking back on what she wrote in her mid 30’s and reflecting on it in a new light. Also definitely applies to more creative endeavors than just writing.
The Creative Act: A Way of Being by Rick Rubin - just listened to this on audiobook and loved it. Feels like it’s written from a place of truth of human experience, and so thoughtful, simple, open. The truth of this book is so beautiful and absorbable, definitely going to be coming back to this one.