Support Ina, Joy, and Enyo's Inclusive Tattoo Space

Hello friends!

We have some very exciting news to share with you. We have decided to create a collaborative tattoo space and experience.

Our collective is completed by Ina, Joy, and Enyo. We are banding together to create a space that is in line with the ethics and morals we hold dear to us. We want to prioritize cleanliness, safety, comfort, accessibility, and prioritizing equity and inclusivity around race, gender, and class.

Tattooing is an ancient ritual which holds spiritual weight across many cultures. While tattoos can just be silly and fun, all of us as individuals do think the industry should have more reverence and care in its practices. With ancestral connections to tattooing practices, we are actively reclaiming traditions and honoring what is sacred to us by elevating the standards of what we want in the industry and we are asking for your help!

The following are our intentions for the space.

We believe in active and informed consent. You should know when your artists is starting, what they’re doing, what they’re using on your skin, and options for healing and bandaging. We want a space where you leave more knowledgeable about our practice and have options in regards to your experience. We do not think this can occur when tattoo artists are treated like machines. We want to take our time and make sure ourselves as artists in addition to our clients don’t feel rushed.

Something that is deeply important to us is offering tattoo tables and equipment that are inclusive of different abilities and body weights. We can see traditional tables that are used are not accessible so we have decided that we are going to use tattoo tables that are ADA approved, have a weight limit of 450lbs, and have electronic lifting and lowering ability. Most tattoo and massage tables can be difficult to adjust and hard for many people to get on and off of. This is also added wear on our bodies as artists. Tattooing is too expensive for clients not to be offered more comfortable and accessible alternatives.

We want a space that is free of brands that contribute to apartheid either- directly or socially. The information about boycotting such products is readily available but many shops are not making moves to replace these items. While the lack of boycott is disheartening, we are making the choice to make efforts in our own space.

We want required masking as tattoos are a blood Bourne pathogen risk in which the health department encourages masking. We also believe there should be spaces where those with disability and those who do not want to risk their health can exist. Our goal is to always have air purifiers running for the reduction of airborne viruses but also with the knowledge that we are existing in times of climate crises and smoke and pollution are very real issues that we want to create a shelter from.

We believe cleanliness and sanitation should always be at the absolute forefront of shops priorities and we have found that our standards for cleanliness align well with one another. As tattooers we all have similar blood Bourne pathogens trainings which make it clear that tattooing should be treated as a medical procedure. We want to offer an environment that is cleaned daily, where all surfaces are wiped, the space is deep cleaned, and all sanitation procedures will be available for any artist that shares our space to spread knowledge around proper procedures.

We want to provide snacks and drinks for when they’re needed that work for a variety of dietary needs, whether it is because of choice, faith, or health.

We want a trans inclusive space where we aim to embody queerness in the foundation of our community beliefs, not just our choice of partners. Queerness as identity has been reclaimed from previously being a slur and has historically been a political marker of LGBTQ+ people with multiple marginalized identities. The intersections of queerness include disability, class, race, and gender.

We also see mutual aid is also a part of what we see as community care. When tattoo shops take 30%-50% of our income we are unable to use our privilege in the industry to make as much of an impact as we would like. Having more financial freedom would allow us to share this practice in an accessible manner, run flash days as fundraisers, have the ability to support our community directly, and host things like pop ups where our community can sell their wares without some huge cost.

We also believe that tattooing should be accessible to those with sensory needs. We want our space to accommodate both our clients and our artists needs, offer a calmer environment, and have you feel more relaxed than when you entered. Tattooing can be cathartic and we want to have a practice that allows space for that.

We also want to acknowledge that there is a long world history of tattooing, and a short and racist history of tattooing in the US. There are also parallels in SW and tattooing that often are ignored. Our space is very pro h* and we think SWers are magic. As a trio, we believe we can honor these intersections and honor one another in a new space.

The costs of opening a shop are quite high which has lead to gatekeeping in an industry that was been shifting and changing. We do not believe in an ownership model that exploits the labor of workers and want to be in a space that is collectively run for our communal health and growth as artists and community members.

We are beginning with a lower goal and gradually increasing our goal so it feels less intimidating.

Our initial goal is 6000! We plan to increase it every time we meet our goal while sharing updates about our progress!

A cost breakdown

Shop license 1500

ADA accessible lifting massage chairs with a weight limit of over 450lbs (1500 each x 3) 4500

1 month rent operating costs, deposit, and last months rent 9000

Large scale air purifier with HEPA+Activated carbon filters 700

Reusable pillows intended for tattooing (sanitary, wipeable) 300

Furniture and seating 1,500

Start up materials 500

These are just some of the things we will need and opening this business is a huge deal. We really believe in the space and hope you can see our vision and invite you to actively participate in a change in the industry. Thank you for your consideration!

xo

Ina, Joy, Enyo