Ep 4. Disney, Parliament House & Tattoo Machines - Inside Elsa's Wild Creative Journey

In this engaging episode, Lexa sits down with Elsa, a talented tattoo artist at Black Wolf with a rich background in fine arts, animation, and editorial illustration. 

Elsa shares her creative journey, from her early love for art and her fine arts degree to her experience in various creative industries, including animation for Disney and editorial illustration for Penthouse Australia. 

She discusses her late shift into tattooing, her artistic inspirations, challenging experiences, and the styles she loves to work with. 

Elsa also offers valuable advice for aspiring tattoo artists, her approach to client relationships, and the importance of creativity in her personal and professional life. 

Tune in to learn more about Elsa's unique path and her exciting upcoming projects, including teaching art classes.

Check Out Elsa's work here www.instagram.com/elsa_isabella

Website: Black Wolf Collective Book in a tattoo, barber, laser tattoo removal, or hair & beauty appointment - Also be sure to check out our upcoming art classes with Elsa in the Creative Studio tab on our Website!

Follow us or DM us on Socials:

Follow Black Wolf Collective:
https://www.instagram.com/blackwolfcollective/

Black Wolf Barbers:
https://www.instagram.com/blackwolfbarbers/

Laser Tattoo Removal:
https://www.instagram.com/lasertattooremoval_bwc/

Black Wolf Hair & Beauty:
https://www.instagram.com/blackwolfhairandbeauty/

01.15 introduction 

01.38 Elsa’s creative background

03.48 editorial illustration

05.19 Animation

6.57 Best jobs/milestones 

07.21 life modelling at Parliament House

09.36 working with Disney 

12.06 teaching self to do animation 

14.04 getting into tattooing to implementing experience 

17.32 what styles of tattoos are you most into at the moment?

19.15 experiences and artists that have shaped your experience

22.43 what inspired you when you’re stuck in a rut

24.16 made to suit exhibition

27.11 tattoo client stories that stand out 

29.27 proudest achievements as an artist 

31.23 being part of black wolf

34.26 building trust with clients 

36.35 how personal challenges influence your art

41.58 art classes

43.42 fun facts from your childhood

46.54 questions from followers

50.32 advice for anyone wanting to get into the tattoo industry 

52.01 wrap up

Website: Black Wolf Collective Book in a tattoo, barber, laser tattoo removal, or hair & beauty appointment

Follow us or DM us on Socials:

Follow Black Wolf Collective:
https://www.instagram.com/blackwolfcollective/

Black Wolf Barbers:
https://www.instagram.com/blackwolfbarbers/

Laser Tattoo Removal:
https://www.instagram.com/lasertattooremoval_bwc/

Black Wolf Hair & Beauty:
https://www.instagram.com/blackwolfhairandbeauty/

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

In general, proudest is just that I can make a living off of doing love. Yeah, that's the I think, yeah, there's not one particular moment, but it's just in general. Sometimes when you go at home and you're like making dinner and it kind of hits you and you're like, oh, holy shit. I'm like this is what I wanted to do when I was a kid and I'm doing it.

SPEAKER_00 0:20

How did you learn how to do animation? Like, did you go, is that something you did at take, like graphic design, or did you just self-taught myself? Like at home? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 0:30

I find I'm pretty once I want to learn something, I'm pretty good at teaching myself how to do it. Um it was like a lot of tutorials, a lot of reading, a lot of just doing. Um god for YouTube dude, right? What a different experiment. Yeah, it's yeah, it's game changing. I think that in my head I thought that I organized it really well and prepared for it really well that I did, and I think I would have changed a lot of things.

SPEAKER_00 1:32

Her journey has some surprising turns and some real talk. So I'm really excited to dive into this one. All right, Els. Now, can you walk us through your creative background and what got you started in the art world before tattooing and all that stuff?

SPEAKER_01 1:44

Probably won't go chronological because I can't remember it. Um, but yeah, basically always been into art, um, took art seriously like after like after high school. Um, went and did a fine arts degree in Sydney, which was long. I think it was worth it. I don't know. It was good.

SPEAKER_00 2:02

It was definitely worth it in terms of where you're now.

SPEAKER_01 2:04

It was yeah, it was good. Uh yeah, it was good. And then from there, I spent probably a decade in Sydney doing various creative things in different industries, um, which was so good because you get to kind of have a taste of like everything. And more than knowing what you like to do, you you quickly learn what you don't like to do, which I think is very, very important.

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Um were you super arty in school?

unknown 2:28

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 2:29

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Did you go to U 12? Yeah. Yeah. And did them as your like dies and everything like that? And everything. Yeah. Yeah. So you knew you straight out of high school, you knew that's all you went to keep that.

SPEAKER_01 2:38

I was like one of those kids in like year five and six where you know other kids pay you to do a drawing because it's like you're the you're the drawer. They weren't doing that at my schools. What? Yeah, 50 cents a drawing.

SPEAKER_00 2:49

Mad.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Oh, you're drawing. Usually portraits of them, or everyone would just want a picture of themselves as like a superhero or doing something like funny, like farting on a teacher, honestly.

SPEAKER_00 3:00

Yes. Do you have any copies of any of these?

SPEAKER_01 3:03

My mum probably does, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:04

We have to find them. Yes, we definitely need to ask your mum to send these in.

unknown 3:08

Yes.

SPEAKER_01 3:08

I don't think they were very good, but they took me a lot of like choppa chops and stuff. So it's worth it.

SPEAKER_00 3:14

And then when you so when you left school, where did you go? So you went into you did your fine arts degree. And then when did you start doing animation and all that sort of stuff? Um, animation came a little bit later.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Um straight from uni, I started doing like fine arts, like exhibiting my own personal artwork, and then from there got picked up by a few different agencies, not to be represented by, but to kind of get me out into different industries. So I started doing like editorial illustration, which was illustrating for magazines on a regular basis, like Snowhouse. Yes, what were you doing? I was through okay. So editorial illustration is basically you get given a story from a magazine, and you have to come up with an allegorical illustration that tells the entire like article in a picture. Yeah, yeah, which is really fun because like my favorite thing really ever is allegorical art. Yeah, art that tells a story and has different like hidden meanings and symbols, and yeah, so it was cool. And to get paid for it was fun. Yeah, what magazines did you job for? Um, mostly Penthouse Australia, yeah, which was fun because the articles were always pretty unusual. Yeah. Um, a lot of like drug-related ones or like tell me yesterday crime. One I had to the okay, the brief was it was a an article about crime in Western Sydney, but the brief was I had to create like a GTA style illustration but for Western Sydney, which was really fun because it's yeah, I especially like working working my own art into existing stuff, like yes, styles and stuff. I like being malleable and things like that. That one was really fun. I also had to illustrate a lot of dildos for them, which was fun and cool. And from there I got um actually hired to make uh like animated gifts for a company in the US that was like uh I think they said they were in between Tinder and something else, but they yeah, they had little animated gifts of like dildos or I think cats and stuff. How old were you when you were doing all that? Like 24 to 28-ish? Those are the ones that I'd probably say that I was professionally doing it. Before then it was a lot of freelance and kind of just doing it without really having the knowledge of what I was doing and just giving it a red hot go. Yeah. And hopefully it worked out. Wow. Which mostly it did. So I was I was happy with that.

SPEAKER_00 5:59

Now when you say GIF, you mean the GIF. Yeah, the GIF one. Yeah. But like I didn't even know, yeah, I didn't know you did all those things. Oh dude, I like I make so many gifts.

SPEAKER_01 6:10

I know it's JIF, but oh, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 6:12

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. And do you have copies of these? Do you have these? Yeah, yes. This is like I don't know if it's I want to see these humble braggie or not.

SPEAKER_01 6:18

But I'm on so it's happened a few times where like, so I make gifts for Jiffy as well. So like the one that you use on Facebook or Instagram, and it's happened a few times where like, you know, how you search for a gif on there and give you a few options where I've seen like artists who I like, or even it happened with Lindsay once where she posted like a post and had a gift with it. And I'm like, I made that. Shut I made that one. Yeah, it was really cool.

SPEAKER_00 6:44

Wow, it was cool, and yes, we have to find these and share these. Yes. So amongst all those, there's definitely heaps of other jobs, but you have a pretty epic resume. So amongst all those, what would be some milestones or the best jobs out of all that that you've taken on, do you reckon?

SPEAKER_01 7:01

Don't know about best, but the ones that stand out the most are yeah, ones that are usually a bit on the like on a weirder spectrum. Um, like I I was a life model for a long time as well as like teaching life drawing, but life modeling is super fun. I got chosen to be the life model for an event at Parliament House. Yeah, like a year and a half ago. Yeah. It was really fun. It was really yeah, odd and weird because it was, you know, me life modeling and then everyone in Parliament wearing suits.

SPEAKER_00 7:30

So that's what I was gonna ask. So was it the people in Parliament doing it?

SPEAKER_01 7:35

Yeah, yeah. It was, yeah, it was an event. I'm not sure I can't remember what the event was, but it was an event put on at Parliament House in Sydney, um, or like the Parliament branch, yeah, whatever house in Sydney. Um, so it was, yeah, a lot of suits, a lot of big stuff. I had to pose, and for some reason the thing was 50s, so it had to be positions and fish shapes kind of 50s. Uh it's a little bit like housewifey. Yeah, a little bit. It was like elegant and like quaint and like subdued and soft, so no like sharp limbs or anything. It had to be really flowy and gentle and sweet and soft. Yeah, and um, yeah, and I did it through TAFE, I think. Um, one of the teachers at TAFE hires me for his classes, so he was putting it on. Um, and he had a lot of uh like costume elements and accessories made by other TAFE students that fit the brief as well. So we had like I had this beautiful 50s like gown, one of the I don't know what it's called, but the short little ones that puffy, yeah, yeah, yeah. That frill out. I had like handmade shoes with these like almost tinkerbell type puffy things on the end. I had like earrings and my someone did my hair, and yeah, it was crazy. How fun.

SPEAKER_00 8:53

Was there many other people doing it? Like, was there a group of you doing that? No, it was just just me. Just walking into the room, yeah, dressed up.

SPEAKER_01 9:01

Just me. Like there were it seemed like there were a few different uh creative industries there showcasing again. I can't remember what the actual event was for some reason. Um, but there was someone doing like a like a musical performance, there was someone doing weaving, there was someone I don't really know what they were doing, something with pipes.

SPEAKER_00 9:20

Yeah, man. It was cool. What an interesting event. Like maybe it was like times of like something to do with over time or something.

SPEAKER_01 9:25

Yeah, like to get in, you had to have like bag check and a full like metal detector, and there were so many guards, it was it was fun. Great view, really nice. And what about Disney? So you've worked for Disney, so what did you do for Disney? Um, I did a lot of their animating for um like upcoming events and shows and movies and releases. Um, so a lot of mostly Star Wars stuff. I'm so bad with Star Wars still, I shouldn't be. Don't know any of a food.

SPEAKER_00 9:55

I don't think I feel like the boys watch it anytime that it's a nighttime that we can't think of something. The boys are all like always like, let's watch Star Wars. I don't still don't think I've actually focused and watched it. I wish I liked it. I feel like it's one of those ones. I'm like, I don't actually like Star Wars, I don't want to watch it, but I don't think I've actually ever watched it.

SPEAKER_01 10:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:15

And that's when people are always like, You've never seen Star Wars. I don't think I've ever sat and watched it at all, but it's always been on in the background. Like all the like the boys obsess over it and watch it. It's always favorite.

SPEAKER_01 10:27

I regret bringing it up because then people are like, Oh my god, you must have it. And then like, what do you think about this happening in the cinematic universe of it? I don't know. What did so what did you have to like what did you do? So basically, I was a team of one, um, and I had to create short form animations specific to a brief, um, basically announcing the upcoming release of Disney creations. So um for Rogue One and for the one where the guys and the helmet and it's pending.

SPEAKER_00 11:06

I believe that one. We'll just have to find these. That's what you've got these. Do you have these? Yeah, I do. Okay, we'll get that.

SPEAKER_01 11:12

We'll have a look at that and we'll figure it out. Yeah, so it was almost like um, yeah, it's a like two-minute yeah, animated illustrations, like explaining what was coming out and when and why. How did you get it? How did you get that junk? Um, I got that through a producer at Junkie who knew my work when I used to do storyboarding for them and for him. So I used to do storyboarding for companies uh through Junkie, like Amex and stuff like that. Um, where we then did like little almost like like storyboarded animations for them. And then he got this big kind of brief and was like, I need an animator and had worked with me before and knew that I could do it. And then it's like, do you want to do that? Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 12:03

How did you learn how to do animation? Like, did you go? Is that something you did at TAFE, like graphic design, or did you just self-still? Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 12:12

Like at home? Or yeah. I find them. Um, I'm pretty once I want to learn something, I'm pretty good at teaching myself how to do it. Yeah. Um, it was like a lot of tutorials, a lot of reading, a lot of just doing.

SPEAKER_00 12:25

Um thank god for YouTube.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

Dude, right?

SPEAKER_00 12:27

What a different era.

SPEAKER_01 12:29

Yeah, it's yeah, it's game changing. Yeah. So good.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Yeah, you just learn everything on that.

SPEAKER_01 12:34

Yeah. And then, yeah, and then a lot of it was when I first started doing it and started getting paid for it. I was still in the point where I'd have to do it and then I'd come to a roadblock and be like, oh shit, I haven't taught myself how to do that bit yet. And have to kind of double back and teach myself and then go in and fix it and fill in the gaps. Yeah. But it was good because I think learning on the go is and also under a little bit of pressure. Yeah. Is was really helpful. Yeah. And I definitely am not the best in the world, but I think I'm very adequate at it and can yeah, can create things to a brief.

SPEAKER_00 13:12

I feel like if you're learning under pressure, you got no choice but to do it. So you figure it out pretty quickly.

SPEAKER_01 13:17

Yeah, yeah. I always think when it comes to creativity, having like a few little constraints makes things so much easier than having just a beat open-ended thing. Yeah, it's like instead of just giving you a blank piece of paper and saying, make whatever you want, that to me is terrifying. Yeah. I need like some constraints, I need some rules.

SPEAKER_00 13:36

Now, after all that, how did you end up getting into tattooing? Like what was where when was the moment that you shifted into tattooing or thought you to shift into tattooing or so I wanted to shift into tattooing forever.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

Um, like right out of high school, like like a week after graduating, I got offered an um apprenticeship back in my hometown. Was able to do it for um this was in Southwest Rocks, so I'm present head, but this was Southwest Rocks. Um, and it was like I'm 32, so I'm of the age where you kind of had to, you didn't have to, but you had to go to uni after school if you wanted to maybe get opportunities or so. I think my tall sleep, yeah. Which I don't think is the case. And um, yeah, I don't think it's the case. Um, so I had that opportunity, and I think my parents only out of love were like, you should probably get a degree rather than tattooing. Yeah, and maybe come back to that as like a a hobby or something. Yeah. I was like, oh, probably right, yeah. So then I went and started a degree, which I didn't finish, um, and then went to art school and then tried to come back into tattooing for like years and years, just sporadically, um, but found it super difficult. I didn't really know anyone in Sydney in the tattoo industry at all. I got tattooed a lot and started building connections, but found it super hard to get my foot in the door. And then yeah, I saw an aunt from this cool shop on the central coast, but not. Bad's off, by the way.

unknown 15:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:11

Looking for an apprentice. And um, my partner was like, you should do it. And I think I was not not jaded, but I was very, I think, realistic. And I was like, I think I'm a little bit older than a lot of the other applicants, and I don't live in the central coast. I think it's gonna be tough for them to maybe say yes to me.

SPEAKER_00 15:32

Yeah, but do you sort of think maybe having waited that time and the detour sort of made you come into it a little bit with a bit more of a stronger perspective and a little bit stronger, don't you?

SPEAKER_01 15:44

100%. I'm so glad that I kind of got veered out of doing it when I was younger. I don't think I would have not that I don't think I would have taken it as seriously, but I don't think I would have realized what a big grand opportunity it was. And I worry that I would have maybe just kind of, I don't know, yeah, squandered it or not done it properly and just Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yeah and maybe the time helps you to commit to the heavy commitment levels, if that makes sense. Yeah. Because like even with your apprenticeship, you definitely smash it a lot quicker, probably because you had so much experience behind you and you're ready to go.

SPEAKER_02 16:22

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 16:22

With all the yeah, experience. Like even when it comes down to art and understanding colour theory and all that sort of stuff, you already had that. Whereas some people, when they come, not that you should you can't come straight out of school, but people that come into it straight after school, they haven't had that experience. So it takes them a lot longer to get to that final stage, whereas you were there pretty quickly.

SPEAKER_01 16:44

I wouldn't imagine how hard it would have been trying to learn like the fundamentals of tattooing on top of the fundamentals of art because I think that they're both so intensive and there's so much to them that I'm like, I don't that would have been really hard. So I'm really glad that yeah, years ago I kind of got one down and I've covered that.

SPEAKER_00 17:02

And well, now you have the senior artists still picking your brain for colour theory. What styles of tattoos are you most drawn to doing right now?

SPEAKER_01 17:11

I think at the moment it's I've been research, like researching a lot about like traditional fine line. So I think it's a really cool mix of what I like. I like the classic kind of motifs of traditional art, but I do like to work a little bit daintier and with more detail that's appropriate for tattoo. So I like being able to mix those two. Um, but overall, like faces, bodies, pinups, women, my favorite, favorite thing to tattoo ever.

SPEAKER_00 17:43

Like I think figurative, anything figurative is what is it about pinups that you think speaks to you so creatively?

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Ah see that one's kind of hard to answer because it's more of a like more of a feeling. I just I've always loved like pinups and that kind of like old school traditional, like golden era of Hollywood and like the beautiful women like put together so perfectly because I don't think that I'm yeah. So you're sort of drawing like if you could be a pin up, you're sort of drawing like how you I just think they have so much confidence and so much like sass, and they're so cheeky, and just they exude this kind of fun, like excitement that I really like because I think that in my own personal life I'm a little bit subdued and nervous.

SPEAKER_00 18:34

Living through your character. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

Yeah, I yeah, I just think they're like I think they're cool.

SPEAKER_00 18:41

And then do you think you do that with your little people too, your little cuties? So then you like living through them too. Yeah, 100%. If I was a kid, this is what I'd look like. Yeah, yeah. Are there any artists or experiences that have really shaped your style and approach? Experiences.

SPEAKER_01 18:57

Um, I mean, going to art school, it can't not shape your experience because it's such a long process and you're there for you know four years and you're surrounded by creatives who are doing it day in and day out. Like it's a five day a week long thing. Um, so it's hard not to get, you know, kind of inspired. Yeah, inspired by them. And fade off one another. Yeah. In saying that though, I think that even if you're surrounded by a certain type of art or creativity, you're always gonna go back to the things that you like that you were drawn to originally, which again for me was the pinups and like the beautiful women and like allegorical painting, stuff like that. Um when it comes to like artists, yeah. So many. Like I I love like anything renaissance. I absolutely love like the kind of classics like Frieda and Vincent Vengo. Incredible. Um but always the tattooists have I think astounded me with how they can jump from style to style so effortlessly and just so quickly. It's mind-blowing. Like that I've always wanted to be like. I think it's just such a cool creative like muscle to be able to do all different styles, yeah. Like be a like Jack or Jill of all trades. I I think that I'm in that zone, yeah, really. Like there's no one style that I think. Yeah, still trying to make sure that you're mastering all of them. Yeah. And even now there's so many, like, like mostly I would say female tattooists in like even just in Australia, there's so many, even just in Sydney, like an hour away, that are so incredible and that have been like my inspirations personally for years. And now that I'm in that industry, like I've been able to like message them and talk to them on a bit more of a I don't know, if you're a limited year.

SPEAKER_00 21:05

Yeah, it's wild. It's so cool. I think that's something that like a lot of people don't realise, like that aren't in the industry or aren't even into tattooers, like, or wait, or aren't even into tattoos, that they don't realise that some tattoos are just incredible artists. Like even how we do all the art shows and things like that, there's a difference between the way they tattoo to the paintings that they can do and all that sort of stuff. Whereas people just think if they're not, if they have never had tattoos or they still don't really like the idea of tattoos or something like that, they just imagine it in that old school bikey sort of thing. They're just slapped on anybody can be a tattoo artist, whereas there's so much behind it, and then they don't realise that they're incredible, incredible artists or painters or stuff like that. Yeah, 100%.

SPEAKER_01 21:53

Like there's a few artists that I like that have come from a fine arts background, like oil painting kind of stuff, and they've transferred. That into tattooing, and I think you can really see it. You can see that kind of creativity and those like fundamentals playing a role in tattooing, which is really cool. Like, I definitely don't think that it's a necessity, but it's definitely a cool thing to see.

SPEAKER_00 22:16

If you're ever feeling stuck and uninspired, what usually gets you out of your rap? Um, nature, definitely, a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 22:24

I think that's just anything in life. If I'm not feeling super great, like emotionally, physically, creatively, anything, just a little little bit of nature, just even like a walk outside. Um, other than that, uh, I find just taking a step back and not purposefully looking at tattoos or art for the sake of thinking about tattoos is good as well, like kind of removing yourself a little bit and just accepting what comes your way and just taking it for what it is rather than being like, oh, I could turn that into flash or I could turn that and tweak it into a tattoo. I think, yeah, sometimes it can be a little bit limiting thinking about things as a tattoo. Um, but also like going to galleries, I think, is like such good like research and yeah, so because like especially like like the Gosford Regional Gallery, so freaking good. Yeah, you love that part. I'm number one fan. Yeah. Shout out, sponsor me. So good. But I have like three gallery spaces, it's incredible. Yeah, um, yeah, I think seeing other people's work, like I said, not in a specifically a can this be tattooed light or a tattoo lens. Yeah, I think is a good idea because it's yeah, it's nice to get creatively invigorated.

SPEAKER_00 23:48

Speaking of needing to get creative, you just did this huge painting for the made to suit. So that was massive. Let's talk about the process of that god. I let's tell everybody what made to suit is first.

SPEAKER_01 24:03

Yeah. So um made to suit is an exhibition um put on by two tattooists, uh, I think both now based in Brisbane, um, where you know 30 to 60 tattooists will be selected to make a piece of artwork. And the only thing, like the only rule is basically you just have to make a bodysuit, whether it be for the purpose of tattooing or just incorporating the body or painting landscape over it. You can see maybe the hint of a leg, but they they send out a custom piece of paper. Uh, it was like two meters by a meter and a half with the outline of either a male or female figure on it. Full size. Full size, yeah, like taller than me, like a like massive. Um, and you have yeah, five, six months to get it done. It didn't feel like that at all. Yeah, did you end up calculating it? I tried and I stopped. It got too much. I got up to like a hundred hours and I stopped. Like by the end of it, I was in so much mental pain with it and just I wanted it gone out of my life. But that I think would be like I'm to blame for that. I think that in my head I thought that I organized it really well and prepared for it really well, but I didn't. I think I would have changed a lot of things. Really? Yeah. I think you smashed it. Yeah, thank you. I it was very humbling. I learned, like I learned a lot.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Do you feel relieved now you finished and sent it off? Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:33

Are they up for sale? Yeah, they are. Yeah. Yeah. I think they're um like the originals are for sale and they've framed them. And so they've started sending like out through the group chat, like them getting framed, and they look so freaking good. Um, and this is the biggest one they've done in their three years that have had 60 artists in it, which is cool, scary as well, because it's like you're you're exhibiting with like your peers and or heroes and intense. But yeah, I'd recommend it genuinely. It's yeah, you learn a lot.

SPEAKER_00 26:07

Yeah, it's amazing. I can't wait to see it in the frame and everything like that. Yeah. Um, all right, next question: any client tattoo stories or tattoo sessions that have really stayed with you?

SPEAKER_01 26:19

Off the top of my head, I always think that the ones that stay with me are not necessarily, you know, like not necessarily like the person themselves, but it's how they make you feel during the appointment. Um, like it's much more of a a vibe thing. And I always think that if I leave having done a tattoo and I feel rejuvenated and I feel more awake and excited, I'm like, that was really good. That was really nice. Um yeah, I I always think it's just down to the to the vibe in general. Do you reckon that those are the moments that make you realize how much you love doing tattoo? Yeah. Like even when you do, you know, even when you have an appointment and you're like, I feel drained and that was really hard, I it's still good. But those ones in particular, yeah, amazing. Because I'm I wouldn't consider myself a very social person. I find social things really really hard and they make my chest tight, and I don't think I'm super great at them. So it's nice to be able to leave like hanging out with a person and leave feeling like good and excited and like energized because yeah, it's it's very cool.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

Even how you just said, like in a social environment, you feel like anxious and stuff. Do you find that when you're one-on-one with a client though, that that sort of goes away? It's a different kind of experience, even though you've never met them before. Yeah. But one-on-one, it's just all that sort of stuff is out the window.

SPEAKER_01 27:48

Yeah, it really is. I kind of put it down to I feel like if you're meeting someone like one-on-one in like a social gathering, sometimes I don't really know where I stand, I don't know where the conversation's gonna go, I don't know if you know, if I should say certain things or how to I don't know how to really talk with people, but in that setting, it's like we're in my space, I know where everything is, I know the purpose that this person's here for, I know what I can provide, I know what my role is, and it just feels I don't know, like the creative thing where it's like a few little boundaries go a long way. So it's like, yeah, it's like that. Just a few little boundaries. It's nice. Good.

SPEAKER_00 28:29

What have been your proudest achievements as an artist or a tattoo artist so far?

SPEAKER_01 28:34

In general, proudest is just that I can make a living off of doing what I love. Yeah, that's the I think, yeah, there's not one particular moment, but it's just in general. Sometimes when you go home and you're like making dinner and it kind of hits you like, oh, holy shit. I'm like, this is what I wanted to do when I was a kid and I'm doing it. It's really cool. And it takes guts.

SPEAKER_00 28:56

Is there ever been a moment that you've almost given up?

SPEAKER_01 29:00

Yeah. God, so many. Not necessarily with tattooing. There was definitely a few moments where I almost gave up looking to get into tattooing because it was just uh an uphill slog for a long time. Yeah, there's definitely been a few moments where and it's all it's mostly self-doubt. Yeah, like inner things rather than environmental things. It's a lot of yeah, self-doubt and kind of like that nagging negative voice. Yeah. Yeah. And comparison as well, like comparing yourself to other people like your age or younger, and yeah, seeing them do things that are you know what you consider wildly ahead of where you should be, which I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 29:43

Yeah, I don't know. I feel like everybody does that. I feel like I even do that. Do you know what I mean? But like, yeah, I think the age thing can be a big thing. It's also a pretty intimidating industry, I think. Like I spoke with Lindsay about this last time, and it was like even just walking into a tattoo shop can be pretty daunting, even if you're in the industry, and um yeah, I think then you've got like how you just said and then you've got how you just said like the added stress of like, am I too old to be doing it? And all that sort of stuff. But like, so yeah, so many people have started careers when they're older, like I feel like Oprah and all that sort of stuff. And she's not. I feel like she was like, didn't she not get become like something until she was heaps older? Okay, what's it been like being part of the Blackboard collective team? Well, boss, genuinely amazing. I hate it. It's pretty she's your moment, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:36

Genuinely so good. Like my um so when I first started, my mum especially was I love your mom, she's the best, she's so cool. But she was like, How is everyone there? Are they are they good people or are they scary? Yeah, kind of pretty much asked me that. And I was like, Well, Mum, the boss is a woman. She's like, Oh, oh, really? Oh, that's oh that's that's cool. Oh, that's cool. So mum kind of vetted it a little bit because I think you know her generation still have that kind of yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. But it's like it's been so good, and I think I've mentioned this probably a bunch to various people, but because every single artist here has such wildly different styles and backgrounds in art and creating, it's been like an invaluable resource of just knowledge, yeah. Like I could, you know, be doing any style on the planet, and I'd be able to go to someone to ask about it, yeah, which is so cool. And I think that some shops maybe don't have that opportunity, like maybe they'll all kind of specialise in a very similar yeah, but that's even for me.

SPEAKER_00 31:51

I love that's one of the things I love sitting back and just seeing everybody that works here, even though everybody's in such different age brackets and experience levels and stuff. Everybody goes to everybody for something, and I love that. It's so there's no like egos, and no one's like they still pick each other's brains on things. Like even for Ollie, he'll pick Reg's brain, and there he's like, Ollie's been tattooing for 11 years, and Reg has only just started, but they pick each other's brains over anything like that. So I love all that.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

Yeah, the lack of ego is very very nice. It's like it's just a good environment.

SPEAKER_00 32:25

What's something about the studio that makes you feel like home? The vibe. Can I answer the vibe?

SPEAKER_01 32:32

Yeah, it's the vibe. Yeah, it's yeah, it's the people, like first and foremost, because I think that it doesn't really matter where we are physically, like whatever space we happen to be in, it's just really nice. Like everyone's got each other's backs. Like we've had a few moments where like maybe something pretty shit has happened to one of the tattooists or you know, someone's past, and it's really like obviously it's a really sad thing, but it's nice to see people genuinely really care about people and like offer help and offer assistance like you would a friend. Like I know that there's that whole thing about like workplaces owing to the family, and like, yeah, but we can't help but yeah, it's really nice, yeah. Like it's like it's it feels professional, it feels like a workplace, but it's yeah, it's hard for us anybody to keep that distance between like professionalism and personal because we're all so clicked.

SPEAKER_00 33:27

We just don't do that. Yeah, not 100%. How do you go about building trust with clients, especially when it's a really meaningful tattoo?

SPEAKER_01 33:35

I was thinking about this the other day, and I think I yeah, I had an answer that was, I don't know if it seems too just blankety, but just being genuine with that person, um, not coming on in with any like, you know, predeterminations or anything, just kind of coming at each client super fresh. Um, like I I have this kind of belief I never ever want anyone who's getting tattooed by me or chooses to be tattooed by me to feel uncomfortable or rushed, like they're a paycheck. Like that to me is such a leaves, such a gross taste in my mouth. I've so I I give people as much time as I feel they need, which you know, sometimes it works out that I will spend, you know, maybe two and a half hours with someone for what could be a half an hour tattoo. Yeah. But I think overall they then leave that experience feeling a lot better about the outcome. And like I get a lot of people getting their first tattoos or coming in and expressing that they've had kind of bad, like bad times at previous shops or had a bad experience getting tattooed by someone and they just felt like it was really rushed and they were there and just kind of moved around like a mannequin and they weren't listened to or heard. And I think that that's super important. Like I like to tattoo the way that I like to be tattooed. Yeah, and so I've kind of learned through getting tattooed and just yeah, spending time with each client that just giving people time, hearing what they have to say, and also collaborating on the artwork, never yeah, never making anyone feel rushed or like it's like a come on, we've got to go get in, get out.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

Yeah, so just uh yeah, you're just genuine, just yeah, genuinely want them to enjoy it. Yeah, exactly.

SPEAKER_01 35:25

Yeah, yeah. Hunter was it that helps.

SPEAKER_00 35:27

Is there a dream tattoo request that you wish people more people asked for?

SPEAKER_01 35:30

Pin-ups, yeah. Pin-ups and faces and and cool little ladies.

SPEAKER_00 35:34

So everybody needs to ask for pinups from us up. Have any personal challenges shaped how you approach your creativity or career?

SPEAKER_01 35:42

Yes, definitely, definitely, definitely. Like, cool.

SPEAKER_00 35:46

Like so like the same stuff everybody else struggles with.

SPEAKER_01 35:51

Yeah, it's yeah, yeah, like anxiety and depression has always been, I think, the biggest roadblock, anxiety more so. Um, I think in terms of my creative work, it's definitely the prominent thing stand out above everything else that has held me back from opportunities or from doing things or just trying in general.

SPEAKER_00 36:17

Um, like I and where you're at in your mental health shows your work and what you're doing. 100%.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

Yeah. Like anytime I've had like a big art block or I've said no to something, it's it's always around a terrible time or something like that. Yes, yeah, it's just anxiety. And it's it's not as easy as being like, it's all good, nothing's actually wrong, just breathe through it. Yeah, like I wish my body knew that, but it just doesn't. But I think that you know, I've I've learned some coping mechanisms and I've learned how to navigate it and push back on it a bit. Um, but in saying that it's still pretty.

SPEAKER_00 37:00

And then there's that flip side though. Do you think that art sort of gives you that release to help with anxiety sometimes as well? Do you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 37:09

I think it's like because I'm on the autism spectrum, I find that it is predominantly the way that I like to communicate. Um, like I'm a very visual person. I like being able to show things visually. I think it's sometimes I don't feel like I'm super eloquent in the way that I speak. I think that um you can let it all out in the art if that makes sense. Yeah, 100%. Because I'm yeah, unfortunately, I'm not into exercise or sports or doing that kind of stuff. Um, I wish I was, but I'm not. And I think that creativity is the yeah, yeah, the way to go. Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 37:48

And what advice would you give to other artists navigating self-doubt or balancing and creative career?

SPEAKER_01 37:53

Um, I think that there's so much pressure that you give yourself to constantly put out work and constantly make things and constantly be better than you were. Um, it's a very slippery slope. And I don't think that you, as the artist of your own work, are the best person to determine or judge whether or not you're improving. It's like I genuinely think that most creatives do have a bit of blindness when it comes to their own work. They're able to see everyone else's, you know, opportunities and you know, put out work in such a different light than their own. Um, and especially with you know, social media and the internet, yeah, and how quickly things are shown to us and on such a large scale, it seems like people are working a lot more than maybe you know they actually are.

SPEAKER_00 38:47

And I think I think even with like Instagram and everything, it's just like the same self-doubt that people have in their image, like because there's all these like for a girl to think that they don't look good enough or whatever because Instagram's fake and false, and then you've got relationships, people want their relationship to look like this person's relationship, but it's on Instagram. It's the same with art, yeah. Like people do this incredible painting and they make it look so easy, or these incredible tattoos, and their Instagram just looks so happy and simple, but really they've spent months stressing about this painting, it's probably the second version they're done. Yeah, they've struggled with heaps of self-doubt, and that's the stuff you don't see on online.

SPEAKER_01 39:29

Yeah, and I guarantee, like any of those artists as well, who maybe you look at the art of and you're like, holy fuck, they're impeccable, they're perfect. I'm I'd put money on it that if you were to ask them, like, you know, about this photo of this artwork, what they think of it, they'd be like, ah, absolutely could have been better, or this bit was, you know, I didn't intend for this part, or like this, and I wish I'd done this differently. It's yeah, yeah, everyone's their own biggest critic, and I think comparison definitely is the thief of joy. It's been it's being vindictive against yourself, which is it's yeah, it's yeah.

SPEAKER_00 40:01

I feel like everybody, no matter what, always struggles with it, but art, especially, yeah, like that's a big thing.

SPEAKER_01 40:08

Yeah, especially because it's such a physical thing, like there's there's a physical representation of what you've done, yeah, and what you've produced, and you can like I think that everyone can be an art critic essentially, but people can look at a piece and know immediately if they like it or not, and that's a very soul-balled thing on someone's skin for the rest of their life, so that's scary, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Someone actually asked me that, I think like yeah, like three or four days ago when I was tattooing them. They're like, Do you still get nervous? I was like, I don't think so. And they're like, I would be terrified because you're putting this you should be, yeah. And I was like, Oh, no, like you're putting this on and it's gonna be on me forever, forever. Right now I am nervous, yeah. And I was like, I hadn't thought about it in a while, but yeah, it's it's pretty wild. It's it's yeah.

SPEAKER_00 41:02

Got anything exciting coming up that we can plug or highlight?

SPEAKER_01 41:05

Play art classes. I'm so pumped. I used to do a lot of life, like teaching, life modeling, and like drawing teaching, and I'm so excited to do it again. So excited for you to do it again. I think it's like I'm such a strong believer, and I think like life drawing is the foundation for any art practice. It's it's a it's genuinely a must. Yeah, like not a yeah, yeah. I'm so excited for them. I'm so pumped.

SPEAKER_00 41:32

I'm excited to do your art glass. I'm so like I'm so excited to do the art glass. Yes. What are we gonna learn?

SPEAKER_01 41:38

Oh my god, everything. Everything. No, I'd say the like I'm a big believer in the fundamentals of drawing and draftsmanship. So a lot of that kind of stuff. Again, coming at it from like a fine arts background, I feel like I'm a little bit yeah. I I get I like the fundamentals, I believe in them. I think that they're like they're perfect, really. And I'm eight. I think they're the best. And I think if you can master those, or not even master them, if you can understand them, you can pretty much take that and run and do like anything, any like any creative pursuit. I think it's yeah, yeah, it's exciting. It's so nice to have a community too. Yeah, it's so cool.

SPEAKER_00 42:21

Yeah, and I think you've already got heaps of your own clients that are like when we do those little stories, like who's interested in art classes? I think heaps of your clients are gonna be excited.

SPEAKER_01 42:31

So I think a lot of people who get tattooed as well are creatives themselves. Yeah, like so many of my clients have like shown me other their art in whatever form that takes, like if it's like patchwork or knitting or drawing or painting or music, like everyone has this kind of creative thing that drives them, and especially if you're choosing to get art on you, I think you probably have that in you.

SPEAKER_00 42:53

Yeah, yeah. I think it's so cool. Um, any fun facts or weird childhood stories that people might want to know about you?

SPEAKER_01 43:00

I don't know if people want to know about it.

SPEAKER_00 43:03

Yes, Elsa was a magic wanted to be a magician.

SPEAKER_01 43:07

So badly. It was my dream. It's like when I was, yeah, I reckon from like six till ten, that was that's the only sort I was gonna be.

SPEAKER_00 43:19

Did you used to practice magic tricks all the time?

SPEAKER_01 43:21

Yeah, I used to. Can you still do them? Okay, so I brought a little magic trick to work like three or four months ago to like do it, and I think it went well, but I my hands were shaking, and I was like, I could never do this in real life. It's terrifying. So I can do a few, but not well. But yeah, I used to put on like I'd set up a little uh fold out table at the front of my house, and like Crescenthead's got like a population of 600. It's there's not much foot traffic there. Yeah, and I'd set up a little thing and it would be like a 20 cent donation to come and see the show. And so I'd have maybe like one person an hour kind of walk past and be like, oh. Yeah, okay. And then I'd put on like my show and my brother would help me and And as a kid you think you're nailing it too?

SPEAKER_00 44:06

Do like and they're just these like adults, like, oh this little cutie. Man, I used to make birthday cards and picture frames and stuff and sell them on the street down at Terrible when I was a kid and my dad would set us up a little table and we'd sell them and I just remember people buying little like 20 cents a card or something. And I remember them being like, Oh my god, I love this. And now I'm older, I'm like, they sort of like this chapter. They're definitely not giving me, but in my mind, I'm like, yeah, I was like this little business sort of thing like, yeah, they bought my cars, yes, they love it. I've got to design some more. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 44:43

I do I really love when parents like do that for their kids as well. Like, yeah, yeah, encourage them in that kind of way. Like I remember I did my first art show when I was like 12, and it was in my hometown, and I put in this painting of like it was a black silhouette tree against a moon and like a dark blue sky, like a red desert. And I like it was shit house, but I was like, This is yeah, this is phenomenal. I put it up, and I remember like walking, like going to the opening, and there was genuinely great artwork there. And I got to mine and it had a little red sticker on it, and I was like, Holy shit, it's being sold. And I was like, Oh my god. And then we got home, um, and then the next day it showed up in the house, and like my dad had bought it. And it and like I wasn't even being like, Oh, I didn't use all she's like, Oh my, like it's a solder that's an art show, yeah. He's like, he had to buy it before other people did, so that makes sense. Yeah, it was so cool, and he still has it, and it's I see it every time I go back home so cute.

SPEAKER_00 45:50

So, here are your questions, okay. Does it annoy you if your clients get tattooed by other tattooers?

SPEAKER_01 45:56

No, no, no, yeah, that's weird, no way. My god, I encourage it. I think getting tattooed by people that you like love the work of is such a gift. Like, yeah, dude, get it's your body, get whatever you like. It's also exciting when I see like a client of mine come in and they're getting tattooed by like Gabe or Lindsay or Ollie or anyone. Yeah, I was like, oh my god, I'm excited for you because it's like you know how good it's gonna be.

SPEAKER_00 46:21

They're collecting.

SPEAKER_01 46:22

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. What about favorite tattoo you've ever done? Do you have one? Oh, not a favorite, not an absolute favorite, but um I did one of Orin Ishii from Kill Bill. That was that it just felt nice doing it. The client was amazing, everything worked out. It was just one of those like like perfect combinations of everything where it just was really fun. Yep. But honestly, any any tattoo is a good tattoo. I just love doing it. What tattoo are you getting next? I really want to get a magpie. I've been wanting a magpie forever. Do you not have a magpie? I know. I have pigeons. Oh, that's smelling magpie. Yeah. Um, or I really would like to get a cow done in like Japanese traditional style, like a really weird-looking dairy cow. Why are you surely talking about that one?

SPEAKER_00 47:16

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 47:16

You want Olive of it. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 47:18

Yeah, get that one. It could be really cute. Yeah. What styles of tattoos do you want to do more of? I know you said pinups, but what like if people were to come in and get more stuff that you want to do more of, what do you want to do with that?

SPEAKER_01 47:30

I'd really like to do some more like soft grey work, again, fine-line traditional kind of stuff, things with a little bit more detail. Um, you know, it doesn't have to be super massive, but things that I can really, you know, tweak and go a bit a bit crazy on. Yeah. But yeah, a lot of soft grey, soft greys.

SPEAKER_00 47:54

Last question. How do you come up with flash? That's a that's a roundabout.

SPEAKER_01 48:01

Yeah, I mean so many ways. I have like um like a big continuous note on my phone for any time I come up with a flash idea or I see something out in the wild where I'm like, ooh, that could be cool. So I've got like my constant list going. Otherwise, it's I'll see like another tattoo. I'll just doing something, and I'm like, oh, that looks like fun. And maybe I want to do my own twist on it, or um, yeah, God, I don't know.

SPEAKER_00 48:32

It it just you just do. Yeah, you just do. Do you reckon? Do you feel more pressure if someone's like, you design it, like I don't care what you do, or do you like prefer that?

SPEAKER_01 48:43

Depends who it's coming from, maybe. Sometimes I I find it hard if someone says, do whatever you like, but I don't have much information on them as a person in terms of like their likes or dislikes or what kind of you know, what their vibe is. Uh, it's a lot easier when I know the person or I know the client to do that. I feel a lot more confident, like I'm like, I'm I automatically know, you know, the boundaries there and I know what you're gonna like. Um, but yeah, I I do love when people come to me with an idea that, you know, in the realm of things that I'm, you know, that I feel very confident in, like pinups or girl faces or stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 49:25

Matt, let's just finish it with if anybody was thinking about getting into the tattoo industry and doing in friendship, what advice would you give them?

SPEAKER_01 49:32

I would say uh having like a positive outlook, um, persistence and enthusiasm is probably what's going to take you further than raw talent or your understanding of art. I think being enthusiastic first and foremost is just in life and in general the thing that's carried me the furthest, just being genuinely excited to try new things and do things and take on tasks that I, you know, normally wouldn't. Um being open to it. Yeah. And I just come at you. Exactly. And just being like, yeah, being a bit flexible and malleable and understanding that you're there to learn and not coming into it being like, I know everything already. Yeah. Just um, yeah, being open to accepting creative criticism as well, because you can't avoid it, it will come and it's for the best. Yeah, yeah, and it's for the best, and no one tells you anything, you know, in a mean-spirited way or in a way to put you down. It genuinely comes from a place of wanting to see you grow and wanting to see you get better. Um, unless they're a dick, but I haven't met that yet. So, but yeah, I think being yeah, being able to accept criticism and know that it's not a diss at you, it's it's how you grow. Yeah, pretty much.

SPEAKER_00 50:57

Perfect. Yeah. All right, Els, thank you so much for sharing all this today. You've got such a grounded but wildly creative perspective on things, and it's so inspiring to see how you've carved your own path, babe. So I'm proud of you. God, thank you. All right, if you want to see more of Else's work or find out about any of her upcoming projects or her art classes, everything will be in the show notes and the captions and her tags. So thanks again for coming on and definitely go check her out if you haven't.