Firstly, I am extremely humbled and happy to say that I have been nominated for an award! The Australian Industry Awards have nominated me for best tattoo journalist, and I am seriously happy about this. I’m sure I won’t win, but it’s great to be able to take part. Thank you very much to anyone who has voted for me. If you would like to, you can click on the link below to cast a vote!

Hey I don’t want to be greedy, but this is my blog after all, so I guess I can mention you can nominate me for a UK Industry award as well! Why not, eh? You can click on the link below to do that.

Other than that this week, I’ve been having some fun. On Thursday evening, Lauren, Joni, and I went to the Bridge Hotel to see Matt Lodder do this talk on tattooing and history. Matt is the Robin to my Batman in the Total Tattoo opinion columns (yes, I’m always Batman in these scenarios in my head). The Bridge Hotel is a lovely pub, have a look at this:

It actually looks nicer at night, but I couldn’t find a picture of it at night on Google Images, haha. Anyway, Matt did his talk, and it was pretty interesting. If you find Matt is doing a talk near you soon, I’d recommend it. If you know a lot about tattooing, you may not learn anything amazing, but the Q&A at the end is always interesting. If you know nothing about tattooing, you’ll learn a couple of things that hopefully make you think and make you want to look a few things up when you get home!

Matt is also a really cool guy, and it was really great to see him, as it always is with those I work with (but rarely see!). I’m now more than ready to get to the Peterlee Convention next month and chill with me pals!

Peterlee is going to rock as well,  of course. This year has a Las Vegas theme, so you all better dress up. I have no idea how to dress up with a Vegas theme, while still being comfortable enough to work. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I think, for now, that’s your lot from me. It’s Sunday night, and all I wanna do is wash my hair, watch Being Human and play a little NBA Jam before yet another busy week. Where the hell are my pyjamas?

I’ve been working constantly lately, it’s been mental! I’ve had some cool days off though as well. On one day off, my mate Ian Parkin gave me this:

Shit dawg! Ian is a legend. You should check out his studio here.

Oh yeah, Total Tattoo is also out now. Joni and I did the usual trek to WHSmith to go “shit it’s as if I’m famous!”.

Some cool things are happening soon, by the way. On Wednesday, my columnist partner in crime for Total Tattoo, Matt Lodder, is giving a talk on tattoo and art history. We will be at the Bridge Hotel in town from around 7PM. Matt is really cool, and he has some interesting things to say, so you should definitely get on it. Click here for more info.

It is also almost time for the Peterlee Convention as well. You should click here and see what I wrote about that just today. I’m really excited for that weekend, actually. I’ll be going to see the Harlem Globetrotters the night before as well! Get in! I’m currently persuading Clair and Gary Wiedenhoff to also come along to have the BEST WEEKEND EVER.

There is actually more stuff happening soon, but it has taken me ages to write this one post, because I am still busy, haha. Just remember- get to these cool events, and buy Total Tattoo magazine. Aw yeah.

Oh, and don’t forget who OWNS YOU:

I am foaming, I am getting emails from Jazz Publishing and I don’t want them. So are many people I know, and I would love to know if you have had these emails as well so I can see if there is any reason why this is happening, because I’m getting sick now.

David, who works at Jazz, picked this up pretty quickly. David should probably own Jazz, because this is the first time I’ve experienced someone there picking up on something so quickly and changing it to suit the needs of those who aren’t happy. He’s commented below, but you’re too lazy to read that, so here you go:

I’ve changed the wording by the way on all future mailings which will hopefully make it clearer as to why they are getting an email and what options they have of unsubscribing. This is in addition to us normally starting an email off with a list of sites they may have subscribed through… have a read and let me know if it seems fair.
—

We take unsolicited email very seriously and want to assure you that this is not it. This email has been sent to you by Jazz Fashion Publishing Ltd because you are an existing customer, have subscribed to our newsletters or have registered on one of our websites. If you do not wish to receive such emails in the future you can unsubscribe below:

To unsubscribe from receiving updates about “Manchester Tattoo Show” click here
If you would like to unsubscribe from updates relating to all of our products and events click here

Registered address: Jazz Fashion Publishing Limited. The Old School, Higher Kinnerton, Chester, CH4 9AJ. Registered in England with Company Number: 3743871

In all honesty, this seems really fair. I said in my comment to David that if this was something Jazz fixed, I’d delete what I said and update it to this. So here we are. I still have issues with my own email address being on record, but this isn’t something to do with David, I can see it’s due to something being overlooked which I’d requested a while ago.

Basically, if you have emails from Jazz and you don’t want them, click on the second link in the footer.

What do you guys think? Personally, I’m content with this response. Thanks to everyone who did get in touch- I hope David has provided a solution for those of you who did not want any future emails.

For the past month or so, I’ve been in zombie mode, not really doing anything other than working and sleeping. I think that on rare occasions, we all need this. However, twenty two days late, I think I’m ready to start my 2012. In China this would be completely acceptable, since it’s the Chinese New Year tomorrow.

I think this year may be a good year for me. At the start of January I told myself I would lose the weigh that I put on over Christmas. Well, I’ve done so well that now my jeans don’t fit. That’s got to be a good sign. I’ve always been a bit of a geek, so I guess making a list for pressing play on my life is a natural thing to do.

• Write something huge.
• Get back to learning about photography.
• Go out more.
• Draw.
• Read properly again.
• Have better relationships with those who actually matter.
• Continue the pilgrimage to one of The Cure’s shows.
• Play my bass again.

And… well… I dunno, some other crap. That’s a pretty generic list up there when you look at it, but when you start doing those things again you realise that the smaller things help you feel alive. It’s not all about getting up at 6.30, going to work, having your tea, writing, showering, sleeping and repeating for five days a week. That’s boring. That’s for wankers.

For those who care, this all means that you can expect to see more work from me in upcoming months. I want to kick-start some new projects, and develop a few skills I have. I think you guys will all like it. Hopefully, anyway. In the mean time, you’ll be able to see a new column from me in Total Tattoo next month, and I may have the time next week to change a couple of things on Tattoosday UK around as well. 2012, I have decided to kick your ass. Wear a cup.

Reblogged from Cartoons & Creative Writing:

If you are at all acquainted with the English language, you may have noticed some common sayings and words in there that are really silly, once you come to think of it. For example, why is it called a boxing ring when it is actually a square? Why is the load of the ship referred to as cargo, but when a truck carries a load on land, that is referred to as shipping? Actors recite a play for an audience, but then they play at a recital. See? It doesn’t make sense! But that is English, unfortunately. That is …

I think about this kind of stuff probably as much as the person who wrote this does. The English language is beautiful, but like a lot of beautiful people it doesn’t make a lot of sense sometimes.

This week, Total Tattoo Magazine’s newest issue came out, and has confirmed to the world what those of us “behind the scenes” knew for a while: Sally Feldt will no longer be the editor of Total Tattoo Magazine. I have to admit, I’m pretty gutted. Last year, we lost Alex Guest as an editor and valuable asset to tattooing- now I have to say goodbye to another of my favourite editors. This sucks.

Within writing, on very rare occasions you will come across an individual who lives and breathes every word they write. These people are extremely astounding, and they will capture your attention in a way which very few people can. Sally’s writing and contribution to tattooing has always had my attention. Sally is a kind and thoughtful person, and this comes across in pretty much everything she’s done, and Total Tattoo will always be one of the best tattoo magazines in the world.

Ever since I started my humble little tattoo blog over three years ago, I always wanted to write for Total Tattoo Magazine. I’d spoken to Sally a few times before I started writing for the magazine, even wishing each other good luck when we were nominated for the same award at the Industry Awards in Liverpool- you’d never get that at the Oscars! She was always a pleasure to talk to. When she asked me if I’d like to have a column in her magazine, I didn’t even spend a second thinking about it.

Sally has been an incredibly amazing editor, and working with her was a real pleasure. She was supportive and helpful, and one of the best bosses I’ve ever had. It’s a real shame to see her go. I just really wanted to use my little corner of the Internet to say thanks, and that I will miss her terribly.

We do, of course, have a new editor in James. James is a really cool guy who works really hard. He’s worked as editor on some issues before, and he’s done a great job of it already. As much as I’ll miss Sally, I am really looking forward to working with James. 2012 is still a brand new year, yet James is already a breath of fresh air to an already outstanding magazine. Here’s to new changes- I hope we all do you proud, Sally! Thanks for everything- if I told these people how much you’ve helped improve my writing, it would be embarrassing.

If you’re a regular reader of my site, you will know that this month I am talking about the differences between being a female tattooer now, and being one decades ago. I was fortunate enough to have the help of some wonderful tattooers, whose work is absolutely fantastic.

Sally was also cool enough to let me share some of the wise words bestowed onto me from Kate Hellenbrand and Dawnii Pit- you can click here and here to read them both.

Dawnii

I’m in a pretty good place with my writing lately, even though it may not be obvious since I’ve been without a computer for a week or two. I’m working on some cool things, though,  and I can’t wait to show them off. From a geek’s point of view, it’s also been cool getting good feedback from tattooers I really admire. I guess anyone else here would name-check some tattooers, but most of my friends don’t really care who these people are, so I won’t, haha. It’s cool though, even if I do always feel like a dork talking to these cool people.

Next week I will be updating the site every day, which is going to rule- I love my new computer. I have some cool ideas for a few things, and I can’t wait to see how they turn out.

As always, thank you for being so supportive. Thanks especially for this month, where many people have been extremely nice and understanding of current events. You guys rule, I’d definitely win in a “who has a coolest readers ever” contest.

Yep, my faithful writing companion since 2007 is now dead. It was a long time coming, to be honest. It was already terminally ill with bloated software and crap. It stayed a short while away from me while I used someone else’s computer, which upset it even more. Then, I had a horrible break up, and by the time the computer came back to me, its heart couldn’t take any more. Poor thing now commits suicide after twenty minutes of use from the traitor who made it live at Peewee’s house. I apologised, but it wasn’t having any of it, so I had to buy a new computer.

AND IT IS GREAT.

I got a great deal from some dude named Matt on an old MacBook, which I’ll be using while I save for a MacBook Pro laptop. I love it, and I’ll be able to write again, which is the biggest relief ever.

I’ve realised just how much I love writing, now. They say you don’t know what you have until it’s gone- it couldn’t be more true, really. Among other things I’ve lost lately, not being able to write drove me mental. I’m ridiculously happy now that I can write again.

Fuck it, I might even write a whole book on this thing. Then never release it, to prove I was doing it for the sake of writing itself.

Anyway, I am back, thank you for being concerned.

I will be updating this blog a lot more often now that it doesn’t make me bang my head against the walls. If there’s anything you’re interested in, let me know. I’ll be updating you all on what’s been happening with m writing this weekend. Thanks for your patience.

Monday was awesome. Really awesome. One of my favourite ever Halloweens. After sleeping off Danielle and Kev’s wedding, I popped down to see my pals at Inkslingers, in Newcastle. They were having a ‘trick or treat’ day with Siobhan and Lauren, the apprentices in the studio. The idea was simple- they had a really cool flash sheet, and you could pick something from it, and pick a card from their witch’s hat. If you picked a card that said ‘trick’, you paid 30 quid for the tattoo. Pick ‘treat’ and it was free!

I love Halloween and I love free. Of course I went. Look what I got:

Awesome! A free tattoo! I just had to choose one, haha. I spent ages looking at the flash sheet, and wondering which one I wanted to get. You have to realise, the sheet was a bit too good, and I had some real trouble deciding on just the one.

“Why not get that Grim Reaper Siobhan drew a while ago?”,  Paul said. He was talking about this bad lad:

Wow, what a cheeky little grim reaper! He’s a little bigger than what was on the Halloween sheet, but we’re all friends so Siobhan said she really wanted to do it!

Now, Siobhan is just a baby tattooer- she’s only been tattooing for a short while, and she’ll still be an apprentice for a while, too. With that being said, being tattooed from Siobhan is a pleasure. She’s great for where she is, she’s gentle and she’s a lot faster than she seems to think as well. Also, she is my friend, and I love being tattooed by my friends, it makes everything class.

We decided to get my other arm filled in a little more to start to develop a kind of half sleeve. I already had one tattoo on this arm at the top, but this is a welcome addition! Here’s what I ended up with:

Sorry for the lame Instamatic picture, my computer is going way too slow for me to turn the original the right way around to put in this post.

After that, I did some shopping and met up with Peewee for some bowling. I don’t really want to talk about the bowling. Haha, I’m kidding, but I did lose- clearly because of my new tattoo and not because I’m really shit at it (of course!). We played on the arcade games as well, because this is the perfect sort of date two geeks go on (I’m the lesser geek, trust me). Look what I won with my tickets, though:

How cute are these cool dudes?! I still haven’t given them names- comments below with suggestions, please.

After that we went to watch a scary film for Halloween- we ended up with The Killing Room, which is actually one of the worst films I’ve ever seen. It was one of those films where around the halfway mark, you both know it’ll not get any better, but you’ve got this far and you’re too stubborn to give in. I think we both felt relieved when it was over.

When it was, though, it was my birthday!

Now, I was going to write about this now too, but I’ve ran out of time talking shit with you all. I’ll pick this up again tomorrow after work, where I will talk to you all about this:

Until tomorrow, I wish you are all well, and I’d like to thank you for making my birthday really great. I’ll tell you guys about it all tomorrow, I’m off to the cinema with my boyfriend and my best mate, enjoying my last day off work!

oxo

Wanna hear something mental? My cousin got married on Sunday! I know, right? Danielle Hall is now Danielle Watt. The wedding was really great as well. It took place in Jesmond, which is a really lovely part of Newcastle. Everyone from ours and Kev’s (the nervous groom) family were there, along with friends and other cool people. Danielle looked like a princess, look:

Kev looked okay, I suppose.

By the way, if you think that cake looks great, you should see the one they had next to it:

I currently have five of those bad lads in my fridge.

Anyway, we got all the formal stuff out of the way, and had a really lovely meal (though, what was one that chocolate cake?! I still ate it all, like), then partied like it’s 1999. We had a really great time, and everyone was happy even if they were crying as well (not me though, I’m nails).

I don’t really want to talk too much about Danielle and Kev’s wedding, because it was too lovely for your peasant eyes, and because it was a personal family event. However, I’d like you all to take that coffee in your hand and raise a glass for Mr and Mrs Watt, because they rock.

Now if you could both hurry up and have some little ginger babies that would be grand.