→ 31 May 12 at 9 am
Albany, New York 2012 (Lark Street Tattoo)
LARK STREET TATTOO - one of my first after-school jobs. I got a job here when I was in 8th grade - true story. I worked there up until the Summer of my Freshman year at Art School. As a curious 13 year old, I loved going in there everyday to look at their Tattoo Flash and art books. I also had a crush on Bruce Kaplan, the owner, so I found myself in there a lot trying to get his attention. One day, to make use of an annoying kid like me and to get some tedious work done, they asked if I wanted to make a couple bucks tidying up a workstation. I was taught how to clean grips and tubes and sterilize equipment. I was fascinated and excited with it all. As I came back, I was given more work and more duties…like drafting up tattoo artwork for clients and managing the shop. As Bruce says, “Vashtie could run her own tattoo shop with all the experience she has”. It was so unreal. Here I was this kid in a Catholic School Uniform hanging out in a tattoo shop everyday after-school. It must have looked so crazy, but everyone assumed I was Bruce’s daughter.
The guys that worked there strangely became father figures to me, as I had rebelled from my own parents years prior (I also think that my parents still don’t know about me working there). They’d ask me “what did you learn in school today?” - something that my parents never asked me, but really made me think about the lessons taught (or mis-taught rather). Not only that, but they’d meet all the kids I hung out with to make sure they weren’t terrible. I also had to have a perfect report card to get anything pierced (ears only) and they told me I could only get tattooed when I was of legal age. I think working there took the appeal out of wanting one, because after being surrounded by amazing tattoo work, terrible tattoo trends and having a lot of ideas of my own - I ended up getting none…ever.
They taught me about music, art, film, culture and fed me in a way that (no doubt) helped to create the girl that I am today.
