Joe B.

I had the chance to sit down with tattooer Joe at her home base, TAT-A-RAMA on Bloor, for the inside scoop behind tats, tats on tits, and lots more.  

Right off the bat, I had to know – what is the craziest tattoo Joe’s ever done? Sweet and sour balls.  Literally.  A friend of Joe’s asked her to do the honours and tattoo “sweet” and “sour” on his testicles. Ouch. 

Joe, now 31, has been tattooing for the better half of her life.  How did it all begin? She’s always painted, but never took her craft seriously, dreaming instead of pursuing a career as a veterinarian. It was during school that Joe decided to trade in her lab coat for tattoo needle, and she’s never looked back.  

Covered by tats of all colours, I ask Joe if she’s got a favourite.  She has trouble choosing just one – but after some deliberation – picks a jumping tiger stretched across her back. Another tiny faded spider on her ankle catches my eye.  It’s Joe’s first tattoo, and she did it herself through needle poking when she was 15 years old.   

Ironically enough, when it comes work, Joe prefers black and grey to colour tattoos, and specializes in Japanese style and realistic portraits. That being said, Joe of all trades is proficient in all tat styles, and has a kick ass portfolio to prove it.  (You can check out the TATTOO GALLERY of TAT-A-RAMA for pics). 

Before long, we are way off topic, discussing the loves of Joe’s life – her two cats and dogs. While we could both easily spend the next hour exchanging wacky pet stories – I attempt to reel us back to the interview and throw out my next question.  Was it difficult for Joe to break into the industry as a woman?  The answer surprises me.  While Joe assures me that the tattoo industry is dominated my men, and it was difficult to break through at first, she’s overcome the hurdles and then some. Now that she’s in, she’s got a huge advantage.  Not only do most women prefer to be tattooed by women, but surprisingly enough, a lot of men feel the same way.

While customers are predominantly male, Joe has noticed a huge change over the last couple of years – women are becoming more accepting of tattoos. She credits MIAMI INK for bringing tattooing into the mainstream, and exposing people to it who would have never considered getting tattooed an option.   

Next, I wanted to know about common mistakes people make with tattoos.  In terms of placement, Joe sees customers make bad decisions all the time - wrists and especially bottoms of feet – “not a hot area.” 

It is policy at TAT-A-RAMA to not do faces, necks, or hands, however, Joe is willing to make the exception if customer has thought their idea through.  One time, Joe had a monk with a shaved head come in who asked for a Buddhist swastika symbol on a very visible part of his body. Joe refused.  She couldn’t stomach the idea of the guy being mistaken for a skinhead and getting beat up on the street.  She explained her decision, and ended up talking her customer out of getting the tat altogether. 

Our conversation shifts to extreme tattooing. Over the last couple years I’ve been noticing more younger girls with sleeves and massive chest tattoos in the city than ever before. 

Joe’s mouth clenches at the mention of chest tats.  It breaks her heart every time a girl comes in, often in tears, begging Joe to fix a horrible tattoo she had done at a cheap shop.  Unfortunately there are many in the city. 

As our chat wraps up, Joe confides in me that she forgets what she looks like all the time.  She’ll be walking her dogs on the street, notice people staring, and get self conscious, wondering if she’s got something in her teeth. Hard to believe. As I look at Joe, the red lips, long dark hair, and upper body covered in tats – she projects all the cool in the world.  I suppose Joe may be right after all as exclaims, at the end of the day, “we’re ALL just nerds.”