The New Way of Tattoo Culture with NoWay Collective
A new tattooing collective has appeared near the intersection of Bank and Gilmour street in Ottawa. Created and run by talented queer artists Kelsey, Maxwell, and Alex, No Way Collective breaks through the traditions of tattoo shop culture and focuses on a holistic view of the practice. On September 26th, 2021, from 1-5pm, No Way Collective will be opening its doors to the public for an open house tour and launch celebration where you can familiarize yourself with the space and meet the artists in person. “We love the community down here so far. It’s a great spot, [and] there are lots of artists in the area that we hope to promote,” Kelsey mentioned. Maxwell initiated the idea of hosting art from local artists in the studio before the trio began putting their plan for No Way Collective into action and the other artists encouraged the idea of featuring art and zines in the space. (If you are an artist looking to share your work in a new space you can reach out to Maxwell on Instagram @_maxwell_made).
In our interview, Alex delves into their personal beginnings in art, specifically his original childhood dedication to realism. "When I wanted to start tattooing I didn’t think that photo-realistic tattoos were something I wanted to do, so I started to develop my style about five years ago," they explain. As Alex continues his tattooing, trusting his own skills more and more, they are incorporating realism into their illustrative style pieces. He chuckles as they admit that they are a perfectionist: "It’s still very illustrative, but I do more shading and I try to make the pieces more dimensional. My style has been a journey." When it comes to the types of pieces Alex tattoos, they explain, “I don’t do custom pieces, I stick to my flash creations. I have social anxiety so the back and forth conversation of trying to get a piece to be exactly what the client wants creates a lot of stress for me. I want both of us to be comfortable with the work, so that is why I stick to flash. I love to do variation, and I can change little things within the flash to personalize it for them, but doing a whole design for them is a lot. There’s a lot of expectation to bring something someone else thought of to life.”
Kelsey's personal practice of art was fueled by her university studies in the fine arts program at the University of Ottawa. Having begun with photography as her medium of choice, she confesses, "I was always really called to the body, first looking at my own body." She explains that the move to tattooing made sense to her as her art continued “evolving into this medium that is so connected with another person,” going on to say, “[evolving] made me shift my focus and really try to learn about the complexities and intricacies of collaborating with the person you’re tattooing." She expands on how she goes about the tattooing options that are available through her personal practice: “I am trying to focus mostly on my flash pieces, but I’m open to custom too. I'd like people to feel comfortable picking a design from my flash that they'd want to work together to customize.”
For Maxwell, tattooing was an early passion and aspiration. He notes his interest in the practice as early as middle school, saying, "I saw those Instagram accounts with tattoo artists who made OC’s [original characters] all the time. I started drawing faces to achieve that." His personal style emerged over time as his signature three-pronged nose made its appearance on skin more and more. He explains that this feature of his art is quite polarizing amongst clients, proudly adding that tattooing has pushed him to experiment more with abstract ideas. “Seeing how art like that moves on people's bodies is probably my favourite part about tattooing. I love designing things on someone’s body on the day of the appointment.” He also gives insight into how multiple art styles help give perspective in tattooing. “Using watercolour and brush pens also helped me in my practice when it comes to colour theory and pressure respectively,” Maxwell divulges and both Kelsey and Alex nod in agreement.
When it comes to the client experience, Maxwell gives a comprehensive walkthrough as he explains what sessions are like and how he personally goes about his relationship to clients and the art he tattoos for them:
“The first ten minutes of a tattoo appointment is figuring out how that person’s skin works on that area of the body and how receptive it is to the ink. There’s a little bit of time to adjust and figure stuff out. Everyone’s body is different and their body heals differently too, so there are many things to consider.”
“I’m not going to say yes to every single person who comes to me because I won’t be able to give them the custom art at the quality that they deserve. I think we all wanted to focus on our personal styles and develop them further, so I will redirect them to someone I know could execute the idea. I usually create three designs and let the client pick or I suggest they mix and match. I totally accept clients' suggestions for changes on what I’ve created. I think a lot of the time people feel a power imbalance with their artist where they think the artist knows everything and that the artist's opinion is the only thing that matters, but it’s their body so ultimately if I like a design and you don’t, we don’t have to do it. It can be stressful and rewarding, but I also like to draw something up at the beginning of an appointment and figure it out on the spot.”
As an activity, I asked Alex, Maxwell, and Kelsey if they could create a tattoo to represent themself or the Collective in their own way. I was delighted by their responses and the images they included. The team loved Maxwell’s depiction, a tattoo that was already a part of him, featuring a humanoid creature, stating, “I’m just a fleshy form trying my best to be happy.”
For Kelsey, she felt that the Collective was best represented by something abstract, a step outside of the norm, and something that showcases “a touch of reality, but is warped or changed, or abstracted.” She continues her thought process by explaining that a tattoo that “interacts with the other tattoos or features of the person’s body” would best represent her work and the essence of No Way Collective.
Alex captured what the studio and his place within the Collective meant to them through the image of “No Way” on the forehead of one of his illustrated faces, showing that they [the character, or himself] are thinking something, but not necessarily saying it. “It’s very on-brand for me,” they joke, noting his more reserved approach to conversation.
When asked about how the collective came to be, each artist emphasizes that they desired to create a safe space for clients that was not only as accessible as possible, but as holistic as it could be through trauma-informed practices. “The tattoo community is really male dominated, and we wanted to have a space that was more chill and inclusive,” Alex notes, starting the unravelling of a larger conversation.
The team at No Way Collective considers the experiences of new tattoo artists taking on apprenticeships in the traditional tattoo shop as a male-dominated culture, and elected to create a space where they could step away from that established culture and have more freedom to create their own practices. “It would be really difficult for any of us to get an apprenticeship at a traditional shop,” Maxwell states, explaining that “[t]here are a lot of great studios in Ottawa, but there are many shops that are old-school and, for me personally, they weren’t welcoming at all. Lots of tattooists have been in the industry a really long time and they endured long apprenticeships where they weren’t really treated well or paid well. Unfortunately there is this mentality that this is how the initiation should continue, since it was tradition when they started.”
The three artists took time in our interview to reflect on the ways that traditional tattooing, while effective and focused on custom designs, often views clients as canvases rather than people. “I think when you have so many people coming to you in a day, you lose that emotional side. What we try to do is maximize comfort and ask for consent repeatedly, and we usually only take one or two appointments in a day,” Maxwell told me. This perspective seemed universal with the members of No Way Collective, as both Alex and Kelsey emphasized this idea in their own words.
“What sets us apart from other establishments is really who we are and how we treat and communicate with people. I think that can be really overlooked sometimes in the industry. It is an intimate practice! You’re working with someone’s body and it can be traumatic,” Kelsey explains, her passion revealing itself through her tone. The shared mentality surrounding traditional tattoo culture was inevitably what pushed these three artists to join together and create No Way Collective. “For me, No Way Collective is a space to work on art and grow and learn with more flexibility than the alternative,” Kelsey adds from a personal perspective. “Personally, it’s important to work at my own pace because I have chronic pain.”
Standing true to their mission to create an inclusive, accessible space for artists and clients alike, the members of No Way Collective take accessibility seriously and continue to read and educate themselves on trauma-informed practices.
To begin our conversation on accessibility, the No Way Collective team all commented on the unfortunate limitations of their current studio space. “In the future we’d love a space that has an elevator or is street level to increase our accessibility, but for now we do have the limitation of the staircase. The stairs are certainly an issue for now because it’s one thing to go up them, but going down them after you’ve just gotten a tattoo can be even more difficult on your body, but we are always happy to help. I know some people may feel uncomfortable asking, but we are there to support them with their time in the studio,” Maxwell added on.
When discussing trauma-informed practices, Kelsey explains that she has been invested in the resources offered by Tamara Santibañez, a long-time tattoo artist in New York. “They provide a lot of resources for tattooing that you wouldn’t necessarily expect to receive. They’ve written a book and they have the trauma-informed workshop which was partially a powerpoint, but Tamara also led the whole presentation. I am still at the beginning of my practice, but I hope that it will enhance my practice as I move forward. To be trauma-informed is to be educated and prepared to encounter possible situations and scenarios that come with working in such a complex environment. The workshop really identifies the large role that intersectionality plays in the experience of tattooing.”
Kelsey quotes Tamara in our interview, saying, “[a] one-size-fits-all approach to customer service is a disservice to clients as individuals.” Kelsey notes how much her and the other members of No Way Collective take this sentiment to heart, and Maxwell adds, “The resources have a lot of information about working on people who have darker skin tones or melanated skin. They really focus on being trauma-informed and consider the emotional labour aspect.” The team reveers the writings on trauma-informed tattooing, thankful to have access to it and to be able to incorporate what they learned in their practices. (If you are interested in reading these resources or supporting Tamara, you can find more about them here: https://linktr.ee/tamarasantibanez ).
Each artist mentions repeatedly that they value the communication and relationship they create between themselves and clients. They make sure to explain their processes, make informed decisions with the clients, and view the tattooing process as a collaborative one. Entering a new studio space can create some anxieties, but the members of No Way Collective are attentive and check in with clients regularly to make sure that everyone has a comfortable experience and feels safe in their space. They remove the expectation for clients to sit through an entire tattoo at once and encourage breaks if it makes clients more comfortable. “We tailor the care to the client. We can break up the sessions if needed,” Kelsey explains.
While there may be some physical obstacles to the space, the members did highlight some other ways they communicate with clients to ensure their practice is accessible to each individual; whether it is through the lower sounds of buzzing on their tattoo machines, or client access to the music controls while in their appointment. They also take into consideration financial obstacles potential clients may face and enact opportunities like a barter system to give everyone access to tattooing. Maxwell has incorporated the barter system into his practice, explaining, “I try to do one or two appointments in this way every month. I’ve had someone pay for their tattoo with crystals and offer information on each one. I’ve had others cover it with half money and half food. I have fun with it, it’s like getting a gift in exchange for your work, and it’s a way to say ‘Fuck Capitalism!’”
Alex adds another layer of accessibility to the Collective, as they offer colour tests to Black clients for free. “It gives them a guide to see what different ink looks like on their skin and helps them to understand what ink they might want in the future. For me personally, it lets me know what colours show up best on different skin tones. It’s really rewarding for everyone involved.” Aside from all the ways the No Way Collective is accessible and accommodating, each of the members is committed to consistent learning and notes in our interview that they are always open to feedback so that they stay informed as to how they can continue to make their space one that prioritizes client autonomy. “Emailing us at nowaycollective@gmail.com is a way to reach out and send feedback,” the Collective says.
If you’re in the market for a new piece of art on your body, you can see the artists work on Instagram through their personal profiles: Kelsey @soft_broad; Maxwell @_maxwell_made; and Alex @pokeshaw. They are open to answering questions about tattooing, art display collaborations in their studio, or general inquiries about No Way Collective through @nowaycollective on Instagram. To book with Maxwell, you can find a form in his bio on Instagram. If you’d like to book with Kelsey, you can go through her website, also linked in her instagram bio. And if you’re interested in Alex’s flash pieces, you can reach them through Instagram direct message. While the studio location is only just recently established, I have no doubt that No Way Collective will hold a strong and necessary presence in Ottawa’s tattoo scene.