Ann Savage: Ink and Resilience

SunStar Philippines

This video explores the life of Ann Savage, a female tattoo artist based in Cebu City, and how she balances art and motherhood. It is part of SunStar's special features for Women's Month.

Transcript

00:00Hi, I'm Anne Savage.

00:06I'm a tattoo artist.

00:08I started tattooing in 2011 and we managed to open, not really open because it's a boarding

00:17house.

00:18So this is Joe's boarding house for two years.

00:23So since we couldn't afford back then to rent a proper shop, we opted to make our boarding

00:33house or maybe 10 square meters boarding house into a tattoo studio during the day.

00:45But during the night time, behind the cabinet, behind our workstation, where we put our personal

01:03stuff.

01:04But during the daytime, you would really see it like as a tattoo studio.

01:08And then, with the help of Joe and me, who worked hard to earn for a living, we started

01:26to open a mini studio outside the apartment or boarding house area to make a car wash.

01:35So there was a 4 meter size space and we rented it out to the same owner of the boarding house.

01:44God was very good.

01:48God was really guiding us to be able to open this time because back then we were just making

01:54fun of each other.

01:55But always I would make jokes to Joe, like, what if, what if, what if, he was looking

02:02at the glass window.

02:03Although it was just 4 meter square, he was looking at it because he could see the accessibility

02:11of people looking at the glass window.

02:142012, thank God that we opened again because all the glory and praises were for us because

02:24it's, to me, it wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for him.

02:28So 2012, we managed to open our studio, like official main tattoo studio, which is this

02:38place.

02:39From 4 square meter size shop, now to a 75 square meter.

02:46So I'm very, very grateful to all the people who showed support, especially to our dear

02:52clients who also became our constant support since the beginning.

02:59And without them, without their financial support, without their trust, we wouldn't

03:08make it this far.

03:10For most women, tattoos have always been a powerful form of self-expression, especially

03:17to women who are going through a lot of things like emotional stress.

03:23They like to get tattoos or to have tattoos because of the feeling, like how it makes

03:31them feel, like it's like a therapy to them.

03:37So especially to me, I've tried that before when I was very, very stressed, I even had

03:42two artists doing my back piece at the same time.

03:49So imagine, and I just slept the whole time because it was very therapeutic for me.

03:54So most of the women, they consider tattoo as a form of healing or recovery from emotional

04:07trauma and stuff.

04:10Some also consider it as self-expression, like resilience or strength, or even an identity

04:18of who you are.

04:19Like for example, you wanted this kind of symbol to represent of who you are, like most

04:25of the clients that we have would come here to get their birth flowers or would get their

04:33zodiac signs.

04:35Like for me, for example, I got a rainbow tattoo, which represents happiness, like tattooing

04:45or balancing art and motherhood at the same time is really challenging.

04:50But to me, it is a very fulfilling aspect of my life as a person, because work-life

05:00balance as a tattoo artist requires a lot of time.

05:06For example, the time at the studio, I have to be there like really focused for my craft

05:13because of course, it's a permanent tattoo.

05:15So it's a permanent art on someone's skin and I want to give my all or my best, my 100%

05:25to my client.

05:26So at the same time, on the motherhood side, I also have to be present, like to be the

05:33best mom to my kids.

05:36So it really requires a lot of patience.

05:40As a mother of five and a tattoo artist, I've learned to be, how can I say, intentional

05:46with my time because like, again, juggling both are not easy because tattooing and motherhood

05:55are both very demanding.

05:57Why?

05:58Because my client, you have to give your, your opinion on what they want, their designs.

06:05Like even making the design alone requires a lot of energy because the client wants to

06:10change this, that, and the last minute of changes and things like that.

06:16So while tattooing, most of the people that are not familiar with tattoos, they don't

06:24think, if they see it, they think that it's just a drawing, it's not as easy as that.

06:30But actually, it requires focus, so mental, it requires your posture, your back, your

06:41eyesight, eye straining, and emotionally, because most of the clients come in, most

06:53of the artists, I don't know how to explain it, but to me, personally, personal experience,

06:58I can absorb energies from my clients.

07:02So emotional stress, it can affect the artist, let's say, for example, the client is very,

07:11is going through a lot of things, and then by the time she or he came, he comes to the

07:17studio, he's upset, so he absorbs the energy.

07:21So by the time I go home, I'm drained and sad, and then sometimes it affects my motherhood,

07:29my children, I'm overwhelmed in the studio.

07:34So all the working moms out there, not just in the tattoo industry, but in general, is

07:38to embrace your passion and your role as a mother without guilt, because why we, most

07:46of us women or moms, have this feeling of mom guilt most of the time because we're out

07:52for work and not attending to our kids, and the society always dictates us moms to always

08:03be present for our kids, which is also their point of view, but like I said, for working

08:09moms out there, finding balance isn't about being perfect at all.

08:14It's also, it's being about, it's being present in the moments that truly matters to us moms,

08:22and I always want to encourage you all that remember you are not just working for your

08:33family or for your kids, but also setting an example of strength, dedication, and perseverance

08:41to all the women out there.

Category

Transcript

Recommended