At Pace

Can you tell us about yourself?
I’m a tattoo artist and I do hand-poked tattoos. I’ve been doing it for four years and have been enjoying it so far. Sometimes I help my partner Sarah out at her café on the side. As for hobbies, I’d say my job is my hobby. I also grow plants and garden at home, and Sarah and I both keep fish!

That’s nice! Would you say it’s stressful having to monetise your hobby?
Not really, no. I think it’s fine because people come to me to have my work, so I’m completely fine with that regard.

That’s nice! Do you and Sarah both keep the same types of fish?
Different kinds of fish in different tanks. She has her own tanks, and I have my own.

I keep what they call in the trade a nano fish. There are tons of types—some super colourful, some not—so just pick what you feel you can take care of. We usually aquascape the tank with lots of plants. It ends up looking pretty nice…at least I think (laughs). Sarah’s are kind of the same, they’re just more unique looking.

Are the fish easy to maintain?
I clean the tank once every two weeks, so it’s not too crazy. I’d say it’s a lazy man’s hobby.

Is it therapeutic watching the fish?
Yeah, it’s really therapeutic. I catch myself just staring at the tank for a long time. Then I look at the clock and realise I’ve been watching it for 30 minutes, sometimes even an hour. You lose track of time so easily. Especially when you’re doing maintenance—trimming the plants, feeding the fish, changing the water. It’s the same with my houseplants; I’ve been keeping them for almost 10 years now. It’s fun and really rewarding.

Do you have a favourite plant?
Anything that’s easy to grow, easy to take care of, and easy to understand. Plants from the aroids family, like philodendrons, monsteras, epipremnum, these are plants that are easy, and I collect some of them.

Let’s talk about your tattooing journey—how did you get into tattooing?
It all started in 2019 when I was unemployed during my work visa in Australia. I’d already been collecting tattoos from tattoo artists in Melbourne, so I got some supplies from them and started doing hand pokes for fun in my house, doing stuff for housemates, for friends, things like that.

When I came back to Singapore, I stopped and got a full-time job, but when Covid struck, I got laid off as a designer, so I chose to pick up the hobby again.

Have you tried machine tattooing, or would you just stick with handpoking?
I think I’m one of those that didn’t really transition, but it’s always a thought I have because I think I’ll be able to pick it up quite easily. For now, I’m sticking to what I’m comfortable with, which is handpoking.

What inspires your designs?
Mostly nature. My plant hobby is definitely a strong inspiration. A lot of my image making comes from the plants that I see. Other than that, it’s anything that I see online or in real life, anything that interests me. Recently it’s been medieval themes.

What do you do when you’re in a creative block?
I work on my hobbies and do other things. If you can’t do anything creatively, then do other things. Hang out with friends, hang out with Sarah, just the simple things. Actually, I haven’t had a creative block for awhile. Honestly, if I want to create, then I create. If I don’t want to create, then I don’t create. It’s not like I have a KPI of how many flash sheets I have. I don’t need to do that (laughs).

That’s definitely something we should all remember—the importance of keeping to your own pace! How long have you and Sarah been together and how’d you both meet?
Two years. We met online, but also at her café (laughs).

Last question, what’s one thing you’ve learned from her?
Probably patience, and to think before I speak.