INFLUX Magazine Spring 2024

She believes the energy she brings to<br />

the studio and the energy she puts into<br />

the tattoo will stick with the client within<br />

the artwork. Whether they are a onetime<br />

client or a loyal regular, a tattoo is a<br />

moment that two people share with each<br />

other and is often permanently ingrained<br />

in not only the client’s skin but also in the<br />

exchange of energy.<br />

And this is not solely an addition to the<br />

client, but a learning experience for the<br />

artist. TOOF considers it a privilege<br />

to grow and change through each<br />

connection and each tattoo, even long<br />

after the service is over.<br />

“To have people who want to get<br />

artwork done by me and continue to<br />

live the rest of their days with my<br />

art on their body is really just an honor<br />

and a privilege that I will never ever fully<br />

conceptualize,” TOOF said.<br />

Widespread misconceptions about tattoo<br />

shops and their artists can make it difficult<br />

to see the larger picture of what it means to<br />

get — and give — a tattoo. TOOF learned<br />

after just two years in the profession that<br />

it does not need to be an intense, scary<br />

experience, but rather one that fosters a<br />

connection between two people in the form<br />

of artwork.<br />

Artwork that lasts<br />

for years to come, just<br />

beneath the surface<br />

of the skin.<br />

Hard Headz Studio<br />

662 Payne Ave., St. Paul, MN<br />

(Top left) TOOF prepares for an upcoming tattoo<br />

appointment at Hard Headz Tattoo Studio in St. Paul,<br />

on March 12. Photos by Maya Modelli<br />

10 <strong>INFLUX</strong> MAGAZINE SPRING <strong>2024</strong> SPRING <strong>2024</strong> <strong>INFLUX</strong> MAGAZINE 11