We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Sydney Koele a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Sydney , appreciate you joining us today. Do you feel you or your work has ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized? If so, tell us the story and how/why it happened and if there are any interesting learnings or insights you took from the experience?

In the tattoo industry, fine line tattoos were often thought of as impossible. These opinions often stemmed from the difficulty in getting a tattoo so small and the issues that often occurred while fine line pieces are fully healed.

I have worked with numerous Clie its that have shared previous experiences with me, of artists saying, “it’s not possible to go any smaller”. Although that might be true for that specific artist, that does not mean it is impossible to another.
During my apprenticeship in Hawaii, I was able to watch and learn from many fine line artists, who went into a tattoo focusing on how it was going to heal more than anything.

Although a lot of detail can be sought out, there are still important limits for an artists work to heal well.
It is inevitable that as the ink settles into the skin as time goes on tattoos spread out a little. However, with certain practices during the actual tattoo process, these effects can be minimized greatly. One of these, is making sure designs aren’t too jam packed with details.

This way of thinking is important to making sure a fine line piece will heal correctly and remain fine line!

Sydney , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My entire life I have enjoyed doing art. I have always been supported by my family to continue making art and to explore different mediums. During Covid, I was able to reflect on my life and my goals a little. I had toyed around with the idea of doing art professionally, and I was eventually pushed by my mom to take the leap and try it out!

In Hawaii, I was very fortunate to know someone that had a connection to a tattoo shop, so I gave it a shot! Giving them my portfolio was one of the most nerve wracking things, but it was a leap I was willing to take. Luckily, they saw potential, and that’s where my journey began!

During my apprenticeship, I was exposed to a lot of difficult situations. At the time, it was difficult to manage, but it has shaped me to better understand problem solving when it comes to difficult situations.
My previous mentor was very stern about hygiene and sanitation, so that aspect was ingrained in me from the beginning.

I am the most proud of the community I have that enjoy my work and trust me enough to put my art on them forever!
My clientele are the most amazing and sweet people, and they truly do make the job and the hard work worth it.

I am proud that I get to put my art on people, and that I can share my work through ink and a needle!

I always want people to feel comfortable bringing things up to me. I will always say, “I will see this a few times in my life, but you will see it every day.”
I know talking with an artist can be intimidating, and you can often think you are annoying them, but I genuinely want people to have the tattoo they want!

Communication is a top priority for me during the tattoo process!

For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?

The most rewarding aspect of being an artist is seeing and hearing all the joy people experience from getting a piece of art from me.

I love when my clients are over the moon about their new tattoos, and I am always so grateful when they adore the pieces just as much as I do!

That aspect alone definitely fuels my inspiration and my drive to do more work!

Have you ever had to pivot?

Before Covid, I was starting college to be a doctor.

Due to the lockdown, I was able to be with myself and make some important decisions on who I am and what I want from this life. At the end of the day, I realized I wanted to put my art out there.

With a little push from my mom, I was inspired to take the leap and at least try.

To this day, I am so grateful to have had my mom’s support on this big life changing decision.
It was one of the craziest decisions I have ever made, but I can’t imagine my life any other way.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.instagram.com/_bone.broth_
• Instagram: @_bone.broth_