May 2018: What’s New @ Witch City Ink!

We are welcoming this sunny weather with wide open arms, and we have lots of updates to share about Witch City Ink! After the excitement of running the Seventeenth Annual Boston Tattoo Convention last month, we are going full speed ahead toward a busy summer season. From beautifying our interior, to offering new magickal items for sale, to welcoming a talented new artist into the fold, there are lots of new things to share…

INSIDE THE SHOP:

Here at Witch City Ink we have been enjoying the ongoing process of updating our beautiful space here in downtown Salem. You may notice a few changes next time you visit, like the fact that our beloved human skeleton Boris has a gorgeous new home! There is art everywhere you look, and we are proud to continue making the atmosphere more and more representative of the exceptional work happening within our four walls. First and foremost, tattooing is an art, and we want our space to reflect a respect and appreciation for this idea. How do you decorate a temple that is devoted the decoration of own our bodily temples? With a lot of beautiful, meaningful, and intriguing art! Many curiosities in our shop are a tiny bit of the evidence of a lifetime of travel & creation on the part of our owner Natan Alexander. If you can catch him in a rare free moment, he may tell you some tales of the places he’s been and the knowledge he has gained. It is really something special to be able to have a space devoted the appreciation of art in all its forms. If you haven’t been in for a while, or have never been, it is definitely time to come by the next time you are in Salem!

 

 

 

NEW PRODUCTS: SPIRITUS ARCANUM

We are pleased to announce the arrival of a new line of magickal items from Spiritus Arcanum that are all handcrafted right here in Salem, MA! There are apothecary oils for all sort of purposes, vials of dedicated incense, and Hexentaschen (protective witch bags & necklaces), along with some beautiful animal skulls and many other items. Mercury Retrograde Oil? We’ll take a couple dozen of those, please! Most items start around $12, so come by and peruse this unique selection.

  

  

 

 

UPCOMING EVENTS:

In June we’ll be hosting guest artist Kevin Shattuck from Iconic Ink in the shop from June 14th-17th! Check out his work on Instagram under @iconicinkkevin! He is welcoming booking for his Salem dates through call or text at 774-766-0280.

In July we’ll be bringing a little Witch City magic to the Granite State! Our talented tattoo artists are excited to attend great year at the Live Free or Die Tattoo Expo in Manchester, NH running July 20th –July 23rd.

In September we’ll be hosting guest artist Master Bangkok Ajarn Ohr and Bangkok Ink from Thailand September 8th-11th. He specializes in Sak Yant, a traditional Thai form of handpoked tattooing performed & blessed in ceremonial style by a monk.

Right after that we’ll be running our next tattoo event, the Third Annual Massachusetts Tattoo Convention at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, which happens the weekend of September 14th-16th, 2018! It’s going to be a great time, so come get tattooed, check out some cool vendors, and take in some unique entertainment. We hope to see you there!

Tattoo Magic: Placement

One of the common things I hear from people when they are thinking about their next tattoo is that they have an idea of what they want but feel stuck as to where to place it on their body.

The first thing I want to say is that its ok not to know! By no means should not being sure of placement hold you back from moving forward with your tattoo idea. If you have your basic concept in mind, your tattoo artist should be able to talk you through options as to where to place it on your body.

Because placement is important there are a number of things that I consider when working with my client to find the best place on the body for their new piece of art. Below are five questions to help you think about the placement of your next tattoo and to spark helpful dialog between yourself and your artist.

1. Is the tattoo something that you want to be public or private? For example, if you get text on your arm people are going to ask you what it says. This may be great if it is an affirmation that you want to discuss and be reminded of. It may prove not so good if the tattoo is about something personal. Ask yourself, do I want to perform the story of this tattoo to strangers? If the answer is no then avoid tattooing the design in areas that are most readily seen like the wrist or forearm.

2. Will the tattoo affect your work or other aspects of your life? Although tattoos are more accepted in the workplace then ever before, stigma around tattoos is still very real. Especially when it comes to hand, face and neck tattoos, consider that depending on your profession an interviewers bias could mean that a tattoo looses you a job. I may ask my clients questions about their reasons for getting a tattoo in one of these highly visible places. This is not because I am trying to judge them worthy of getting this tattoo. I apprenticed under a tattooer (the incredibly talented Natan Alexander) who instilled in me the concept of “do no harm” when it comes to tattooing. I want to have real talk with my clients about what visible tattoos can mean for their life. If my client is young and/or not very tattooed I want to make sure that I am not aiding in them making choices that might negatively affect them. I suggest not placing a tattoo in one of these 3 places if you know that you will need to cover it up to keep your job, work in an industry that does not accept tattooing or are unsure of your professional goals. Odds are there is an alternate location that will cause you less stress in the long term.

Initial consultation to discuss design and placement of a custom tattoo.

3. How does the placement support the intention of the tattoo? Switching now from the practical to the more esoteric. When it comes to intentional tattoos, the intention of a given piece can be enhanced by placing it on a corresponding energy center. If you are getting a piece about opening to love or protecting your heart, why not put it over your heart chakra on the front or back of your body? In some esoteric models the left side of the body is the feminine/lunar/receiving side and the right is the masculine/solar/acting side of the body. Knowing this you might choose to place an design that is about what you want to bring into your life on the left hand side or put a sword or more martial element on your right. In doing so you can align your tattoos with the energetic patterns that are already present in your body.

4. Does the design fit with the anatomy of the body? This is a huge one. Just like the lines of clothing, tattoos can visually enhance curves and musculature or detract from them. The overall shape of the tattoo design should fit the body part both in size and geometry. For example, the curve of the top of the shoulder/deltoid suggests a round or oval shape whereas the back of the arm/triceps wraps diagonally and will distort a round design. Your tattoo artist is skilled in knowing what shapes will fit well with particular parts of your anatomy and may have helpful feedback when it comes to this particular consideration.

Checking final size and placement of a tattoo design

5. What is your long term plan for your tattoos? If you are getting your first few smaller tattoos but plan to get larger work in the future, don’t compromise your canvas. Placing a small tattoo in the middle of a limb or back means that you might be forced to cover up or work around the tattoo in the future. I suggest that my clients place smaller tattoos near a joint rather than in the center of a limb. For example, on the wrist or near the elbow crease as opposed to the center of the forearm.

Like this post? Follow me on Ig at @snakeoclock or email witchcityink@gmail.com to set up a consult for your next custom piece!

<3 <3 <3 Gratitude as always to the history and tradition of tattooing for all it has given me and to my two best teachers, the school of hard knocks and my teacher and partner Natan. <3 <3 <3

Tattoo Magic: Whats up with all the Snakes?

 

by K Lenore Siner

A visit to my room at Witch City Ink often prompts people to ask me “What is up with the snakes?” They are in the artwork on my walls, scattered around the room in line sheets of future and finished tattoos, a snake print leather covers my tattoo chair – not to mentioned that they are tattooed all over my body. The question is always met with a pause and a smile; when it comes to myth, symbolism and my personal story there isn’t anything I would rather share about.

Symbols have intrinsic, seeping power. Spend time with one and it will leave its mark on you the way spending time around a fire leaves you smelling of smoke.

Snake is connected to transformation, creation, wisdom, healing, the underworld, the circle, the spiral, the element of water and both death and eternal life. Snakes are an important part of the myth and symbolism of cultures around the world. There are dozens of serpent gods and hundreds of stories where they are featured. They show up as beneficent, troublesome, evil and sometimes a mix of all three. With such a rich history of myth and symbolism there is no way for me to do justice to it all. However, I would like to share a bit of why I personally love the snake as a totem and some reflections on why you might want to incorporate it into your next intentional tattoo.

I got my first snake tattoo more than a decade ago after participating in a woman’s initiatory ritual that involved a group of us building and walking a labyrinth (more on labyrinths here). At the labyrinth’s center was a woman holding a large, live python. As I took my turn walking the labyrinth I wondered what I should do when I reached this personification of the Divine in the center – should I kneel? Should I say something important? What do you do when you have the chance to meet god?

I kept taking the path and getting closer and still didn’t know. When I arrived in the center I felt something inside me shift and I stood up a bit straighter. I looked her in the eyes with that huge snake twisting around her neck and shoulders and I knew in that instant that there was no other choice but that – to meet her dead on, eye to eye, as an equal.

Meeting the snake priestess was my first experience of knowing my own divinity and it was an event that changed my life, enough so that I immediately went and got my first snake tattoo, to remember myself as divine through wearing the symbol of that experience in my skin.

Symbols are alive. Just like us they have different moods and manners depending on what they are in relation to. And just like us they are evolving and changing. As we develop a relationship with a symbol we write our own personal story with it.

Being raised in Christian culture, the earliest snake myth I ever heard was that of Eve in the garden being “tempted” by the snake. Here is a version of the story:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened.

Now I know this story is supposed to be about original sin and all that crap, but when I read it I cant help but think that this was a moment of empowerment! The snake shows up and directs Eve to consider that she has been given misinformation, she looks for herself and sees value in something that she had in the past ignored and when she engages it she becomes “like God”. This is not a story of sin, but a story of finding ones true will, and the power that goes with that – and the snake led the way.

In light of this myth, snake is connected to the acquisition of personal power and wisdom, specifically in the areas that we are told are dangerous or should be left alone. It is about listening to our intuition and acting on what we see as good and valuable – not just what we are told is true – and the transformation we encounter when we act on those impulses.

Another story – I had the terrifying pleasure of getting far too close to a rattlesnake while harvesting blue vervain in the hills of South Dakota a few years ago. I was out hiking miles away from any road or home and as I bent down to cut a plant I heard that distinct rattle sound from under a shrub a foot away. I was immediately still, focused, present and very aware of my heart beat, my life, as I backed slowly away.

In the presence of that snake, I got to feel the awe of being one false move away from a painful death. What has great power to transform has the power to destroy. In that, snake is not an easy friend. It means to invite death, to let go with each skin shed towards becoming the next version of us and its lessons often come to us as venom, the drop of poison that cures.

In the vast history of snake myth and meaning, these are my personal connections. So if you ask me “What is up with the snakes” the short story is that I love tattooing them as a reminder to embrace our divinity, follow our intuition even when it is contrary to what we have been taught in order to gain wisdom and power and to be able to come to terms with fear, death and letting go in service of our own transformation.

Do you have a snake tattoo that holds a particular intention for you? A favorite snake myth or personal story? I would love for you to share! Thinking of incorporating snake symbolism into your next tattoo? You know I would be more than happy to help, message me at @snakeoclock or call Witch City to set up a consult.

 

 

 

2017 Solar Eclipse

Happy Solar Eclipse day! Here is a small selection of some sun and moon themed tattoos our artists have done. Enjoy the eclipse and safe viewing!

Black Friday Sale Returns!

Well, 2016 has been a fun one but I think we’re all grateful for the holidays and the start of a new year.  We are definitely grateful for everyone who has supported us this past year and are eager to give back! We want to show how much we appreciate your business and also your trust in creating beautiful pieces of art by having a very special sale this week: All of our Gift Certificates will be 20% off!!

We hope you will take advantage of this once-a-year special, to give the gift of beautiful body art to your friends, family, and of course yourself.  Gift Certificates can be purchased online, in the studio and over the phone: 978.744.9393.

We are truly grateful for you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday season!!

Tis The Season…

k-witch-hatNo, not THAT season… its finally Fall and the Halloween season officially kicks off next weekend!  One of the reasons we love being in Salem, MA is this amazing time of year, filled with witches and bats and so much more.  We love to see our yearly halloween clientele, and love to meet new halloween-loving folks visiting the Witch City!

We do, however, want to remind everyone that, if you have an appointment with one of our artists, please be sure to give yourself PLENTY oscreen-shot-2016-09-25-at-2-26-38-pmf extra time to get into the city and find parking.  It can be a real nightmare this time of year, especially on the weekends.  We hate when clients lose time on their appointment because they are running late due to traffic problems, so be sure to plan in advance for the delay, especially the closer we get to Halloween weekend.

If you are visiting the Witch CIty this season and will only be here for a few days, we definitely recommend you call or contact us through the website to prebook your tattoo appointmentscreen-shot-2016-09-25-at-2-28-24-pmt, even for something really small, because we book up quickly on the weekends especially, and if you want to come in for a walk-in, come in early in the day to grab a spot.  We also have a lot more availability for walk-ins during weekdays.

Please don’t hesitate to call the studio at
978-744-9393 if you have any questions about getting tattooed at Witch City Ink!

 

Steve still has openings for the Massachusetts Tattoo Convention

MTC-Banner- FB-COVER

Steve Gillespie still has a few openings left at the upcoming Massachusetts Tattoo Convention at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA!  Call the studio at 978-744-9393 or email witchcityink@gmail.com via the Contact Form with inquiries!

Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 5.26.27 PM Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 5.26.38 PM Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 5.26.53 PM Screen Shot 2016-08-19 at 5.30.41 PM

 

Travel Notices, Visiting Artists and Conventions, oh my!

The late winter and early spring will be a busy time for us here, and we’ve got a bunch of important tidbits to share!

Philly convention

FIrst, Natan and Steve will be attending the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention over Valentines Day weekend.  The convention starts Friday February 12th and goes through Sunday!

NatanPhillyWCIScreen Shot 2016-01-31 at 5.27.55 PM

To book either Natan or Steve for the convention, give us a call at the studio: 978-744-9393 or email us at witchcityink@gmail.com to get the ball rolling.

When Natan is done with the Philly Convention, he will be traveling to Maryland to do a guest spot at Time Bomb Tattoos and Curiosities.  He’ll be there from Feb 16th through the 20th.

If you would like to book an appointment with him while he is there,
you can call the studio at: 978-744-9393.

12376616_10153891198721514_7939342908074535152_n

And finally, we will, as always be at the Boston Tattoo Convention, which is April 8th through 10th this year.  Steve and Jaesun will be taking appointments all weekend.  Call the studio to book. 978-744-9393 or email us to get a conversation started.  We will also be joined by visiting artist Amanda Marie, who will then be doing a guest spot here from April 11th through 17th.

Amanda got her start tattooing in New York about 6 years ago.  She loves to put her all into every tattoo she does, no matter how big or small.  Amanda values making an inviting atmosphere for her clients and loves to create unique, custom tattoos.
She currently works at Evermore Tattoo Company, Los Angeles, California.

To book an appointment with Amanda contact her directly.

Email: amandamarie@dolly-rot.com

Phone: 516-528-8203

AmandaMarie-Guest Spot- Promo

Natan Travel Notice- PA & MD

Philly convention

Natan will be attending the Philadelphia Tattoo Arts Convention February 12-14th in Pennsylvania.  If you’re in the Philly area and want to get work done by Natan while he is at the convention, call the studio: 978-744-9393 or email us at witchcityink@gmail.com to book your appointment!

11111060_10205715560863505_8969514719014911661_o

Natan will also be doing a guest spot at Timebomb Tattoos & Curiosities in Maryland the week after the convention.  He still has availability in his schedule, so if you’re interested in getting a piece while he’s there, get in touch with us at here and we’ll get you set up.

Holiday Hours

During the holiday season, our hours change a bit so our artists and front desk staff can
spend time with their friends and families.

We will be closing at 2pm on Sunday Dec. 20th,
and will be closed on Dec. 25th and Jan. 1st.

We still have a lot of availability for walk-ins and appointments with Steve and Jaesun the week before Christmas and the week between the holidays, so if you’ve been putting it off,
now’s the time to come in and get your new tattoo!!

While you’re at it, stop by and grab a Gift Certificate for your
favorite tattoo enthusiast and come in together!!