Our KIND: Your Craft wth suzie smith
We are excited to share the second interview in the ‘Our Kind: Your Craft’ series, which is with the lovely Suzie Smith from Trikona Tattoos.
Suzie is an incredibly talented tattoo artist that uses handpoked techniques to bring to life her designs, which have been inspired from astrology, nature, paganism and magic symbolism. We hope you enjoy learning a little bit about Suzie and her work at Trikona Tattoos as much as we have!
Image Credit: @trikona.tattoos
Can you tell us a little about how you came to set up Trikona Tattoos?
I’ve always been creative and loved making and crafting in many different ways but I lost my creative spark a little through my 20s and got stuck in office work until I started teaching yoga instead, went travelling and fell in love with drawing and painting again. Once I was back home I picked up a handpoke kit just to do a few little tattoos for myself. This turned into a bit of an obsessive hobby, which turned into a very unexpected career when friends and then friends-of-friends kept asking for tattoos. That was seven years ago.
Tattoos, like jewellery, have huge sentimental importance and tell a story of who we are. Which of your tattoos do you feel most connected to?
I feel connected to all of my tattoos in different ways and for different reasons. I love my first ones because they were part of my teenage rebellion. I love the ones I picked up in my 20s because they are souvenirs of travels and experiences. And the ones I made for myself when I started tattooing are obviously very special, even though I know I could do them much better now! The ones I made for myself during lock down were full of a lot of meaning and intention, so I feel like they were very transformational. And I tattooed my little boy Fred’s name on my wrist when he was one, so that of course means a lot to me.
Image Credit: @trikona.tattoos
You are now based in the most heavenly location in Wales. How do you think the environment you work in enhances your work?
Almost all of my designs include symbols inspired by nature or the moon and stars in some way, and the whole experience I offer is all about reconnecting and having time to gift yourself something very unique and meaningful - so being lucky enough to have a bit of a slower daily life and being able to absorb the full beauty of the wild nature surrounding my home is essential to my work and the energy I want to share with my clients.
You have collaborated with conscious lifestyle brand 'She's Lost Control' on a crystal tattoo experience. Can you tell us a little more about it and what inspired you to bring these two elements together.
From the moment I started tattooing I wanted to combine it with some rituals and ceremonies, to bring in more of what I’d learnt through my various spiritual practices and learnings. It took years of chatting to my clients, journalling and manifesting to come up with a tattoo ceremony offering that felt right and genuine for me, and in the end it was a combination of my own personal practices. I have collected crystals for such a long time and have always believed in the healing frequency of crystals. I even remember my Mum having a clear quartz hanging from the ceiling in the middle of our kitchen when I was little! My ceremony includes a cacao drink, a short tarot reading, and my clients chosen crustal attached to the needle which is theirs to take home after. She’s Lost Control are so conscious about the ethics and sustainability behind their crystals, and they have a stunning aesthetic with everything they do too, there was no where else I could possibly source my crystals from.
Image Credit: @trikona.tattoos
We know that you are a triangle lover and that you wear your KIND Elements Pendant necklace everyday. What does the pendant represent to you and how do you style it?
I honestly never take off my Elements Pendant necklace! It was the first gift my husband ever gave me and it means the world to me. I wear it everyday between a shorter moon phase necklace and a longer malachite pendant necklace (unless I’m dressing up for an occasion when I wear it on it’s own because I like to have minimal jewellery on when I’m wearing dressier clothes). And I love triangles for so many reasons. They are such a beautiful symbol of strength and balance and I’m really connected to the number three; it’s my birthday, my lucky number and it’s the number of The Empress tarot card which I feel is my soul card.
Your books are about to reopen for 2024. What would be your advice to people considering getting a tattoo?
There’s never any rush. Try to connect to your intuition and trust your gut rather than over thinking it. Choose your artist very carefully and then give them your full trust. The right design will always come through!
You can find Trikona Tattoos online
Instagram: @trikona.tattoos
Website: https://www.trikona.space/