I've been over-thinking and over-thinking the idea of a tattoo for so long now that I myself am even surprised I finally got it done. I must say I'm obsessed with it. When I stumbled upon Brooklyn based artist Tea Leigh's Instagram, I straightaway knew she was going to be the first to poke my skin. I could not stop gushing over her dainty and delicate illustrations that she hand pokes, also known as stick & pokes. She has over 20,000 followers on Instagram and is booked far in advance. But once I finally booked my session, I eagerly and nervously anticipated the day. I gathered up my "posse" to tag along for moral support at Tea's tiny studio. She was so sweet and lovely guiding me through the process making the whole experience a true right of passage. She literally poked my skin with a needle that felt like she was tweezing my eyebrows. I'm so glad I got it done with her but even more glad it was hand poked. Just the other day, I had the lovely pleasure of meeting a girl that also got hand poked by Tea and it was an instant connection.
hand poke