(Last updated 2/15/24)

As a white tattooer navigating white/straight/cis hegemony in my industry with relative ease and privilege, I feel great responsibility, enthusiasm, and commitment to use my privilege to disestablish hateful norms and better serve my community. I strive to help eradicate white supremacy in tattooing & create a more accessible, equitable, & diverse environment for my clients, BIPOC peers, and future waves of tattooers and clients. I believe deeply that Black liberation is trans* liberation, and vice versa, and as such include trans*, two-spirit, and intersex people in my pursuit to provide equitable services.

I also acknowledge that I have benefitted hugely from Black, Indigenous, & non-Black POC people in my tattoo career. Without the cultural heritage of body modification in Black & Brown cultures, Western tattooing would not exist as it does currently, and we are forever in their debt. In a more direct and personal way, I am incredibly lucky to have been mentored by a Black person, who was himself mentored through Black American tattoo lineage. Without this grace & gift, I simply would not be the tattooer I am today.

However, it is clear that the overwhelming whiteness of my clientele as a whole shows that I have a lifetime of further anti-racist work ahead of me if I ever hope to be a meaningful ally or accomplice.

The policies below are the foundations to my booking & pricing systems, meant to help offset the overwhelming racial, class, gender, & identity biases in tattooing. As with all of my privilege-balancing policies, these systems are an ongoing work in progress and I'm always open to constructive criticisms. If you have questions or feedback about this, please feel free to reach out - LillinKarinTattoo @ gmail.com

PRIORITY BOOKING FOR POC : As melanated people are widely underrepresented in tattooing, I offer folks a chance to voluntarily opt into POC-priority booking on forms. That way when scheduling, I can give priority to Black & Brown people, if they so choose.

COMMUNITY RATES / SLIDING SCALE PRICING :

I offer two pay-what-you-wish / sliding scale “community rates” appointments per month for half-day sessions. This offering is open to all clients who hold identities outside of white/cis/able experience. This includes anyone who is BIPOC, POC, trans/two-spirit/intersex, and disabled folks. These appointments require a $50 deposit to book, but beyond that cost clients are welcomed to pay what feels comfortable and possible, even if that means not paying anything.

This is an honor-based system intended for folks who experience systemic inequalities that might make it less feasible to comfortably & securely pay my normal rates. A helpful way to approach this system is to first figure out where you might land in a sliding scale framework.

Clients can opt-in to the community rates wait list while requesting an appointment on my usual form. Lastly, this system is still evolving and I am always open to input. If I can be doing better, or if anything isn't clear, please feel free to let me know. LillinKarinTattoo@gmail.com

FLASH REPRESENTATION : When offering flash, I commit to sharing it on a wider variety of skin-toned background colors, so that the default understanding of the design does not imply white skin.

COLOR TESTS : I am always happy and ready to make color tattoos for folks of any skin tone, but I understand the hesitation folks with darker skin may have around getting color tattoos. If you would be more comfortable doing a color or swatch test first, I am happy to do so. This process is a free appointment, and involves tattooing a very small group of 5-10 colors in a way & area that is easy for us to later cover with your tattoo, if you choose. On healing you’ll have clear information about what colors you like the best on yourself, and how we’ll handle your color tattoo. This option is available to check on my general booking form. (Please note that I do not think that color tests are always necessary, and never require them for a person of color to get tattooed. This is an elective process for anyone who wants it.)

ACCOUNTABILITY FEEDBACK FORM : I keep an optional & anonymous feedback form for all clients to fill out after their appointment (sent out once-monthly in batches to preserve privacy). This form gives clients an opportunity to talk to me directly about places & times that I could have done better for them. With this feedback, I will be able to learn and revise my actions as a service-worker, in the hopes of better serving my community.