By Brittany Tiplady
@yellowbird888
I am no stranger to the steady hum of a tattoo gun. After getting my first piece ten years ago, acquiring new ink has become a yearly tradition. And after my first tattoo with Olivia Harrison many years ago, I vowed to never be tattooed in a heavy-metal, jarring, testosterone filled shop ever again. So far, I’ve made good on that promise.
Maryam Noorzai’s East Vancouver studio reminds me of Astrid’s New York loft in the last scene of White Oleander. If that reference is a tad too niche (sorry, it’s my favourite movie maybe ever?), think grungy, mix-matched furniture, creaky wood, and within that, Noorzai’s quaint little sub-studio, tucked away in its own corner, brightened by her imaginative artwork adorning the walls.
Noorzai is rather fresh to the tattoo scene, but her work has already garnered an enthusiastic and stellar reputation, specifically on Instagram. Online, she’s known as @blood.moth.
“I think moths are my avatar, I suppose. I just relate to them. They inspire me; there’s so many levels. Their wings, their ability to fly, their individual uniqueness,” she says.
Noorzai fast-tracked from amateur artist to mentee, to self-sufficient full-time tattooer in just over a year, cajoling lucky clients via Instagram, word of mouth, and the monthly Truck Stop Pop-Ups at hosted at the studio.
“I guess it started with machine. I had always been inspired by my friends who are tattoo artists. I’ve been doing art my whole life. I got my degree in sociology at Concordia and I realized that I just can’t do anything other than art,” Noorzai explains.
“Nothing but art will make me happy.”
I asked her to describe her art work but she’s apprehensive to try and pigeon-hole her style. “I hate that question, I’ve been struggling with that.” Noorzai laughs. “I would say it’s very…imaginative? Once I started leaning into more fine line style work, I got a lot more traction from [prospective] clients.”
Noorzai’s approach to her blossoming tattoo business matches the whimsical nature of her artwork; she’s all about the art, and less about the tedious, administrative tasks. “My friend thinks I’m super romantic,” Noorzai jokes.
Noorzai is equal parts kooky, curious and delightfully sweet. She knows what she’s doing, but she’s soft and warm in her approach. When coordinating via email my ideas for artwork, I let Noorzai know that we were running a series of features on local feminist tattoo artists, and I wanted something that would reflect the theme. “Since I am a feminist, I consider all my designs to be feminist,” she replied. And instantly, I liked her a lot.
Noorzai shows me the design she conjured up from my mish mash of Pinterest inspirations and I am tickled by how accurately she nailed it, combining my favourite things into the perfect little thigh piece: fine lines, nudity, wine.
As I hop on the table, and surrender to the gun, we talk about being married as a feminist, our respective, and very different, upbringings, hiking injuries, the Canadian healthcare system, and the overwhelming patriarchy that still lingers in the tattoo industry.
“I don’t come from a traditional family at all,” Noorzai begins. “My mom was a single mom, which is super not traditional for a woman from Afghanistan. It was just me and her. She had mental health issues, so sometimes when I was a kid she had to go to a [mental health facility] and I would have to go into foster care. I think my mom had PTSD from escaping the war in Afghanistan. I went through about five foster homes, and then I aged out of care when I was 18.”
“Was art a form of escapism for you?” I ask.
“Oh, 100 per cent. I have always been really right brained. Growing up in foster care was..not the best,” she replies. “But I’m very much like my mother, but also, after years in and out of the foster system, I am very…diffused.”
“What does your mom think of your career?”.
“Oh, she hates it!” Noorzai laughs. “Well, she likes that I have a skill and finds that very cool, but she doesn’t want any tattoos on my body. But too late, mom!”
The gun continues to hum, and I am accutely aware of the sting. The thigh, it turns out, is a very tender place to be tattooed.
“Do you personally think the tattoo industry is still very cis-man dominated?”
“I think in a tattoo shop yes, which is partially why I chose to be a [private tattoo artist.] But I am seeing a shift, especially for queer artists being able to come to the forefront and showcase their work in safer places. And I do think that Instagram plays a huge role in that,” Noorzai responds.
“Who do you prefer tattooing?” I’m curious.
“Everyone presents their gender differently, so I like tattooing all bodies.”
Outside of her tiny tattoo studio, Noorzai spends her time outdoors, working on her film photography skills, biking around town and learning to drive.
Although we are nearing completion, Noorzai takes her time finishing her handy work–she’s a perfectionist, she insists. Despite the gnawing ache, I don’t mind.
The result is more than I could have asked for.
Brittany Tiplady is a writer, editor, former ballet teacher, and the co-founder of Loose Lips Magazine. She loves the indoors, fast wifi, collecting maps, and a generous glass of red wine. She’s a self-proclaimed wizard of time management and a notorious loud talker with a penchant for all things Internet and pop culture.
