Hey! Thank you so much for meeting me here. I want you to know something! You see, I felt the struggle for many years. I was a mother to young children very early in my career as a tattooer. I felt like I couldn’t quite keep up with my colleagues and sometimes I just plain felt not good enough to be in the industry because I CHOSE motherhood.

However, in the struggle I did find ways to balance tattooing and growth in my career along side motherhood… And do this with more peace and a whole lot of joy.

As I worked toward finding myself, finding flow in my artistry and I finding small connections with other moms along the way, it was never easy and it often seemed like I was falling short as a tattooer and mother- however, it was crucial to keep moving and keep growing. During this time in my life, I often thought, how cool would it be if I knew lots of other ladies and moms in my industry who were going through similar scenarios as myself? I thought about how amazing it would be if I could offer up my experiences to others in an effort to encourage them and let them know success in tattooing and motherhood is possible- even in the struggle.

The idea of Metanoia Tattoo Gathering was birthed. I wanted to create this gathering of women in an effort to build up community, empower one another in the pursuit of growth in our businesses, and encourage one another as we walk the balancing act of motherhood, life and tattooing.

Now that we are further in and I have hosted multiple gatherings, I am finding more and more that it is so much less about my story and who I am, but more about how I can be used to facilitate a space to empower other women in my industry. It is about helping women and mothers in tattooing to feel empowered to do life well. To find the balance between their career in the arts and to truly enjoy the beautiful moments that are in our midst every single day- outside of our world in tattooing. We are more. we are life givers, we are Mother Tattooers.

Metanoia is transformation. It is transformation of mind and heart. It is transformation in how we do life and exist in the tattoo industry. It is time for renewal, it is time for community and it is time for Metanoia.

All my love,

Maribeth