MY BOOKS ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED - THIS MEANS I AM NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS AND APPOINTMENTS AT THIS TIME

When will your books open? This is a constantly in flux question, with an in flux answer. The best way to stay up to date on when my books are opening is through my newsletter. Folks who are subscribed to my newsletter always hear about flash drops, my books opening, and other news regarding my tattooing significantly before I announce on social media. As a rule of thumb, I always prioritize booking my immediate circle of community and previous clients - as much as I want to tattoo everyone and have my tattooing be abundant through many different webs, I tattoo as a way of being in creative relationship and expressing my hope and love for existence (aka, I pour my heart and prayers into every tattoo I make, it’s both incredibly fulfilling and also tiring). BIPOC and the queer community also receive priority booking. I am a one human situation and only have so much artistic, communal energy to give, which means I only tattoo 3-4 days a week, which isn’t much availability. Thank you for your understanding while I continue trying to figure out how to be an grounded, not-too-busy, balanced life tattooer who cares about this work A LOT.

I offer random flash drops as a way to tattoo designs that are most present with me and help my craft deepen and grow. All flash are one time only designs, unless otherwise specified.

I book one month out for local folks and two months out for people traveling from out of state or further than five hours driving from San Diego (California is very big).

What is your rate? I charge $175-200/hr for all tattooing time (flash, freehand, intuitive, custom), have a $350 minimum for all freehand and custom work, a $175 minimum for flash pieces, as well as a $50-200 drawing fee for custom pre-drawn pieces (as opposed to freehand). I say $175-200/hr as my rate because every tattoo differs in size, complexity, execution, detail, and placement! I am happy to always give an estimated quote on a piece - most tattoos range anywhere between $350-800 and large pieces typically are $600-1000. Feel free to email me your ideas and get a quote! I care about working within budgets, and there are creative ways to bring ideas to life that still make pieces affordable. I also offer additional sliding scale rates depending on the piece, and this is especially reserved for POC, QTPOC, low income folks, and the queer community. If you are interested in sliding scale options, please say so in your email. Please do not take advantage of this policy if you are financially comfortable and do not need the monetary assistance.

For photography inquiries, please email me. I would love to photograph you and your loved ones! Portrait sessions begin at $375, wedding coverage begins at $2,300 for four hours.

How much do I tip? It is standard in the United States tattooing industry to tip 20% - tipping is essential to helping tattooers thrive and contributes to studio costs, supplies, and extra fees like licensing. Although tipping is not required, most tattooers are able to continue to work because of tips! So thank you in advance!

I also accept tips/partial tips in the form of tea, art, kale, beeswax candles, citrus fruits, nice rocks you found on the beach that spoke to you, etc! Folks can get real creative, I just ask that you be discerning and thoughtful with your non-monetary tips/gifts.

Do you require a deposit? I ask for a $100 deposit to officially book all tattoos, and your deposit contributes to the final cost of your tattoo. YOU ARE NOT ON MY BOOKS UNTIL I RECEIVE A DEPOSIT. Collecting a deposit protects me and my time - it requires a lot of energy to schedule sessions, draw up designs, and correspond with clients about design edits. It also protects you and helps you know if you REALLY want to be tattooed by me! I collect deposits through my Venmo, which is @marycampbell. My Venmo photo is currently me holding a newt, looking delighted. That’s how you know it me :-)

What is your cancellation policy? If you cancel or reschedule within two weeks of your session, your deposit is refunded $75, within a week, $50, and within 48 hours none of your deposit is refunded. This is because I rely upon tattooing as my income, and if you don’t show up to get tattooed, I don’t continue to provide for myself. Again, my cancellation policy helps protect me and my relationship to my craft and my clients - if you don’t get tattooed, it can be really difficult to fill that slot last minute. Hence, not getting your deposit back if you cancel within 48 hours of your appointment. Thank you for understanding <3

When are your books open? I will post on Instagram if I decide to ever close my books, but a general rule of thumb is that I book one month out in advance (ex: if it is January, I am booking for February). If someone decides to cancel or I have a time slot open up randomly, I will post about it on Instagram - be on the lookout for these last minute openings, as I tend to offer discounts and special deals to fill them!

How old do I have to be to get tattooed? I do not tattoo anyone under the age of 20. Although in the United States it is legal to get tattooed once you are 18, I do not do this work in the spirit of “I can get tattooed now so let’s just get tattoos for the hell of it.” There are of course exceptions to this rule and I do not cast judgement upon all 18 and 19 year olds, so if would like to intentionally work with me in this particular season of your life, please email me.

Do you offer color tattoos? This is on a case by case basis - I am absolutely open to adding a pop of color to your piece, although my color options are limited. I am also open to offering white ink for tattoos !!!depending on the piece!!!

What kind of eco-friendly products do you use? Are your products vegan? I have a nearly single-use plastic free set up for my handpoke practice, although my machine tattooing requires more plastics unfortunately. I use Good Judy biodegradable gloves and compostable barrier film, and Black Claw needles come in a sleeve made of recycled paper and paper pulp. I use vegan inks and ointments while tattooing.

I AM ON THE HUNT FOR A VEGAN, BIODEGRADABLE PEN. For intuitive and freehand work, I currently use single-use ballpoint pens, which aren’t ideal. If you know of any potential options or creative solutions to this problem, please let me know!

I AM ALSO ON THE HUNT FOR !!!COMPOSTABLE BABYWIPES!!! that come in compostable packaging!!!

How should I prepare for my tattoo? I will not tattoo you if you are drunk, high, or hungover. I understand that people sometimes use cannabis as an ally while receiving tattoos, but I feel that it creates distance between myself and my client. Please get a good night’s sleep before, shower, hydrate, and eat a balanced meal. Bring a snack (in a glass jar! practice low waste!) to your session as well as a reusable water bottle. There are also lots of great restaurants in San Diego that you can get a meal at before or after your session. Please wear clothing that you are comfortable in and that gives me easy access to the area of your body you are planning on having tattooed. Think about your session as showing up to ceremony, whatever that means and evokes for you. Come in feeling prepared to show up as your whole self - it is my hope for tattooing be a safer space for folks to receive this work and for you to be empowered emotionally, physically, and spiritually as you are tattooed. I will always ask for consent before I touch you as we begin, and you can ALWAYS decide not to get tattooed, even once the stencil is on. Pay attention to your body and thoughts through the whole process, and if the piece isn’t feeling right, trust that. Sometimes the medicine is remembering that you have choice and practicing saying no, and I offer an accepting place for this process. Please note that deciding to not get tattooed on the day of your session does mean that you forfeit your deposit, and that if you would like to book another day, you will have to submit another deposit.

Part of the cost of the tattoo is Saniderm, an adhesive, clear, protective bandage I will wrap your tattoo in to aid in the healing process. You will leave the bandage on for three days and you can shower with it on, but I don’t recommend strenuous activity with the bandage as you can sweat it off. So with that in mind, perhaps get your heavy workout for the week done before you come in (if that is something you partake in). Please note that getting tattooed by me is not a scent-free space, as burning incense or black sage is part of my practice, as well as frequently putting on some sort of essential oil before I begin to center myself.

Can I have another artist tattoo one of your designs for me? No. I draw and create tattoos with the intention of tattooing them myself. My drawing process is the beginning of my relationship with the piece, and as I draw I keep in mind how I want to tattoo the design. If you don’t live in California and don’t have the means to travel, keep an eye on my Instagram for travel dates and guest spot announcements. I will also post to ask where people would like for me to travel to, and am open to recommendations!

If you have the means to travel to California, I highly recommend the experience of getting tattooed as pilgrimage and coming to the place where your artist tattoos out of. Tattooers and artists are all formed by the lands, places, and people that surround them - to come to us means to sink a little bit deeper into the context within which we create our work. It also creates more intentionality and commitment to the importance of the piece for you, as well as a container of memory, nostalgia, and sensory experience. This is not accessible to everyone, which is why I also intend to travel as I continue my work.

What is a “flash” tattoo? Flash tattoos are pre-drawn designs that I create to explore new styles and offer ideas to people that they perhaps wouldn’t imagine themselves. All flash designs are tattooed only once, and available flash can be found on my Instagram. Flash tattoos are sacred to me, both in my experience of receiving and giving them. I have an agreement with myself that if I see a flash design that an artist shares that I know was created for me, I have to claim it. There is intuitive knowing in choosing flash pieces, and it is a beautiful process to draw a design that I know is made in particular for someone, even if they don’t know it yet. It’s like spiritual, creative matchmaking.

Are there any tattoos you won’t do? I do not tattoo other people’s art, religious or cult symbols (including sanskrit words or phrases), or symbols of cultural significance. I do this to protect myself and my clients from giving/receiving tattoos that are culturally appropriative or offensive. If I am worried that part of your proposed design could be edging on cultural appropriation, I will tell you - many folks aren’t even aware of this aspect of getting tattooed. That being said, if you identify with your ancestry and want to honor the stories of your family and culture, it would be a privilege to create a piece with you - there is necessary nuance and discernment in this policy. If you are of Japanese, Southeast Asian, Polynesian, or Indigenous American decent and are looking to include aspects of traditional writing systems or symbology in your piece, there are incredible POC artists and POC-run studios I can direct you to. These folks work directly with indigenous tattooing traditions and have extensive knowledge of the ceremonies associated with each region.

I do not make tattoos that emphasize "simple,” “symmetrical,” or “geometric” elements. I am not the tattooer you want for these kind of pieces. They do not excite me, they make me anxious, and they do not play into my strengths as a tattooer. I will tell you if your idea doesn’t work with my style and direct you to other artists who I trust to make these pieces come to fruition.

I rarely do text pieces, and I do not recommend myself for text pieces - that being said, if you are sure you want to work with me and have your heart set on text in your design, send me a proposal.

Are there any designs that you want to do? Anything involving plants and animals native to western North America, expressive hand movement, landscapes that transform into animals/plants/ether, abstract linework that contours the body to evoke story and curiosity, any piece that honors the body as a landscape of its own and the infinitely-shifting Divine. Most of my flash designs play with these themes, and these designs do not fully come to life until they find home upon flesh. They are meant to live and die.

I also love translating poetry, music, feeling, and memory into tattooed visual language. Give me your abstract longings, and I’ll do my best to guide our process. We’ll collaborate together to discover the imagery that honors and points to your experiences to the best of our collective ability.

Do you tattoo dark skin tones? Absolutely - all are welcome to be tattooed. Tattoos look beautiful on all skin tones, don’t let white supremacy tell you otherwise.

What is an “intuitive” tattoo? What is a “freehand” tattoo? Intuitive tattoos are designs created through multi-sensory listening and discernment - there are many intuitive tattoo practices, and all artists define them a little bit differently. The intuitive tattoos that I create are abstract - some people see landscapes in them, some see incense smoke, some see energy flow, some see water ripples. They are meant to be fluid and be able to transform and change with “meaning” as they move through life with you. My intuitive tattoo process is about 4-6 hours long, depending on the size of the tattoo we decide to create. We begin the day by sitting together for about an hour so that I can learn a bit about what your intention for the tattoo is and ground in what is present for you in your life. From there we move into a card exploration using “Soulcards”, an expressive “oracle” deck, and the cards create an anchor and altar from which we begin the drawing process. I set up my station and using a pen, draw on a “map” of the tattoo. We look in the mirror and together chat about where we want the piece to flow. Sometimes the design lands on the body immediately, sometimes it takes some editing and collaboration. Once the design is finalized, we move into tattooing, which can be either handpoke, machine, or both, depending on what the piece calls for.

I charge $175/hr per hour of tattooing, and intuitive tattoos also include a base price of $175 to cover the time spent in ritual and working with the cards. Overall, most intuitive pieces you see on my instagram cost between $300-500, and if you have a budget you want to work within, please let me know before I begin drawing.

Freehand tattoos are designs that are drawn directly onto the skin without a stencil or drawing made beforehand. I am happy to create freehand abstract tattoos that do not include the relational grounding and card exploration, although I absolutely believe that this process deepens the potency, intentionality, and resonance of the final design.

How did you get into tattooing? I have been making visual art to help me grapple with existence since I was a child, and I began handpoke tattooing in February 2018 in Seattle, WA, in the basements and living rooms of dear friends. I am self taught in handpoking, and I have immense gratitude to the handpoke community in Seattle for sharing their stories, technique, and safety knowledge that allowed for me to begin this work. There is a lot of toxic gatekeeping behavior in tattooing culture at large, and part of the reason I love handpoking is how it empowers curious artists to explore this medium and frequently fall in love with it. The rise of handpoking and its growing popularity speaks to the necessary changes that are happening within tattooing as more women, queer folks, and self taught artists open up shops together and provide kind, caring, brave spaces for people to be tattooed in.

I was tattooed by Vanessa Core in December 2016 when I received my first piece of custom art from a tattooer, and the experience of being tended to and tattooed by a woman was incredibly profound and impactful. The experience awoke a desire and knowing that I needed to pursue tattooing and offer to others a similar space of grounding and ritual that I had experienced with Vanessa. I had experimented with henna throughout college and have always been intrigued by body art and modification, although I am the only tattooed person in my family. The beckoning I felt to tattooing led to me sketching seriously for the first time in over six years and rediscovering drawing as a space of meditation, discovery, and challenge. Through 2017, I researched how to become a tattooer to find that there was no clear path and every tattooer had a different story about how they found themselves in the craft. Frequently, there were stories of traumatic and abusive apprenticeships or artists who had to search for years before finally getting a foot in the door. Discovering the handpoke community in Seattle gave me the courage and empowerment to begin tattooing without mentorship - there are beautiful aspects to being self taught but also a lot of difficult shit you learn the hard way by not going through the traditional apprenticeship route. Email me if you have questions about this in particular and are curious about exploring handpoke tattooing yourself.

Although when I began tattooing I assumed I would never work in a professional studio due to the reputation of “scratchers” in most studios, when I moved back to California in November 2018, I discovered an apprenticeship at Earth Altar Studio under Justine Serebrin, a fellow intuitive tattooer, where I learned machine tattooing and how to work in a studio. I worked at Earth Altar for just under a year, when I made the decision to move to San Diego and tattoo full time in February 2020. It is my joy and honor to serve San Diego County and the incredible community (human and non-human alike!) that I have found in this place.

Much gratitude to Justine (@justineserebrin), Taylor (@lovetaylorelyse), Dani (@dani.rakowski), Sara (@makeamindfullmark), Vanessa (@vanessa.core), Emily (@emily.rose.tattoos), Emma (@thornpokes), Avery (@averykiyo), Kate (@katepokes), Bubzee (@bubzeeart), Kai (@knowfolly), Hallie (@tall_grass_), and Brooke (@behsticks) for being tattoo moms, aunties, sisters, inspirations, and/or kin through this journey. Each of these artists has played an important role in my growth as a tattooer, whether through being tattooed by them, mentorship, friendship, or by them simply sharing their work online. We do what we do to orient us back to what is real and important in our lives, and all of these tattooers do that in unique imagery and practice.