Aloha, Ink and Beer: My Time Spent Tattooing in Kauai
It’s been a minute since I last shared an update. Life’s been busy. I’ve been tattooing regularly, making art as often as I can, lifting weights and caring for my puppy. All good things, but I’ve been in the thick of responsibilities, so I’ll save that update for another post.
I want to start off this post by saying that I am so grateful to the people that have seen potential and ability in me, the capacity to appreciate the endless beauty found in this world. I am grateful to those that have trusted me to hold beautiful things and to care for them with softness. I would not be able to extend myself in the ways that I have without the opportunities these individuals have given me. My work on this blog post is dedicated to a kindred, design savvy tattooer, Emma. I can’t say thank you enough for introducing me to the beautiful island of Kauai. Though very recent, this guest spot was honestly the highlight of my summer.
Just a heads up too, this is gonna be a longer one. I have a lot to share and I notoriously have a difficult time recounting stories because I haven’t actively practiced committing experiences and sensations to my long term memory. I want be intentional in recalling and documenting as much of these memories as I can, as a practice for myself.
My internet friend, Emma Sloan (Like Emma Stone, but slower) and I had previously messaged back and forth on Instagram about flying out to the neighboring island to do a guest spot; That time came in mid-August when Brian, the owner of Happy Yokai Tattoo was leaving for a trip of his own to the mainland. With only two weeks to prep, I quickly set my intentions, ordered new business cards, updated my website to reflect the announcement, and set aside spending cash for travel and gifts.
I landed in Lihue on Wednesday, the 21st at around 10:30am. I picked up my checked bag from the carousel and made my way out to the curb where I’d wait for Emma and take a few moments to mentally prepare myself for the week ahead. Give or take about 5, Emma rang my phone to let me know she was just around the corner. I packed my bag and suitcase in the back, and hopped in the passenger seat of her charmingly decorated Toyota Corolla. Our first stop would be to the local Post Office, then to the tattoo shop— where I’d drop off my equipment and get familiar with the space I’d be working in.
The shop was quite cozy and endearing, located within in the Anchor Cove Shopping Center near the cruise ship port. I felt warmly welcomed and would come to learn just how much love Brian and Emma continuously invested into their carefully crafted tattoo-home. Their individual personalities and styles complimented each others’ and could be seen in the little details sprinkled throughout the shop. Brian’s meticulous eye for aesthetic consistency in office supplies, and Emma’s eccentric ornaments kept the space enchanting, personal, and professional.
That evening, Emma showed me where I’d be staying, and after getting settled in, we made our way to Old Koloa Town where we would connect over some food and beer before heading to Shipwreck’s beach to catch the sunset. The combination of beer, a friendly tour guide, and the potential for exploring the unknown on another Hawaiian island had me quite starry eyed and primed for the work I’d be asked to execute in the coming week.
Thursday, the 22nd would be my first day tattooing. This is when I got to meet my first client, and the talented, Rochelle De La Cruz — Happy Yokai’s Social Media Manager.
That morning I scurried to the shower and got dressed while Emma woke up and started some coffee. we chit chatted about art and tattoo related subjects, grabbed a couple of sparkling waters from the fridge before shuffling to the post office to pick up any mail Brian might’ve received while he was away. This would be the general cadence for shop days moving forward.
Once we got to the shop, there would already be a couple awaiting our arrival at the door— looking to inquire about souvenir tattoos. Like I had mentioned before— the shop is located fairly close to the cruise ship port, and Thursdays and Fridays are ship days, so tourist traffic was expected and steady until it’s departure at 5pm. This current kept me on my toes and busy, while Emma took the lead communicating with the visitors. I felt a sense of comfort as I held back and patiently observed these interactions.
My first assignment was a small Polynesian turtle on the forearm— the difficulty and and style would roughly set the tone for the tattoos I’d go on to tackle during my guest spot. Challenging in some ways, but definitely within my skillset and abilities to execute at a skill level i’d be happy with.
After closing up, Emma and I spent the evening at Beer Co. a nearby brewery hanging out, talking story and getting to know each others’ philosophies better. She would go on to lay out her plans for the days ahead, keeping a solid balance of high and low energy activities.
Friday, the 23rd, Rochelle came in to take some photos of me tattooing for the shop’s social page. I really love these photos. I never get professional photos taken of myself tattooing (I’m usually the one taking them). Another reason I love these photos is because I think Rochelle’s passion for capturing the essence of the moment shines through them. Not only are her photography skills impressive, but her ability to connect with her peers and communicate her ideas through graphics and various digital mediums is a bit further than what I’ve seen from the young professional around myself. She’s got a spark about her and I look forward to watching her grow as an artist.
Following this tattoo, I would take some time to sketch up a few fun designs for Emma and my split sheet and re-center myself from the energy I had just spent. Emma and I would then go on to pick up her friend, Mia before leaving for Art Walk, happening in Hanapepe that night.
We moseyed our way up and down the main street stopping by vendor tents strung along the roadsides. I had picked up a small sandstone crystal for my best friend, Kindall at one of them. At Talk Story, the only book store located on the island I found a fun Street Fighter themed cookbook that Mia kindly gifted me; and at Fonda’s Daughter, a little vintage shop in the area, I had picked up a very cute long-sleeve shirt for my girlfriend back on the mainland. Just a few trinkets to expresse my kind thoughts.
At this point, we still had a couple more stops before heading back to the south side of the island. This included stopping into Troy Carney’s art studio, and finding a table at Kauai Island Brewing Company where the three of us shared sandwiches and more beer. When we finally got back to Emma’s around midnight, we couldn’t pass out any faster.
It felt like only minutes before the sun rose on Saturday morning. Emma and I were both slow to pull ourselves together, but thankfully, the cruise ships weren’t in port, and we had planned on making it an art day in the shop. Emma invited her friend, Chelly out to draw and paint with us, and the time melted away as we cruised through our work to Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole on the shop’s bluetooth speaker.
Around 3pm that day, a welcomed surprise had walked into the shop. Emma had a client come in for a flash tattoo design of hers. It was a cute little spider with eyes all over it that she had drawn up for a previous Friday, the 13th sheet. Around this time, I remember admiring just how talented Emma is as a designer, in the way that her designs are simple enough to execute quick and well while staying fun and recognizable from afar. The ‘rough and tough’ principles of traditional tattooing are at the foundations, but her style and approach, I think, speak to a more modern audience that enjoy a little whimsy and lighthearted-ness in their tattoos. I would say it has a traditional ‘bite’ that keeps the art true to its roots though. I was happy to capture photos of her during this tattooing process, and a bit afterwards while she had finished shading her newest art piece.
With only 4 full days left on this guest spot, I was patient and equally eager to savor the remaining tastes of sweetness the island of Kauai would afford me.
Sunday, the 25th would reveal less than ideal weather conditions for our previously scheduled north shore plans; and on top of that, I was experiencing less than ideal physical balance. We adapted to the circumstances and spent the afternoon in Kapa’a, a cute little town on the east side of the island exploring boutiques and indulging in our mildly muted senses.
There was chatter about Hurricane Gilma hitting the islands bad. On Saturday night, I had gotten hardly any rest due to the raging winds whirring through the loft of the homestead, so Sunday evening, Emma offered her downstairs couch as an alternative. Here, I was able to sleep through the night, and even managed to steal some snuggles from her cat, Matteo in the morning which calmed my heightened senses.
With my week in Kauai about to come to a close, a split sheet left to complete, and a tattoo appointment scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, I was laser focused in on accomplishing what I had intended to for this trip. So on Monday, the 26th I got to tattoo a small design, and after, I prioritized finishing my half of our split sheet.
Emma and I stayed at the shop until about 6pm that night then went to Beer Co. for some pau hana brews. When we walked alongside the pavilion, we stumbled upon the local roller derby team hosting a music themed bingo fundraiser. It wasn’t too long before Emma and I had eight bingo cards, two beers, 4 tacos and a dish of fries stretched out across our table. Emma was, to my surprise, extremely dialed in on this game— Keenly listening for any clues that would give away the name to the song on our bingo cards… Give or take about 15 minutes into the 4th round, Emma had lined up 5 spaces on her beer splotched copy paper to win a tastefully contained collection of lollipops. I followed closely behind with the second Bingo win of the 4th round. We both concurred that these containers would be the most useful inside of Happy Yokai.
Though my primary purpose and focus was on being as useful as I could while Brian was away, I was also mindful of using my time to learn as much as I could from Emma’s experience as an adventurous young tattooer herself. She shared stories of her travels often and I would earnestly check in with her on my intentions and progress in meeting expectations during my stay there.
On Tuesday, the 27th— The eye of Hurricane Gilma had just passed right below the islands, and the anticipated raging storm was missed. Fresh air and feathery clouds blanketed the skies as we drove up towards Hanalei, the north shore of Kauai. Before getting there, Emma made it a point to stop and share her favorite vintage shop, Pagoda with me. Here, I stumbled upon what would be my offering and token to Emma for all of the lovely gifts she had shared with me during my visit. If you’re curious about it, come see either one of us for a tattoo soon ;) I have more pictures than words for this part of the trip, so I’ll just let those speak for themself.
I’m really glad that we had saved driving up to the north shore for the time that we did. It was so quiet and peaceful on the boardwalk up to the beach near the Na Pali coastline and on the Hanalei beach pier. While on our drive back to the south side of the island, Emma shared her experiences and knowledge on the importance of native plant preservation, as well as the importance of fighting for the laws that preserve native Hawaiians’ culture and practices. Though Emma’s attachment to Kauai is legitimized by her time spent there as a resident, she expressed that her personal convictions lean towards preserving and caring for the natural beauty of the island, even if it meant she had to let go of it for the betterment of the collective. I wish I could’ve recorded this conversation, as it was just incredibly rich in wisdom and soul.
Wednesday, the 28th would be my last full day spent on Kauai— Emma and I would tackle some matching butterfly tattoos together before she spent a couple of her hours to tattoo a custom design on me. Roachie was there to join in on the banter and to creatively document the process.
To close out the creatively packed day, Roachie, Emma and I got together for one last hoo-rah at Beer Co. before Emma and I jumped into her Corolla and queued up some Doechii and Vince Staples. When we got back to her place, I shuffled to the room Emma had set me up in, packed my clothes away neatly, prepared my outfit for the morning, and programmed my alarm for 6:30am. I was hesitant to lean too much into my emotions about leaving because I did feel so much, but I was there to do a job, and doing so, I knew, would’ve slowed us down.
I wasn’t surprised that during those early Thursday hours, my brain couldn’t put together a coherent sentence, let alone the words to express the depth of my gratitude and appreciation for everything my new friend had shared with me. All I knew was that I was electrified with a new energy and wisdom that I was excited to pass along to my peers. Emma and I extended cordial farewells before I checked my bag and queued myself though TSA.
Since getting back to O’ahu from that short 30 minute flight across the water, I’ve felt a noticeable sense confidence, and a refined openness to new experiences. I knew that traveling was something I always wanted to make a regular happening in my life, but this trip really solidified my burning need for it.
Thank you so much for investing your time into reading about my guest spot experience in Kauai. Like I had mentioned at the beginning, these blog posts are mainly for my own records and a practice in creative writing. I enjoy practicing photography with my DSLR camera and sharing those moments with anyone interested in seeing them as well.
With that said, the photos in this post are compressed, but if you’re interested in any of the high resolution images, feel free to shoot me an email at Dani@Draftanddispatch.com.
Thank you again for being here, and I look forward to sharing more with you on my next adventure!
Safe travels,
Dani
