Who Did Your Ink?: Andi Grace takes spiritual journey through bewitching body art

Who Did Your Ink? is the Straight’s weekly feature, where we ask badass Vancouverites about the talented artists, indelible stories, and, at times, questionable antics behind their most treasured tattoos.

What’s your name? Andi Grace.

What do you do? I'm a community-supported witch. I work as a poet, author, folk herbalist, community educator, herbal abortion support provider, tarot-card reader and farmer—just to skim the surface. 

Who did your ink? Auberon Wolf did my ink, or at least my most recent two pieces.

Why did you choose this artist to do your tattoo? I chose them because I know them as a friend and I appreciate their politics as well as their aesthetic. I strongly identify as a witch and some of the more witchy tattoos I've seen them do have really resonated with me.

I live in the Kootenays and am wary of New Age-y or appropriative artwork, so I definitely don't want it tattooed to my body. I trust them to render the ideas that inspire me in relevant and empowering ways.

Is there any meaning behind it? My most recent tattoo is a femme hermit, as in the hermit from the tarot. But rather than an old white man in robes, it's someone who looks more like me. I chose this tattoo (which goes down my whole upper left arm) as a symbol of my inward turning spiritual journey towards deep abiding truths.

The hermit is about a person who leaves society to discover what lies within. The knowledge from that journey lights a flame that draws others towards the learner—the hermit—rather than the hermit having to leave and seek approval in the hustle and bustle of the city.

At least, as a person who was born in the city but now lives rurally, that is how I interpret it. I also see the hermit as a truth teller and an embodied truth speaker, and I see myself that way too—as a poet and, many times over, Sagittarius.

Who’s your favourite local tattoo artist? Lately, I have been really inspired by Auberon's work and their growth as an artist. Their work is serving community in really unique and important ways.

I'm sure that others have and do support queer community to deal with trauma through creating art on their bodies with tattoos. However, it seems like right now is Auberon's moment and I support them completely. 

What’s next on your ink list? I'm super excited for my next session with Auberon.