Sometimes, when you meet someone new, you click with them right away, and it’s a great feeling. This was what happened to me when I met with Masami on Sunday morning at a great coffee shop called Ultimo. We sat and talked for a good long while, and I feel fortunate to have done so. She and I have a mutual client (you might remember THIS blog post. Masami did a lot of the artwork on the mama in these photos.

Masami is from Japan. She came here when she was 18 years old, wanting to master English. She originally went to Boston right after high school. She knew that she wanted to be a tattoo artist at that point, and came to Philadelphia to attend PAFA. ven though she didn’t specifically set out to come to Philadelphia, she really loves it here, loves the music scene, finds it to be an affordable, underrated town. I can’t say I disagree.

This did not really thrill her parents, however. She says that her dad was none too pleased that she was dropping out of college to do this, as he is considered old school even by people who are old school. He wanted her to return to Japan and work in his business. The tattooing was not as bothersome to them as the not returning to the business. She started an apprenticeship here when she was 23 and remains at the same shop today. She was persistent in taking her artwork around to the shop owner, many times, and it paid off. I hadn’t met a female artist yet, so I wondered if she encountered any negativity based on her gender, but she thinks that there is at least one woman in every shop these days, whether it’s a manager or a shop girl, and that she hasn’t experienced anyone treating her differently.

She does a lot of drawing still and appreciates the classics. She thinks that one of the most difficult things in tattooing is reduction – figuring out what you can leave out and still keep the essence of the piece. She personally has many skulls, and they are one of her favorite things to tattoo, along with flowers. She has a death theme in the artwork on her own body, and wears approximately seven skulls. She considers her own tattooing style “versatile”. There is much that she is great at, especially her graphic work in my opinion, but doesn’t feel that her strongest suit is traditional Americana tattoos.

When she was in fourth grade, she was taking art classes with adults. She was a student mediation volunteer in elementary school. She is someone who loves to ponder and loves to learn. She questions every aspect of everything, including herself and her actions. The motto in the town that she grew up in is Studying For Life, and I think that Masami really embodies that. She has studied a lot of different philosophers and references Buckminster Fuller in conversation as easily as she references the classical art masters. She is as inspired by metal music as she is by Tchaikovsky.

She gave me a lot to think about, talking about subject from the difference between the Eastern and Western philosophies to why clouds are not subject to the laws of gravity. I’ve been thinking about a Buddhist philosophy, “Attach yourself to nothing”, and allowing the waters of life to flow over you like a rock but not be moved by them since I met with her virtually non-stop. I love when I am challenged to think by someone, and conversation with Masami did just that. I can imagine that it wouldn’t be bad to sit with her for a long sitting of being tattooed since she is so engaging. You can find her at Gemini Tattoo on Philmont Avenue in Philadelphia, 215-934-7027.

Some of Masami’s artwork, shown below: