Photo by Stevie Shao
How to Stay In is a series about redefining "normal" life in order to take care of ourselves and one another during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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West LaCount, the founder and owner of Stick and Poke Tattoo Kit, the retailer Phin bought their supplies from, said that sales have doubled since stay-at-home orders were put in place in the U.S.“I feel like it might correlate with the apocalyptic nature of what’s happening,” LaCount said. Their customers often send them pictures of the tattoos they make with LaCount’s kit, and they’ve noticed how often their customers talk about stick-and-poke tattoos as a way to take back control and claim an identity. “It’s very emotional, and a part of you,” LaCount said. “So I want people to do it safely.”
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Those who intend to keep their amateur status as stick-and-poke artists are pleased with the results they're coming away with, too. “I’m really happy with how it came out,” Phin said a week after giving themself their rose. “I honestly don’t think it would have been better if I went to a professional.”Making their own tattoo during a stressful and uncertain time was not only a nice distraction for Phin, but comforting. “It just feels like I own my own body,” they said. “I’m making decisions that are permanent and serious about it.”With each day of the pandemic feeling radically different from the last, the act of giving oneself a stick-and-poke tattoo can offer a much-needed creative respite—and give people the rare chance to make a lasting decision when so much of the future is still up in the air.Follow Emma Grillo on Twitter.