Meet Sadie Trigg | Tattoo Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sadie Trigg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sadie, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I’ve been an artist of some form or another my whole life. For a long time, Theatre was my main focus and I have a degree in acting, over a decade of performance history, and an amazing artistic community across the world to show for it. What I’ve always loved about theatre and what I now love about tattooing is the collaborative energy, the creativity, and the intimacy and vulnerability of it. Tattooing is the only thing I’ve ever done that perhaps has even more of those qualities than theatre does. Being able to create one-on-one with a client to help make their dreams come true is a gift and an honor. When someone comes to me for a tattoo, whether it’s a silly pop-culture reference or a deeply meaningful memorial piece, they are putting their body and an aspect of their life in my hands. That’s a level of trust that I take very seriously. I know how important my tattoos are to my life and my identity, so I could not be more grateful that I get to help other people decorate their bodies. I’ve always said my favorite thing about theatre is the connection with the audience. It makes sense, then, that my favorite thing about tattooing is the connection with my amazing clients.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I am one of a pretty large group of adults whose life took a very significant turn during COVID while we were locked inside contemplating our lives and priorities. Pre-lockdown, I had a nice cushy desk job with a salary and benefits and art was something I pursued in my free time. I absolutely did not expect to be completely changing career paths at 29 and spending my 30’s as a full-time, professional artist is not something I ever would have dreamed of. It has been incredibly challenging and immensely terrifying at times, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. I think having a strong and inspiring community and support system is the only way I got through it. My family and loved ones were so supportive and encouraging and helped me believe that I was capable of doing hard things. Getting to come up in a shop like Nest was truly magical as well. This industry can sometimes be very aggressive and toxic, especially to newcomers. I’m very lucky that I got to start this career among artists who want to build each other up and help each other grow. I’ve leaned on that community a lot, from observing their work during my apprenticeship to bouncing business ideas and challenges off of them now as my peers. I never feel like I’m alone in this industry and that has made all the difference.

I refer to myself as a trauma-informed tattoo artist and many people don’t know what that term means. At it’s core, it simply means that I put my client’s safety, comfort, and experience above all else. I know that every human being who walks into my booth has lived an entire life and carries their history–the good and the bad–in their bodies. And with something like getting a tattoo, it can be very vulnerable and, at times, triggering. My job requires that I not only physically handle your body, but I have to cause you pain and physical trauma. And that’s weird. In my booth, my clients’ autonomy is paramount to everything else. We can tweak the tattoo design as much as you want. We can move the stencil as many times as we need to. We can take as many breaks as necessary if you need to stretch, use the bathroom, have a snack, or even just need to not be touched for a minute. I hope that my clients always feel safe, in-power, and judgement-free in my space. These are concepts that, to me, seem like the bare minimum of decency, but are not always guaranteed in the world and in this industry.

Tattooing and getting tattooed is–in my opinion–one giant love letter to bodily autonomy. Your body is the only home that you will have for literally your entire life and getting to decorate its walls is such an important and joyful thing. I believe that everyone can and should have access to body art, regardless of budget, body shape and size, skin color, and physical or mental disability, and I will continue to do everything I can to make that possible.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My favorite place to take visiting friends and family is the drive up Flagstaff Rd in Boulder. I’m not a hiker or climber by any means so I’m always intimidated by some of the more common nature recommendations. With this one, you can park just 10 minutes up the mountain and find some super easy, little paths and trails and very fun little rocks to scramble around on.

I can never recommend Zoe Ma Ma enough. Delicious, authentic, affordable Taiwanese street food, run by a lovely, local family. And they have locations in Denver and Boulder so hopefully you don’t have to stray too far.

I also always recommend checking out the local art scene, whether that’s a concert at a DIY venue like Seventh Circle, or a trip to one of the many art galleries on Santa Fe, or, of course, catching a performance from a wonderful small theatre company (Benchmark Theatre, The Three Leaches, The Agenda, or Centerstage Theatre Company to name a few).

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would not be anywhere near where I am without the support of my community and loved ones. I of course owe so much to my mom and my partner who both do so much to help lift me up and encourage me to keep working hard for what I love. I owe an immense amount to my “Ink Mom” and mentor, Lora Bird. As my mentor, she took a chance on me and taught me so much about this craft and this industry and constantly inspired me. As a shop owner and our fearless leader at Nest Art Collective, she is a superstar of the tattoo community. She’s created such an incredible community of artists and clients alike and she proves every day that you don’t need to be cruel or hard or competitive to make a difference in this industry. To her and to all my fellow Nesties, I will be eternally grateful.

Website: https://www.satchel-ink.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/satchel.ink

Image Credits
Eddie Clark Media