Meet Anna Rawr | Tattoo Artist

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

Hi Anna, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
I hadn’t actually planned to, I just kept falling back into it. I went to college for fine art and Sociology, and I had planned on going back again for Bio Chem. But I fell in love with 3D art and became a sculptor, working with mostly wood and metal. At the end of school, the country was in the middle of the economic depression and I was barely existing, working a ton of dead end customer service jobs just to make ends meet. I had a hard time getting out of it and never thought I would be able to become an artist of any kind and live. About 8 years and a million awful abusive jobs later, my older brother hit me up and got me a job as a fabricator in Red Hook where he was an IT guy. It was like a light in a very dark room. It was hard work, but suddenly I remembered that I was a maker and I had been missing a fundamental piece of me. Creation. Then fast forward to during lockdown, my partner, Adriana Hallow (with very much rose colored glasses) told me I would make a good tattoo artist and to learn while we were stuck at home for a few months. Even though my illustration skills were rusty, she was lucky I knew how to draw, and I fell in love. It offers me the opportunity to be my own boss, use all of the skills I have learned in the many fields I have worked in, and really lose myself in the process of creating. I haven’t looked back since.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am a fat positive queer tattoo artist in NYC. I strive to provide a positive and safe experience for all of my clients and to give every person art that gives them confidence. I am honestly so excited and proud to be supported by the LGBTQIA+ community from the beginning of my apprenticeship through the present. They are one of the biggest reasons why I have been able to get to where I am today and be full time as a tattoo artist from the beginning. I feel so uplifted and supported by my community and I hope I will always be able to give them the best experiences. It hasn’t always been easy getting here though and I am still in the beginning of a very long and worthwhile journey. I transitioned from being a fabricator and welding teacher to being a tattoo artist at the end of the lock down. The hardest thing was really getting over my own fears. I was scared to try something new, to start over again in a new career, and I was afraid to fail- even before I began. I was scared to fail Adriana and let her down and I have honestly been the most afraid to succeed. I know that sounds silly or contrived, but I don’t think a lot of people really talk about the fear of succeeding and what that can feel like and the constant doubt that accompanies it. But I have an amazing support system though my community and my partner and the other artists I have gotten to know that I keep taking the chance daily. I tend to be a perfectionist and I get really in my head and feel like a fraud if not everything is absolutely perfect immediately. But, I have really learned to let go and that most mistakes/imperfections are fixable. My goals are to grow and provide a great piece and experience for my clients. I want the world to know that anyone can get great art on them and that they can come to me for an excellent and accepting experience. I want them to know I will try and give them art they can fall in love with.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If it is their first time to the city- I would say hit me up on your next trip. I am not down for the crazy running around like a chicken with its head cut off to try and fit in every single NYC tourist experience in the limited time they’re here.

But if they want a fun few days with me, I would take them to get breakfast at my favorite diner, Little Purity in Park Slope. The owners, Nick and Rini are so genuine have welcomed me into their very tight knit community in the restaurant. Later I would take them to some great book stores like the famous Strand or the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe & Bar over on Crobsy. I love them; 100% of the store’s profits go towards fighting the HIV/AIDS crisis and helping the homelessness epidemic here and everyone should check them out for sure.

We’d hang at Greenwood Cemetary and try and find the oldest graves there while visiting a few favorite trees and sculptures that adorn some of the most eclectic tombs I spent most of the lock down there and Adriana and I had our engagement photos taken there. It is so beautiful and peaceful. I would love to take my friends to the the Shed. I just saw the Tomás Saraceno: Particular Matter(s) and cried immediately. It was life changing. We would need to stop for coffee at Cafe Belle in Soho. Its women owned and the best coffee in the city. Unfortunately, its next to my gym and I’ve never gotten to try their extremely enticing baked goods. I’m terrified my trainer will catch me, but one day I will give in. Then we could go get some really cool hats over at Yokkoyama Hat Market and lunch at Cafe Katja in China town. and for dinner, if we’re feeling fancy we’d have dinner at Don Angie in the Village. Of course then we would grab drinks and have a fun night over at Cubby Hole. If we wanted to go back to Brooklyn, maybe dinner at Casa Azul and drinks at Ginger’s, a community staple.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Adriana Hallow (with very much rose colored glasses as she had never even seen me write my name), my fiancee and mentor, is the one who convinced to step off the ledge and plunge into a new life I never knew I could have as a tattoo artist. Because of her unwavering belief in me and mentorship, I am where I am today.

Even though I am no longer her apprentice, she has never stopped rooting for me and never gave up on me. Also, all of my friends who served as practice canvasses in the beginning and got my first tattoos knowing I was new and had only tattooed fake skin before they sat in my chair. I love them all and they still support me now regularly in my career.

Instagram: annarawr_ink

Image Credits
Swan & Bird: Daisy Padilla-Gutierrez
Rest: Anna Rawr