ELIZABETH LAI
What Changed Me?
When I really think back to the moment that changed my life, there are many points on the line that definitively brought me to where I am today. It’s when I decided to pursue business school instead of an art program. And when I picked up hand-poking during the lockdown because at-home university wasn’t creatively fulfilling.
The biggest crossroads of my life when I decided to stay in London to pursue tattooing instead of moving to another country for a long term relationship. These moments of tedious deliberation combined with an “all or nothing” attitude really set forth the law of inertia in my life.
Today, I’m a 24 year old illustrative tattoo artist, illustrator, and I’m always ready to take on more roles. My wandering eye for hobbies has been with me since I was a child. One day it would be violin, then taekwando, oil painting, watercolor, ceramics. I never ceased to be amazed by how beautiful art can be when done to a high degree, but I wasn’t always ready to follow through on my own extracurriculars.
When I got to brown belt in taekwondo and I couldn’t break my boards, I wanted to quit. When I got frustrated on the wheel because I couldn’t master the clay, I wanted to quit.
I was impatient and unwilling to conquer the fear of being bad at something.
It was my parents that pushed me through; strongholds that wouldn’t let me quit until I achieved something I could be proud of. So I completed my 10 years playing violin, earned my black belt in taekwondo, became an expert in watercolor. While I didn’t always enjoy being pushed and pushed and pushed to do things that I’d lost interest in, I believe this is where I learned tenacity. This tenacity is what continues to motivate me forward in my freelance career.
I started tattooing as my lockdown hobby because in London we weren’t allowed to leave home for more than 30 minutes a day. I thought that it’d be a cute party trick that I’d do once in a while. But I should have known that I’m incapable of keeping creative hobbies as just hobbies… and I always want to take them to the next level.
I practiced daily for 2 hours a day, tattooed my flatmates, and when we came out of lockdown I cold called a studio in hopes of an apprenticeship. My soon-to-be boss, Tash, without blinking twice, took me under her wing and brought me into the studio as a resident. And it’s been an upward journey from there.
Tattooing is a practice of trust
and I’m in awe of the amount of people that have placed their trust in me throughout this journey. My flatmates for letting me practice on them, Tash for taking me in to Lost Fox studio, and every single one of my clients who let me share my art with them through permanent marks.
Explore Elizabeth’s artwork @silky.rabbit
