Munich 2018

So the time has come for me to return to Munich..This trip I have my eldest son Rory with me for 4 weeks to keep me company...his first time to Europe so it will be an adventure !...

17hours 40mins to Doha..35° ...rather warm and its midnight !...next leg 6.5 hours to Munich

So work has begun with 2 tats done...always takes me a few days to settle in to my rhythm and tune my German language in..my first client in was Mery,who I inked in 2014 back in Aotearoa. Always great to catch up with how past clients and to add the next part of their story...originally from Tunisia I love learning about their traditional facial tattoos that are very similar to Maori wahine moko kauwae. 

Friday 27th July.

These are the rules...dont piss the tattooist off before she starts inking you..true story...Anyway ,nice to catch up with another regular client who is always so scared of the pain but still comes back for the next chapter of her life story...off to a cruisy start on this tour ,tomorrow will be a different day with a different story to be told and depicted. Ma te wa 😉

Please dont wear white clothing to your tattoo appointment...so many people do ?

There are still appointments available in Germany for beginning of September until the 14th. 

So my first 3 weeks are done,finishing with an awesome couple that came to my home studio in NZ earlier in the year. Rugby keen they both had legs for me to do which was the best way to end my week 😍 Stefan had a taniwha holding the club logo . Both him and Barbera are coaches and both of their children play as well.The club really is like a huge whanau to them ,so the taniwha symbolizes the protector and the strength that this whanau have for each other..

Barbera is originally from Sth Africa,lives in Austria and has whanau ties to NZ.her peice is about weaving all that are important to her and acknowledging that home for her is about the people that are there..

August 11th and it's time to have a week off work and head to the UK . I have a few followers that have now become whanau to me..Robert is one...I consider him my brother. He is a fabulous woodcarver and we both are so similar and in tune with each other as artists...his tamoko that I did on his arm 2 years ago will soon be joined by another..walking the Moorlands is such a grounding time for me after the incessant rush and chaos of Munich.

big day with my Bro Rob as I started his leg piece...as always a time to share korero and to draw him up..my process is always face to face then freehand the main lines...for the many that message me to design a piece and send it to them ,its not going to happen...true story

Anyway,Rob was like woah sis ! it's big! 

my words..."go big or go home bro" 🤣..  that's what happens when you have big legs !...a long day for us both with another session before I return to Germany..

A day off road tripping to Yorkshire,  a special place in my heart as a small village called Yeadon is the birthplace of my dad...much loved and missed I love to walk in his childhood footsteps and pay homage to him ..💙Saw a tattoo shop advertising Maori tattoos so stopped in to say kia ora..very cool young guys. Met another tattooist in Yeadon and he was a very cool dude too..I love the people I meet in my travels.The learning and exchange never ends...

Last session on Rob today...he slept like a baby  🤗.. Always makes my work enjoyable when my canvas is relaxed ...for those that fight the pain ,I assure you that you won't win...

"ha ki roto ha ki waho" , it's only pain and it's part of the journey...

I always feel very humbled when I am invited into someone's life to tell their story with moko..,we talk and share life stories,some happy some sad, but always important. Some people will stay in my life forever no matter how far apart we are...Rob is one of those people..our connection is woven together with the moko he wears..

Ki toku tūgane ,

He mihi mahana kia koe me too wahine nā Sally xxx

A trip to Blackpool was an interesting day. Up the tower was awesome, like a mini Eiffel Tower...I can only imagine what it would have been like when my dad was a boy on holiday 70+years ago ...much love to Rob for taking #1 son and I there for our last day in the UK...time to return to Munich ...

4 weeks down ,4 to go...#1  son leaves for home tomorrow and I will get back to work...I always get homesick for my whanau ,my fur kritters and of course the beach...This just may be my last time in Germany as there are many other places and cultures that would be great to experience...apart from running the Great wall of China marathon most of my travels are based on working...Aotearoa is where my heart will always be...I have become a teacher in my travels, as those that are brave enough to ask instead of pointing ,yelling,or just commenting about me will find I'm just an ordinary mum like most mums. They will learn that Aoteroa is not in Switzerland or connected to Australia by the harbor bridge..they are also surprised that I'm well educated, speak a few languages, wear 'proper'clothes and no longer practice cannibalism! maybe that is a disappointment? On any given day I am asked is that a tattoo on your face ?, did it hurt ? will it come off ? ,did you do it yourself ?.... the list goes on...I have learnt to be very patient although there have been times when I really just want to give them an eye makeover ! Just last week in Manchester I politely told a guy I I would break his finger if he continued to point it at me 😂 needless to say it was quickly retracted ...

Tues 21st August..Today was a long session ...first ink for this cool guy..I always worry when someone asks for a large peice for their 1st tattoo...however in this case I have to say he was brilliant!..big man so a big peice ..drifted off to sleep and happily sucked on a lolly pop 😁

When you have a freehand artist like me draw you up,you really have to trust that their vision and artistic interpretation will produce a beautiful tattoo depicting your story.. .Here in Europe the majority of tattoos are made with stencils...dont expect me to put every line in the drawing,its not gonna happen.... 

Wednesday 22nd.

4 years ago a young traveler was directed to me for a tattoo..after talking to him extensively I told him that I didnt think he was really ready for a tattoo.I asked him to go back to his accommodation and to seriously think about my advice...he took my advice and 4 years later drives 450km to finally get his tamoko..and sure enough he didnt get a map of NZ like he originally wanted..yay Thurday 24th

Water ,Fire ,Earth and Air...Its kinda like searching your knowledge bank to use patterns that directly associate with a certain peice of information or to use a pattern that metaphorically depicts a peice of information...

confused ? ...its just how my arty brain sees things 😁

Bit of a rest day...ask any tattooist or watch one work for long hours ,and you will realise the amount of concentration that is needed to complete a peice of work...for me personally its quite draining..My way of working is sometimes like being in a full on therapy session .I have people sharing parts of their life with me that they have never shared before..I have both men and women crying in the studio and it's only the consultation!..It is always very humbling to be entrusted with making someone's skin for life...everyone has a story ,dreams,past history, genealogy, the list goes on.How you tell that story is up to you.I always tell people I am the mediator to translate all of the above into a living peice of art...

"Our Ancestors will know who we are by the writing on our skin : 

Yeah I'm a few days behind arohamai 😊.The amount of people that ask me where they should have their ink ?? especially when they have booked weeks in advance then turn up on the day and say where do you think I should have my tattoo ? hmmm you have had weeks ,months to think about this..its one of the things that really annoys me ...I mean come on ,its your skin not mine . You have to wake up to it every day not me..I will always  advise on placement  visibility ,etc but dont expect me to tell you where on the body otherwise guess what ?  I will say legs 🤣

So after 6 weeks the temperature is starting to drop ,not that it stops me from my early morning swim 😎

Sept 3rd...recovering from a beautiful wedding celebration.  Lovely to be part of the ceremony for the happy couple...it doesnt matter where you go in the world things are done differently and it's always interesting to learn about old traditions like breaking a set of plates and cups, wearing their traditional dress which is really beautiful and my favorite was the first dance ❤ ...So back to work today ,only 2 weeks before I head home to my whanau and my fur kritters...as much as I love travel it can be quite stressful when I visit foreign lands that know absolutely zilch about Maori or the moko that adorns our faces and bodies...I feel I'm definitely more of a teacher than an artist when I'm away from home ...

Wednesday Sept 5th..the homesickness is starting to creep in and today is 25years since my beloved Dad passed away...so I had a day off work and caught a train to Austria... I've noticed a hell of a lot more refugees , im picking from Syria. I had one young guy full yelling in my face in regards  to my moko kauwae....my response was a staunch look and a telling off in te reo🤬 ..it never ceases to amaze me the reactions I get ..its almost like people think I dont hear ,see or their fingers just about touching my chin !...anyway that was the 1st of a few today.. Haha saw a guy on the train with an NZ map Maori style tattoo on his arm ...Went into the catacombs, said a few karakia ,sang a waiata then drowned myself in the "holy" water outside ...Bit of a steep hikoi up to the castle to enjoy the beautiful mountain views that remind me some what of home... 

Back to mahi...last 2 weeks I really slow down and do my last bits of shopping and exploring before I head home. 

I love it when i meet people that connect with me through ancestry..in this case Vanessa was born and raised in Oz ,lives in London but her dad is from Kaeo and a small marae Mangaiti..it was awesome to be able to share my recent time on Mangaiti marae doing 2 moko kauwae with her..Sometimes it's not just about recieving a moko...

I'm sure on her flight back to London she will have reflected on her time with me and some of the knowledge she now takes with her..I have no doubt we will meet again ... 

Another special person graced my studio today...every now and then the universe throws me a gem ...it really takes courage to break out of your comfort zone and realise you aren't actually happy there...Step outside the box ,you might pleasantly surprised.. 

Time to go home to Aotearoa...a few incidents I wont forget that once again make me proud to be Maori and always makes me appreciate my beautiful homeland...It has been quite disturbing to watch people blatantly ignore someone that obviously is elderly, disabled or had an epileptic fit in front of you..I dont know how you can just walk by and not offer assistance?...well each to their own busy world I guess but that's not me...well the tour is done and I look forward to seeing my whanau and those that know my world...

A couple of weeks downtime then bring on Summer ...who knows if I will return to Munich ,but there will always be a new adventure somewhere 😁  Kia kite Munich ...