NICKOLE ASHLOCK

I’m a 31-year-old lady living in HTX with my two sphinx cats, who are very much my children. I love playing video games (especially The Sims 4) and various forms of crafting, and I am obsessed with Sailor Moon. I also quote far too many TikToks ⸺ Who or where do you get your inspiration from? I do a lot of floral tattoos, and strangely enough, I love looking at floral arrangements to get inspo. I also love to pay attention in my daily life to how shadows play on different objects and how things really are. Of course, social media is a never-ending inspiration as well ⸺ What would you say is your favorite part of the job? I love seeing how tattoos can make a person’s self-esteem and confidence rise with every tattoo. I LOVE hyping people up and making them feel beautiful and at home in their skin. For myself, tattoos have definitely made me feel at home in my body, so to be able to share that with others is a gift ⸺ What was it that initially sparked your interest in tattooing? My parents had a friend named Bill who had TONS of tattoos and tattooed on the side. I thought he was just the coolest, toughest, but also kindest dude out there. When I was about 13, he asked me, my sister, and his daughter if we would tattoo him on his ankle. Just some tiny little tattoos. Mine turned out the best and I was hooked! From there, I told everyone I wanted to tattoo after I got out of high school ⸺ What is your shop named after? My father named me when I was born, and my middle name had been passed down through our family. For a while, I had been embarrassed by my middle name Aletha, but one day I came across a woman whose name was Alethia, and I just thought, “Wow, it’s so beautiful for her; why can’t I see that it’s just the same for me?” So, when thinking of a name for my private studio, I wanted it to be something about me coming in and accepting myself as well as honoring my father, whom I love very much! ✕