Inked: reshaping the stigma of hand-poked tattoos

Katie Nelson is a self-taught tattoo artist who operates out of her Chinatown apartment. Through her art she is constantly battling against the stigma that hand done tattoos are unsafe or poorly done. With each tattoo she does she is developing her own individual style and learning more about the art form.

Production, camera and editing by Jake Romphf and Bri Godsman

The hand-poking process is slow and tedious, because only one needle is used and every dot of ink is placed by hand.

Katie Nelson does her best to ensure that her tattoo practice is as safe and sterile as possible.