Jordanne
Are YOU interested in tarot decks illustrated by tattoo artists? If so, we've got just the thing for you! Make sure to read Jordanne's feature to score a discount on her limited tarot card decks! ⬇️
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT MAVERICK?
"I am just going to pick my top two favorite things about Maverick! Product wise? I am OBSESSED with Maverick's ink caps. There are no other companies that make biodegradable ink caps that feel like hard plastic and are as durable! Company wise? It is so clearly obvious that the team at Maverick care about providing not only quality products but quality customer service. Every single interaction with someone at Maverick has been a delight and I will always go to the moon and back for a company I can believe in." -Jordanne
This month we have an ink-redible artist to share with you, Jordanne Le Fae. Jordanne has been an artist since she was just a little girl!
"But one of the most serendipitous moments was when I was in my tattoo apprenticeship. I went to my parents house one day to go through all my stuff I had left there from my childhood and I found a note from my pre-k teacher that said something like, “Jordanne doesn’t really like to sit down or listen… but if you put her in front of an art project, she will be occupied for hours!” I had found this note within a month of me quitting my corporate salary job and moving to a different state to pursue tattooing, and it’s how I knew I made the right choice, and never looked back!"
She's not just armed with a 🎓 BFA in Fine Arts from UW-Stout; she's also the proud co-owner, along with her partner-in-crime, Pip, of WEIRD INK SOCIETY, their tattoo parlor nestled in the heart of St. Paul, MN. And here's the kicker - Jordanne isn't the only one with talent there; Pip, her hubby, is a graphic designer, web developer, and the one conjuring up all of their in house merch- can you say POWER COUPLE?!💗
In addition to Jordanne's impressive achievements, hilarious anecdotes, and wise tips – there's another nifty thing she's got up her sleeve!
👂🏼 Hear about it from the artist herself:
I have a 2nd business called Inkromancy Tarot, which is a collaborative tarot deck designed by tattoo artists from around the world. Every deck has a theme and every card is designed by a different tattoo artist, with final production being done by myself and my husband Pip, who is a graphic designer. We put out a different deck every year, and each deck is a limited edition Run of 1000 decks, not to be produced again, so collectors get a limited art collection by 78 different artists! This years deck is called The Bizarre Carnival, and since it is our 5th deck, we are adding 5 Oracle cards that are centered around the main attractions at old timey carnivals like The Tattooed Lady and The Bearded Lady! Kickstarter for this 5th deck goes live on Tuesday Sept. 19th, and we encourage ya’ll to follow @inkromancytarot on IG to stay updated on the new deck! Anyone interested in purchasing any of our previous decks can go to www.Inkromancy.com and use the code “Maverick10” for 10% off and free shipping!
ABOUT YOU: TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF. WHERE CAN PEOPLE FIND YOU/ SOCIAL MEDIA @'s?
I am obsessed with tattooing and I can’t imagine doing anything else! I love this industry and all the different ways you can be creative doing it. I mostly specialize in feminine, magical, bold neo-traditional pieces and I love tattooing lady heads, flowers, potion bottles, lanterns and anything else that can be embellished! I have been an artist my entire life, I have a BFA in Fine Arts from UW-Stout as well 8 years in tattooing and now the tattoo shop I own with my husband Pip, Weird Ink Society, is going on its 3rd year in business! Follow my Instagram and my TikTok both are @faetattoos 💖
WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE GROUPINGS AND OR MAVERICK SUPPLIES YOU USE WHILE TATTOOING?
I use the caps and bottle bags with EVERY tattoo, but honestly, there isn’t a product I don’t love from Maverick! My whole shop is very dedicated to sustainable tattooing and these products are not only exceeding my expectations for that, but they are made so well!
THE PENGUIN IS THE MAVERICK FOUNDER'S SPIRIT ANIMAL. WHAT'S YOUR SPIRIT ANIMAL? & WHY?
I resonate with the white Bengal tiger! 🐅 To me, they are unique and magical, while also having a fierceness about them. I like to think I am very similar to a tiger… I may look sweet and cuddly, but if you try to hurt me or mine… you’ll get the claws! I am a fierce mama tiger when it comes to my friends and my staff, and I will go to great lengths to lift them up and protect them!
CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR FIRST TATTOO EXPERIENCE ? HOW OLD WERE YOU? WHAT WAS IT OF AND WHO WAS THE ARTIST ?
I used to be an Resident Advisor when I was in college (this was a huge mistake) and one day a bunch of my residents were going to the local tattoo shop to get tattoos and they invited me with! I was really into my spiritual journey at the time so I got some Celtic runes for the word Earth on the top of my ankle. The best part of this is that I didn’t keep in communication with that artist until over 15 years later, when we reconnected and he became a great friend and mentor in the industry!
TOP 3 ARTISTS YOU ADMIRE. CAN YOU GIVE US A BRIEF DESCRIPTION?
Emily Rose Murray (@emily_rose_murray on IG) is the main reason I got into tattooing. I adore her work and hers was the first time I saw artwork that didn’t “look like a tattoo” but it looked like genuine fine art. The 2nd artist I most look up to is Stabby Gabby (@stabbygabby on IG). She has become a friend of mine as we both tattoo in the Twin Cities, but I looked up to her glitter work long before we ever met. She is both a phenomenally talented artist and a kind human. The 3rd artist I look up to is Dave Koenig (@davekoenig on IG). I have always admired his artwork but I also admire him as a human and a tattooer. Every podcast or interview I see with him, he blows me out of the water with how he’s so experienced in this industry and yet doesn’t let his many years of tattooing jade him or make him hateful (which is sometimes very common). I strive to be like him as I grow.
WHAT ARE SOME FUNNY TATTOO MOMENTS YOU HAVE?
At our shop, we have a open floor plan with half walls between stations. I feel this openness is such a great catalyst for clients and artists alike to vibe off the energy in the shop, which frequently results in laughs and shenanigans throughout the shop! There are too many moments to remember them all but it’s those little moments of joy (I call them glimmers) that make this job so fun!
IF YOU WERE TO CHOOSE A BAND TO BEST DESCRIBE YOUR ARTWORK, WHICH BAND WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
Kesha. Hands down. She is one of my favorite artists but also I think my artwork is just like her music. It’s fun, bright, sometimes really weird, but also has serious moments and can transcend lots of different genres.
IF YOU WERE TO WIN "BEST TATTOOER IN THE WORLD" LOL, WHO WOULD YOU THANK AND WHY?
Oh man… well, I am WAY too hard on myself to ever hope to win that award LOL but, if I ever did, I would thank my husband. I know this sounds cheesy but he not only runs the shop with me, he is a graphic designer and web developer, and he makes all the merch we sell in house. We started dating shortly after I started my apprenticeship and I can absolutely say without a doubt that because he set me up for success with proper branding from day one (a good website, quality business cards, cohesive branding across all platforms, etc). Having him as a support through this journey has made my successes much more actionable and attainable, and he is the reason I am as far as I am in such a short time.
SECRET HIDDEN TALENT? WHAT IS IT?
I was classically trained in opera while in college! I am a high soprano (think Mariah Carey high notes) and I was invited to perform at Carnegie Hall in 2006. It’s a fun party trick to break out at tattoo conventions if there is ever karaoke nearby… because no one expects the kind of notes I can hit to come out of me! :)
WHAT IS YOUR KRYPTONITE?
My willingness to believe the best in everyone right away. I can be a pretty poor judge of character because I just want everyone to be my friend right away, and I have a hard time seeing red flags.
ANY PERSON OR ANIMAL THAT YOU WOULD LIKE TO TRADE PLACES WITH FOR THE DAY?
I would love to switch places with either of my cats for the day. My cats (Peter Parker, a tuxedo, and Wade Wilson, all black) are spoiled rotten and they get to sleep all day and get snuggles all night! I love my job and my life but I am constantly on the go with different projects, so having a day to sleep and relax is pretty rare for me! My cats have it made and I’m a little jealous!
WHAT BOOK OR MOVIE WOULD YOU SAY EVERYONE SHOULD READ OR WATCH? WHY WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THAT SPECIFIC ONE?
There is a book called The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss… and I feel like for how amazing it is, it isn’t as well known as it should be! Writing style is somewhere between the epic world building of Tolkien and the more child-like nature of Harry Potter… so it’s neither a too intense read, but it isn’t juvenile fantasy either. If you are a person who loves fantasy, this is a must read! The audio books are also fantastic (I’m picky about my audio book narrators).
WHICH STATE ARE YOU LOCATED? WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT WHERE YOU LIVE AND WHY?
I live in St. Paul, MN (part of the Twin Cities). I am obsessed with where I live (despite my disdain for the cold!). St. Paul is a big city with pockets of neighborhoods that make it feel so much smaller and cozier, so you get the best of both worlds. I am lucky enough to live right across the street from my shop, so the commute is wonderful, there are so many amazing places to eat around us, and there is always something to do!
WHAT IS SOMETHING WEIRD YOU DO BEFORE BEDTIME?
I read! I feel like this is “weird” for people to do now, so many people I know scroll their phones before bed… but in the past few years I got back into reading and now I feel weird going to sleep if I don’t!
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE BEST WAY TO DEAL WITH STRESS' THAT THE BUSY TATTOO LIFE CAN BRING ON?
DELEGATE! So many of us try to “do it all” and my life got so much better when I hired an assistant. Yes… it’s an extra expense, and Yes… I have to have so much trust in her! But by having someone to answer my emails and help with booking and do so much more of the administrative stuff, that frees my brain up to be more creative and to do the parts of this job that I love!
DO YOU HAVE A MOMENT THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE? DO YOU MIND SHARING?
I have had many moments that have shaped by life, some of them wonderful, some of them painful. But one of the most serendipitous moments was when I was in my tattoo apprenticeship. I went to my parents house one day to go through all my stuff I had left there from my childhood and I found a note from my pre-k teacher that said something like, “Jordanne doesn’t really like to sit down or listen… but if you put her in front of an art project, she will be occupied for hours!” I had found this note within a month of me quitting my corporate salary job and moving to a different state to pursue tattooing, and it’s how I knew I made the right choice, and never looked back!
WHO IS THE MOST UNIQUE CLIENT YOU HAVE EVER MET?
The first time I realized that as tattooers, we have such a significant impact on how a person feels about their life and their body, was when I tattooed this one client early on in my career. He ex husband had tried to kill her by throwing her through a window and it left a huge scar above her elbow, and she wanted me to cover it. We ended up doing a half sleeve of MarioCart themed stuff and she sat like a CHAMP through all of it… until I got to her elbow. She started crying so hard and when I asked if she wanted a break, she said that it was a trauma response and that I should just keep tattooing because it wasn’t going to get any better and she just wanted the scar covered. She loves the tattoo and I do too, but when I went home that night, I also bawled my eyes out! It was such an important moment in her life that she was not only sharing with me to help guide her through this, but she was trusting me enough to “fix” her body to something she loved to look at again. I have never felt the impact of this job more than her, and am forever grateful.
DOES THE CONSTANT PRESSURE AND CHALLENGE OF PROMOTING YOURSELF ON SOCIAL MEDIA EXAUST YOU OR IS IT SECOND NATURE?
Instagram never really stressed me out, especially when I stopped caring about the numbers as much. TikTok on the other hand… in 2020 I started doing a segment called “Things Your Tattoo Artist Wants You To Know” where I take common questions about our industry and present them in a way that educates clients and is a helpful resource to artists to share with their clients. This, combined with the signature “foamy wipe” of my tattoos led to instant success! I gained followers, and gained them quickly (currently around 420k on TikTok). And while this success might sound awesome (and it is, there are so many cool things this has helped me achieve) it also is a lot of pressure to come up with new material and to “be an influencer”… which is not something I ever set out to be. I have taken steps back and am focusing on quality content instead of quantity, and that helped a lot. It is second nature for me to be in the lime light, as I do have a performer type personality! But the pressure to be “on” all the time can be a lot. So to those stressors I say, find the joy in doing something or don’t do it at all. I find joy in connecting with clients and helping the average person learn more about our industry and how to be a better client… so when the pressure stresses me out, I try to remember that kindness and joy. :)
