The Impetus That Started It All

On February 23, 2018, my friend, Kris, and I went to a local tattoo parlor that uses only vegan ink to get our long-talked-about Vegan V tattoos.  We both had them placed on the inside of our right wrists.

These were not the first tattoos for either of us.  In fact, until we conjured up the idea of getting the Vegan V tattoo, we were both of the ilk that we were done with tattoos. But that turned out to not be the case at all.

Shortly after

came the idea of an Ahimsa tattoo.  We both had different ideas of how they would manifest as a tattoo for each of us, so we went off to find our designs.  Kris’ son designed hers, and she decided it was going on the outside of her right calf.  I, on the other hand, was looking for something more reminiscent of my scrollwork Ahimsa necklace that rarely, if ever, comes off.  I wanted mine to be more black with only hints of some color in what was to represent jewels.

One night we got talking about the tattoos, and I mentioned that wouldn’t it be a real journey if we went to Portland, Oregon, and got our tattoos at the vegan tattoo parlor, Scapegoat Tattoo, which is located in the Vegan Mall.  One thing lead to another, and we decided it was a ‘Go’.  So the planning commenced.  We would fly up to Portland on October 22 and return on October 26.  A quick turnaround, but heck, with advance planning, we would squeeze in quite a bit in addition to our tattoos.

The Adventure Begins!

After scoring our plane tickets, hotel, and rental car, the next (and possibly most important) task was to secure appointments for our much-anticipated tattoos.  Oh no!  By the time we had our designs finalized, the Scheduler at Scapegoat Tattoo said they were completely booked and we’d have to come another time.

Here’s where kind compassionate conversation (with a little bit of begging thrown in), comes in handy. I received an email from owner, Brian Wilson, who said that it was his scheduled day off but not wanting to disappoint us, he was going to come in expressly to do our tattoos himself.  Score!!! Actually, Super Score! Needless to say, both Kris and I were much relieved.

We would arrive in Portland on the 22^nd with only time for dinner and settling in for the night.  The next day we would go out for breakfast and head straight over to Scapegoat Tattoo.  Let the Portland Veg Tour have its official kickoff!

All of Scapegoat Tattoos artists have webpages on the site showing much of their work.  Every artist there is beyond talented.  When we looked at Brian’s page, his attention to the minutest details is extraordinary and palpable.  He is able to tattoo the finest of outlines without having them bleed into each other.  Case in point, my very own Ahimsa tattoo.

Unexpected Guests

When we walked in, he said there was going to be a surprise.  He had just begun to put my stencil on, and in walked our surprise.  When I was communicating with Farm Spirit, I didn’t realize, at least not at first, that I was dealing with the owner/head chef himself, Aaron Adams.  At some point, I mentioned the reason that the trip was being planned in the first place was because of our desire to have our tattoo done at Scapegoat Tattoo and next was dinner at Farm Spirit.

Since Aaron knew he wasn’t going to be able to be at Farm Spirit on the evening of our reservation, he surprised Kris and I by coming into Scapegoat Tattoo and having one done alongside us.  As we came to learn, all the vegan chefs, store owners, etc. know each other quite well.  It is a beautiful and tightly knit group of individuals dedicated to making the world a better place by promoting veganism.

For the several hours that we were at Scapegoat Tattoo, we had the pleasure of falling into great conversation with amazing fellow vegans.

All in All

The tattoos came out far better than we even expected. Now that they are long past their healing stage, the level of precise detail in both of our tattoos are works of art.  I wear mine proudly; and it is a reminder of such a memorable, enjoyable, and much-too-short Portland Veg Tour.

Scapegoat Tattoo

Located at 1223 SE Stark Street, Portland, OR  97214

www.scapegoattattoo.com

Tel: 503-232-4628

Email:  scapegoattattoo@gmail.com

Stay tuned for next week….there’s still more to come.  Next week will be all about how we vegan ate our way through our time there in magnificent restaurants, one of which you already ready about in my 1/8/19 and 1/15/19 blogs, Farm Spirit.