Barbara is a fan of Ornamental and floral tattoos, a mother, and a digital content creator. A skeleton as her main subject for her backpiece linked with her childhood In this interview, she shares her mission related to tattooing: ‘I love sharing my daily life as a tattooed mom, being myself, and happily breaking stereotypes around heavily tattooed women.”
Barbara, welcome to Tattoo Life! Shall we start our chat with an introduction?
Hey, my name is Barbara Crane. I’m a proud tattooed mom and I work at Stories & Ink, a tattoo skincare brand. I love sharing snippets of my life as a heavily tattooed woman.
You are a digital content creator. Can you tell me more about your specialization?
I started a long time ago, wanting to create nice pictures for myself—both of me and my surroundings. I enjoyed planning and getting creative, exploring and finding my style. I didn’t expect so many people to appreciate it too, and that’s how my following grew.
Right now, I love sharing my daily life as a tattooed mom, being myself, and happily breaking stereotypes around heavily tattooed women.
When did your passion for tattooing start?
When I was about 6 years old, I learned what a tattoo was, and I was fascinated by the idea of having drawings on skin. I knew then that I would decorate myself with art. I got my first tattoo at 17—a beautiful peony on the inside of my left arm, and I still love it. The rest is history!
Did you choose the ornamental style from the beginning? How come?
No, my tattoo journey started without a clear direction. I knew I wanted most of my tattoos in black and grey, although I did end up getting a couple of color tattoos on my legs. I loved flowers (especially peonies) and mandalas, which became the main elements of my tattoos.
I was drawn to the art style of my current tattoo artist, Emils Salmins. The way he draws flowers and ornaments really speaks to me—so timeless and bold. I wanted all of that on my skin. I love how I can have different imagery (like the skeleton on my back) but its surroundings are decorated with ornaments and flowers, helping to connect the rest of my tattoos.
May I ask about your choice of having a skeleton as the theme for your back piece?
I was born on Halloween, and as a kid, my parents threw Halloween-themed birthday parties for me each year. Halloween wasn’t a big thing in my country back then, so I felt very special. We had carved pumpkins, fake spider webs, and all kinds of decorations.
One year, I received a skeleton balloon that I became attached to. Since then, I’ve loved skeletons.
I had toy skeletons, and I adored the music video for the Chemical Brothers’ “Hey Boy, Hey Girl.” When I couldn’t decide what to have on my back, I shared some ideas with my artist and let him run with it. He knew I liked skeletons, so he added one in the center of my back piece, and I loved it! It now represents my love for skeletons, my birthday, and even death. I feel like he’s ‘got my back,’ haha.
What other subjects have you chosen with a specific meanings?
I have a crane tattooed on my left arm because that’s my last name. I also have a piece of a mandala on my left arm, which is part of a drawing my mom did for me when I was a kid. I have an entire sleeve dedicated to Halloween-themed bits to honor my birthday.
Do you prefer to work with different tattoo artists or just one? Who?
The top half of my body is all done by Emils Salmins. I do have a few tattoos by other artists and would like to get more from them, but Emils’s art and style spoke to me in a unique way. I ended up wanting just that. I love how cohesive the top half of my body looks since it’s all done by him.
What do you enjoy in life? Any hobbies or special interests? I saw that you’re the mother of a beautiful baby boy!
Yes, thank you! I love being a mother! It’s the most important, beautiful, challenging, and fulfilling thing I’ve ever done. It currently consumes my time, and I embrace it because I know my son will grow up fast. I spend all my free time with him and my family. Outside of motherhood, I used to do a lot of art—video art, graphic design, photography, painting, drawing—you name it! Now, I don’t have as much time for it, but I’d love to do some painting or drawing when I get the chance.
