Tattoo artist Kirby gives an insight into her unique work and the inspiration behind!
Working in a morgue, determining causes of death, is probably the last place one would find inspiration. But Netherlands-based tattoo artist, Kirby van Beek found her aesthetic there, drawn to the idea of death, the human body, and true crimes. A creative, and confident 24-year-old Kirby started her tattoo shop, “Heretic Tattoo” in 2010. Today, she has carved a niche for herself in the industry, being a highly regarded artist in the black-and-white realism movement. Currently the only tattoo artist in her studio, she provides people with custom dark realistic tattoos, portraits, and jewel tattoos. She never tattoos a design more than once, for it is essential for her that every client has a unique tattoo. Known for her designs and portraits with a dark and evil twist, she has also been featured on the Dutch version of MTV’s ‘Just Tattoo of Us.’
Choosing The Name ‘Heretic’
The reason behind the name stems from her personal experiences of always feeling like an outsider. She explains, “I could never fit in at school and always felt different. So I wanted to come up with a name that would represent rebels/outsiders. Of course, there were a lot of words I could use but I chose heretic because I’ve always been interested in religion, but I’ve never agreed with the ideas and rules it puts on people. I always try to voice my opinions against it so the word heretic would perfectly represent me and the dark “evil” tattoos I like to do.”
Her idol and her motivation is Kat von D. A badass businesswoman with an alternative style, who runs her tattoo shop, all the while being completely accepted by the public is what gave Kirby the confidence to pursue her dream as well.
The Struggle And Her Determination
Kirby taught herself to tattoo when she was 18 and continued pursuing it along with her education and job. She studied forensic science from the age of 18 to 21. For the next 1 year, she worked in the morgue during the week while studying for pre-university graduation. Normally this takes 2 years but she completed it in 1 year. She kept tattooing on weekends and her spare hours throughout. Though she later worked as a tattooist at many tattoo studios in the Netherlands from the age of 22 through 24, things weren’t easy for her.
“I really struggled to get into tattooing. I was creative from a young age and spent a lot of time drawing. But the tattoo industry sadly is a really closed community. So it’s very hard to get a place where you can start an apprenticeship.” Not the type to be working for a boss, she constantly struggled with doing what was ordered during her time as an apprentice. “Being an apprentice involves a lot of dirty jobs, like only cleaning the shop for the first year before they teach you anything. For me this was a waste of my time, I wanted to learn how to tattoo, not how to mop the floor,” she recalls. Eventually, she quit the job and took matters into her own hand. Her parents were supportive and brought her a tattoo machine, her father letting her practice on his arm. She learned the art by getting tattooed herself, watching the tattoo artists’ work, and picking up the skill. The strong young lady persisted and worked hard to earn the reputation she holds today.
Future Vision And Upcoming Projects
She might be onto many things at the moment, but tattoos take a central position in her life. She loves meeting different clients and getting to know them on a personal level during a long tattoo session. “There is nothing more rewarding to be able to tattoo people who love my art so much they are willing to wear it on their skin for life,” she exclaims. Currently working on a YouTube channel where she aspires to combine her dark realistic tattoos with a narration of true crime stories, she is also working on a high fashion clothing line. She aims to expand all her ventures over the next few years.
Message And Personal Motto
She believes in living a “life full of ‘wow I did that’ instead of ‘why didn’t I do that!” Her story aptly sends out the message she wants to put out, “Never give up. Be good to your loved ones and fuck what everyone else thinks. If I would have listened to all the haters in my life I wouldn’t be where I am today.”