How to prepare for your tā moko booking with me

I’ve written this quick reference to help guide you in the process of preparing for your tā moko booking with me. The following process has arisen from my experience and each step is there for good reason. For optimum results, prepare yourself in the optimum manner. You are worth it, your moko is worth it, and my time is worth it.

1. Have a good nights sleep the night before. Don’t go out. Don’t drink or drug the night before (and don’t come to me on the day of your booking under the influence – I won’t tattoo you and you’ll have to come back another day.)

2. Eat a good breakfast the morning of your booking. I don’t want you getting light headed on me. Food will give you strength, stamina and endurance.

3. Be clear on what you want your moko to represent. Think about. Sleep on it. What do you really really really want your moko to represent for you? What do you feel in your bones? What do you know to be true for you? Talk to your whānau about it if you want to – but ultimately YOU need to know what you want.

4. Think about WHY you want your tā moko. The clearer you are in your own mind, heart, soul, body and spirit, the better the final outcome will be for us both. Write it down for yourself if this helps you clarify your thoughts - however ultimately you will need to communicate this to me face to face at the time of your booking.

Please note that I do not tattoo designs drawn by other people. Allow me to do my job and design for you, your own custom unique one off piece.

Thanks for reading!

Mauriora!

My first trip to Paris: City of art, love and museums!

In May 2014 I was blessed to have the opportunity to travel to Paris with my baby and my mother, to attend the opening of an exhibition at Musee du quai Branly, called 'Tattooers, Tattooed' that featured one of my paintings. 

My painting featured in the exhibition at Musee du quay Branly in Paris.

While I was in Paris for the exhibition opening, I also did some tattooing. Most of the people that got kirituhi by me were French - and all of them were very respectful, grateful and appreciative of Māori culture.

Freehand draw up for one of the kirituhi I made in Paris, before the tattooing process begins.

The finished kirituhi.

The view from our coffee spot one morning at Musee du quai Branly.

We were there for about two weeks, and it was awesome! It was my first time in Europe and I definitely want to go back there. We stayed in an apartment close to the Eiffel Tower and Musee du quai Branly for the first week, and then we moved to the Montemartre Arrondissement which is known for hosting many artists over the centuries, including Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Vincent Van Gogh. I really liked the diversity of the Montemartre area, and there was heaps to see and do there.

All set to leave our apartment on our very first morning in Paris! 

Some of the things that I loved about Paris:

The museums. They seemed to have a museum for everything imaginable! Visiting Musee du Louvre was definitely a highlight.

One of the amazing ceilings at Musee du Louvre!

I loved the numerous depictions of the mother and child at Musee du Louvre.

The food. Of course Paris is known for its cuisine and wine, and it did not disappoint! Breakfast, lunch and dinner was always a treat, and I loved to have my morning coffee at a little cafe on the street, watching all the different people go by.

The attention to detail. I really noticed how seemingly everything is beautified or ornately detailed in some way. The most unexpected and mundane things had the effort and time put into making them aesthetically pleasing. Presentation in Paris is really big and it was lovely to experience such attention to detail.

Catching the metro out to the suburbs with some of my friends from Newtown, Wellington (yes they were in Paris at the same time as me!) to watch a Rod Taylor reggae gig was some unexpected fun!

A spontaneous freestyle jam in the streets of Montmartre with some new friends we had just met that had a guitalele (the first time I had ever seen such an instrument) was a really memorable moment.

Going on an impromptu adventure on foot and by metro, around Paris with my Italian client-turned-new-friend, Domenica, was really enjoyable.

Eating small portions of several delicious dishes whilst standing up at a tiny place in St Germaine with another new friend was pretty cool - and walking around the streets afterwards, looking in the windows of all the art galleries of that area was the best part.

The fashion. There are so many people from all around the world in Paris, and I loved checking out all of the different styles that people were rocking. Even the men get into fashion over there, and they were super stylish!

Hat that I customized over there. I find a hat useful when i'm tattooing as it keeps the hair out of my face.

An example of the sheer awesomeness peppered throughout the city. This was just down the road from our first apartment.

They even had a Museum of Eroticsm!

I met some great people and made some cool friends and I am super grateful and appreciative for the experience! Thank you Paris! Here is a French article about the Māori section of the exhibition in Paris.
 

Te Uira Moko: Manifesto

Moko is alive and ever evolving. Moko links us to the past and to the future. Moko is a gift from the gods.

Moko is a taonga from our ancestors. Moko is about whakapapa. Moko is about dna. Moko is both a privilege and a birthright too. Moko tells a story. Moko beautifies. Moko heals.

Moko transforms. Moko is both an art form and a cultural practice. Moko is for men and women. Moko is uniquely and exclusively Māori. Moko is about genealogy.

Moko is about pride. Moko is about claiming your identity and standing in your power as a human being. Moko is about whānau, hapū and iwi.

Moko is about belonging. Moko is about contributing to your community.

Moko is about consciously choosing to walk a good path in life. Moko is about being the best person that you can be. Moko is both ancient and modern, traditional and contemporary.

Moko is about caring for others, especially those smaller or more vulnerable than you. Moko is about facing and dealing to your demons, your fear, your pain and your past wrong doings. Moko is about living your life peacefully.

Moko is about being true to yourself. Moko is a way of honoring your ancestors whom you have come from, and leaving a legacy for your descendants. Moko is a blueprint.