Fresh Ink, Fresh Start

Standing behind the front counter at Deviant Tattoo Studios Seven waits for a client to arrive in Excelsior Springs, Mo. “That makes me feel a whole lot better about life,” Seven said during a Missouri Vocational Rehabilitation meeting earlier in the day where she finalized paperwork to have her apprenticeship fully funded.

Seven applies her makeup at her home as part of her morning ritual before going to work. Seven said, “I haven’t been to a hair salon since 2012,” after shaving her head to show her mandala tattoo.

Tattoo artist T Mills, center, shows off the stomach tattoo he applied on himself that took nearly 17 hours to complete while Seven, at left, begins a tattoo on her client Hellboy, at right, at Deviant Tattoo Studios. Many tattoo artists go by pen names to fit a certain style, to brand themselves or just to keep their work from getting confused with another artist.

Tattoo artist T Mills, right, goes over the different outline and linework techniques with Seven in preparation for her next tattoo appointment at Deviant Tattoo Studios. “We’re making happy little trees,” said T Mills referencing the painter, Bob Ross, to remind Seven to finish out her lines without lifting the machine until she is done.

Seven, center, prepares to place a stencil on her client Hellboy’s forearm at Deviant Tattoo Studios. After the tattoo was finished, Hellboy said he was going to tell his friends, “I got a unicorn tattoo on a Wednesday. What the f--- did you do?”

After finishing the outline of a zombie unicorn on the forearm of her client Hellboy, Seven begins filling in the tattoo with color at Deviant Tattoo Studios. The lightweight pen-shaped design of newer tattoo machines gives Seven the ability to tattoo that was not possible with older rotary machines.

Amanda Adams, left, stops by Deviant Tattoo Studios during her lunch break to see her partner Seven while she enjoys a smoke break. Seven and Amanda have been living in Excelsior Springs since January after meeting each other online.

Amanda Adams, right, helps her partner Seven carry groceries inside their home. Seven made a trip to Walmart to stock up on groceries for her daughters Addyson, 14, and Rowan, 10, who are coming to stay at her house for the upcoming weekend.

Seven, lower center, grooms her seven-month-old Poodle, Olive, while sitting outside her home with her partner Amanda Adams after finishing dinner in Excelsior Springs. “My grandpa taught me to train dogs, he always had dogs around,” said Seven regarding how she was able to train Olive to remain calm enough to let her trim her hair.

From left, Amanda Adams and Seven laugh at a Snapchat message sent by Seven’s 14-year-old daughter Addyson while they watch television at their home after dinner. Seven was planning out the weekend in preparation for Addyson and her 10-year-old sister Rowan as they stay over.

Seven looks away from a mirror in the bathroom of her home. “My daughter had a special needs cat that wasn’t supposed to live, and going through sobriety gave me another chance,” Seven said about coming up with her pen name inspired by one of her daughters’ cats and the proverb that they have nine lives.