The Art of the Pivot - Brittany Randell

The very first time I ever saw one of Brittany’s tattoos, I was in awe of the intricacy and detail in her artwork. After a quick scroll through her Instagram, I was hooked. Not only is she a brilliant artist, but she’s fiercely committed to shifting he misconception in her industry that tattoos can’t be done well on Black and Brown skin. Brittany’s work is both art and activism, and it’s earned her a well-deserved reputation as one of the best in Toronto.

Brittany has been tattooing for four years, working from an in-home studio, after politics, racism, and sexism kept her from landing a position in public tattoo shops. In those four years, she’s amassed an impressive body of work, more than 27,000 followers on Instagram, and collaborations with major brands like Inkbox. Now that Toronto has entered phase 3 and tattoo shops have reopened, Brittany has taken her talents to Always Tattoo Studio, but I chatted with her before the restrictions lifted to learn how she was navigating her business while stricter restrictions were in place.

Brittany Randell, aka Humblebeetatto, tattooing a client.

How did the pandemic impact your business?

With the pandemic being a medical crisis and having to immediately social distance, it was like going from having an income to absolutely nothing within 24 hours. I was contacting clients on a bi-weekly or monthly basis to let them know their deposits were okay, but I couldn’t reschedule yet because we didn’t know when things would be back to normal.

Tattoo artists work in such close proximity to people, and with me being independent, I did have people coming into my home. So that kind of freaked me out too. That's why I was like, ‘I can't do it this way anymore.’ I literally started planning what it would look like for me to open back up and start working again. So, I had to start navigating that while not working, but also tried to find other ways to make money at the same time.

What strategies did you use to pivot?

Like the majority of tattoo artists, I come from an illustrative and visual art background. Through school, I was always drawing and painting mostly just with marker or pencil. Now that Instagram has given me this large following and a big platform, I’ve taken this opportunity to start selling art, which I've actually never done. So, I publicly started making art prints to basically make rent.

I'm not the only tattooist doing merch. I've seen handmade bags and little pins and patches that you can put on clothes…stuff like that. For me, art prints are easier to like mail out and to get manufactured, so that's what I'm doing. The art has also made it possible to support the growing Black Lives Matter movement. I know I don't have to, but I still give half of proceeds of what I make with those prints to organizations and individuals within the movement. As long as I make rent, then I donate.

It's been going well. Of course, it’s not as much as you make when you're tattooing because the cost of that service is obviously higher. But, thankfully, I've had my partner to help with rent and other finances.

Your business thrives when you do. How did you take care of your personal well-being?

One day at a time. I try not to stress too much or put too much pressure on myself about the future and going back to work. Setting boundaries was also really important. I was still getting a huge flow of emails. Doing admin work as a tattoo artist is one of the larger things you do for your job that a lot of people don't see us doing. And one of the things that stresses me out the most. So, I had to set that boundary for my mental health during all this. What we're seeing online is all so triggering and my depression has increased, especially after having a baby during a pandemic and during Black Lives Matter movement. I was like, “I'm not going to reply to these.”

Aside from work, I reduced my time on Instagram; it just wasn’t safe to be mindlessly scrolling. spent more time with family and hanging out with them (with social distancing of course). I was never into video games, but that got me into Animal Crossing on the Switch. It's so creative, and I feel like it's just a great way for me to get my creativity out. I also focused on redecorating my home too, because I feel like your space is your sanctuary. I’ve been revisiting old books, but not necessarily reading the full book just going back to passages I like. I’ve also been going for walks and cooking more.

What advice do you have for Black women creatives who are struggling to manage during this time?

I feel like setting those boundaries, in whatever situation, whether it be work or personal, is extremely important. So, knowing what triggers you and limiting that time or cutting it off completely. I would also say focus on yourself but realize that there's no there's no rush. I could bang out like 510 different art prints a week, but I choose to take my time with the art, and it's almost therapeutic in a way to relax and draw not rush—to set that boundary to know that there's no deadline for this. And you can post it whenever.

Brittany’s books are now open for appointments; gorgeous flash tattoos are also available!