Gareth Miller joins The Spirit of Alchemy to explore purpose, mastery, and the courage to honour one’s calling. In this episode, we uncover how his journey into tattooing became a lived expression of Ikigai: where art, discipline, and meaning converge. A powerful conversation on choosing purpose over fear and allowing it to become permanent.
Step into a story where purpose meets permanence: a journey shaped by artistic instinct, discipline, and the quiet alchemy of becoming.
In this episode, hosts Bobby Forssman and Rehema Isa sit with Gareth Miller, founder of Circle of Ikigai Tattoo Studio, to explore how tattooing became more than a craft, it became a philosophy of life. With no formal training and limited resources, Gareth taught himself through curiosity, repetition, and embodied learning, using his own body as a canvas and commitment to mastery as his guide.
Together, they explore:
• Losing direction and rediscovering purpose
• Ikigai as a lived philosophy, not a concept
• Tattooing as permanent storytelling and responsibility
• Learning through embodiment, discipline, and trial
• Cultural stigma, ancestral roots, and reclamation
• Choosing purpose without permission
Through honesty, humour, reflection, and lived wisdom, this conversation reveals what it truly means to align what you love, what you do, and who you are, and to allow purpose to leave a permanent mark.
Bobby: The Spirit of Alchemy…. Good morning and welcome to The Spirit of Alchemy. We are all storytellers of new worlds, stories that shape our realities, the realities of those we engage with and or serve. The name of our show beautifully conveys transformation, creativity and the turning of the ordinary into something extraordinary, whether in business, personal growth, or even art, like how simple ink becomes something magical.Today our guest is Gareth Miller, a leading tattoo artist who founded the Circle of Ikigai Tattoo Studio here at Workpods in Midrand. He's here to share how he chose his story into being, a story that honours his soul rather than his fears, one that steps beyond limiting definitions of who he was, the story of the life that he is actively writing and living. I'm Bobby Forsman, and this is my co-host
Rehema: Rehema Isa.
Bobby: And welcome Gareth.
Gareth: Hi guys. Thank you for having me.
Rehema: Welcome. Welcome. Welcome.Well, I got to hear two minutes before we started that he's not just Gareth, he’s pretty boy Gaz.
Bobby: Pretty boy Gaz.
Rehema: Tell us about that name. Where did it come from?
Gareth: Shucks. It was actually a while ago with a friend of mine. So I would say that we were a bit of the good looking guys back in the day.So she just decided that instead of calling you guys like handsome guys or whatever, just say you guys are pretty boys, you know? So it just stuck with me and it was like, yoh that would actually sound pretty cool like to an audience out there or something catchy. So I was like, “it's your boy, pretty boy Gaz, you already know the vibes, baby”.
Rehema: You're owning it, owning it, owning it. What's in a name? So Bobby introduced you by saying that you've got this outfit called Circle of Ikigai.Where does that come from? Ikigai is not Setswana, Isizulu, it's not a South African word.
Gareth: It's not, no.
Rehema: Where does it come from and where does it originate from? But what is the significance and meaning for you?
Gareth: So Ikigai for me is basically like we were trying to find a way to, how can I say, give a one-word answer to people who were trying to find like what purpose meant to them. And we looked through like different African origins.
Rehema: Who's we?
Gareth: Well, myself and my partner there, Nino. So we sat and we had a bit of brainstorming and we looked through a few things and we're like, man, like nothing actually speaks to the true essence of what we're trying to portray like in one word without putting like a bunch of things together. And we stumbled across basically the Japanese culture.And as you know, they're very strong with like their beliefs and how can I say, not formality but like spirituality and stuff like that. And I found there was actually a book called Ikigai and I went down that rabbit hole and searched more into it. I was like, yo man, this actually speaks to me.And when we looked all around like the world and stuff, there was no one that actually was owning that or willing to tell that side of the story. So Ikigai just resonated with me on that level to show that my life has purpose, meaning with what I do and the core values that I could add to society and stuff like that. So yeah, basically Ikigai was just the one word that we could find that portrayed everything we were trying to portray in a single word.
Rehema: It sounds very Zen. My life has purpose, right? And kind of feels like it's always had purpose.Has that always been the case? Where did the sense of purpose, direction and clarity, even looking for a singular word to describe it, you ask me something, I'm going to give you five sentences just to get to the point that I'm making. Have you always been this clear?And where did that begin?
Gareth: No, no. So it was basically, I started tattooing in 2017. So I'm from Pretoria originally, my family is from KZN, so we moved back and forth between Johannesburg and Durban. And then moving back this side, I stopped studying. So I was studying arts in 2015, I matriculated in 2014, 2015, I studied a bit of art.And then I got back to Joburg, tried to get the same course that I was doing this side and I couldn't. And that's when my life basically lost purpose.So yeah, it was like waking up in the morning, not having anything to do, just chilling with the guys. And I was like, no man, like, there has to be a greater reasoning for myself. Yeah, so it basically stemmed from that, just waking up seeing like, guys in the community and stuff not doing anything.And I saw myself basically heading in the same direction and I was like…
Rehema: How old were you?
Gareth: I was basically between the age of 20 and 21. So I started tattooing when I was 21, 2017, after taking a bit of a gap year to find myself. And that's when I knew that no man, my life is lacking purpose and tattooing would ultimately give me another way within art to make means or to do something that didn't feel like I would draw a picture and it would get thrown away or something. So tattooing basically just added like more meaning to me and it allowed me to keep my stories permanent, not like an artwork that could burn down in the house or get thrown away if you know, if anything happened or stolen even, you know.
Bobby: So I mean, just in terms of going back to the Ikigai story, I mean, the Ikigai from a Japanese sense, it's “that which makes life worth living”. And it sits at that intersection of personal fulfilment and obviously social harmony. And the four elements to it are what you love, what you're good at, what you can get paid for and what the world needs.You've just framed out what you love, which is art that I'm picking up, that art has been something that's sat with you for a while. But art is one thing. You mentioned getting paid for something you love.We'll get back to that. But it's the journey to get good at what you do. It is not a simple process.Talk us through that journey that you've gone through. We did share a bit with you yesterday and where you've used your own body as your canvas and it actually tells a story of your evolution from a novice tattoo artist into the professional that you are now. Just share that with us.
Gareth: So basically, also like to go back to what Remeha said about purpose as well, it's like there's no formal training like in South Africa, like on tattooing and stuff like that. So upon like leaving the art and finding tattooing now, I then thought like, okay, how am I going to learn this thing? Because there's no school that I could attend or there's no person I could go to to get like an apprenticeship because when I started, it was still the old school way of doing things. So there wasn't as much information out here for us like in South Africa. So everything was basically just like YouTube.I went on to YouTube. I started doing like a whole lot of research and I bit the bullet, man. I went, I got a tattoo machine with like the last money that I had is like 500 Rand, got it off of Gumtree.And literally that night, got the machine, got home, took out an orange and I was like, yo, let me try this thing out. And it didn't satisfy me.
Rehema: Yoh guys, okay.
Bobby: How did the orange feel?
Rehema: Wait
Gareth: Orangey
Rehema: So you start off by studying art. So you actually start off with a formal kind of training. You quit art and then that's when you came to Johannesburg. And that's the break here you're talking about. But then you consciously state that tattooism is, tattooing is art and that's what you started with that 500 Rand purchase from Gumtree. And with this form of art, you started with oranges. Im just tryna…
Bobby: That's in a nutshell, that's.. okay. So that's just the starting point. Because also, I think what you mentioned is that, you know, there's so many artists that create art and they have to do something spectacular, like die some spectacular death or something for their art to become worth something. But it's how do you commercialise that which you love, which is art. And tattooing was obviously the way forward for you and that brought you to the orange, tattooing it. How did you move forward from there?
Rehema: I'm also, in my mind, I'm thinking is that orange, you know, is it left, is it embalmed somewhere?
Gareth: No, it's not. I actually threw it away. So basically, the reason, the purpose behind the orange was just to learn about needle depth and then it didn't feel real enough. Like when you work with synthetics and stuff like that, it doesn't always work the same with human skin. Everyone's skin type is different.So I then bit the bullet again. And I was like, you know, I'd like, let's forget this orange, like, I've got a leg. I'm just gonna, like, let me wing it, man.Like, if there's anything I can show people that like, okay, I'm serious, I'm doing it on myself. So if you're willing to, and then yeah, I started, my first tattoo was on myself. And then my friends then later on, got more, how can I say, excited, because now you've got a buddy that's willing to ink up everybody for free.And then they fortunately allowed me to use them as practise skin instead of synthetics.
Bobby: Awesome. Okay. And are they still your mates?
Rehema: Yeah, 100%. With very bad tattoos by the way.
Bobby: Okay, just test out on me and I'll live with this forever.
Gareth: Yeah.
Rehema: Tattoos are forever. That's the thing. I mean, you're sitting back and saying, first of all, you're desecrating your body.This conversation was a bit challenging for me, right? Because my daughters have been wanting tattoos forever. It's been this conversation, my eldest is the one, she's got rings everywhere you're supposed to and not supposed to have rings.The second one is following that suit. And so that was one challenge. But tattooing, I've always thought is permanent.How do you, how do you put permanent stuff on your body that's not going to go away? And what were the limitations that you had? I'm sitting here with one obviously very biased perspective of what this is.I grew up where tattoos are, you know, big guys, it was always big white guys, bald guys.
Bobby: Tattoos were taboo.
Gareth: Very
Rehema: They were taboo. Bikers, there's this image and not that those are negative, but there was a connotation around it. But you're going in and now you're inking your body, you're inking your friend's bodies. And where did you transfer, where did you move from inking friends bodies to being paid to ink people?
Gareth: Shucks. That one is interesting. So basically, it was just a matter of, how can I say, solidifying my name by practising continuously on friends, and they then would become my walking billboards.So the better I got, they would go to places and stuff like that. I also have a bit of a background in photography, used to work in a club and stuff like that. So I started meeting more influential people and trying to convince them to come to me to get my work seen in more places.So besides my friends, once the practise got to a certain standard, I then got the influencers involved and they then basically took my name in the art space to a different level where people now sought me out instead of me seeking canvas, basically.
Bobby: That's amazing. That's the way to do it. But this has all been intentional on your part.You've gone from that orange to using your body just as a canvas, a couple of your mates. But again, now all of this is without any form of formal training. There's no places you can go to.I remember there was a sign in this little town where we used to go to for holidays in a motor workshop where the guys used to service cars for holidaymakers or local farmers. The sign was there, to fix your car, 250 rand an hour, for you to watch, 350 rand an hour, for you to help me, 450 rand an hour. So this mechanic had rates for, you know, if he was just going to do his work, that's what he charged.But if you were going to get involved and interfere with him, he's going to charge you a whole lot more. So that came to mind when you shared with us a story yesterday of what your learning was about. So maybe just share with us around how you intentionally, again, used your own body as a canvas to learn.
Gareth: Basically, just again, it's YouTube and then just going back and forth with like making mistakes on myself. So like I would do a tattoo today maybe and then it would heal, it would come back, not looking the way I would want, whether it be on myself or my friends. And I would then change things up, like basically learning with trial and error, literally.
Rehema: On your body.
Bobby: There was trial and error, but then your, I'm not going to call them mentors, but you paid good money to learn, even though you said you didn't go to, it wasn't formal education, it was…
Gareth: Oh, basically I went to other peers in the industry, you know, and I looked at it in a sense of, okay, since I can't get to, I can't get a course because all the courses that were offered were all online. So it's like you're looking at like a thousand dollars and at that time
Rehema: That is what in rands?
Gareth: Yeah, dollars, it's like 15. Well, now it must be like 17, 18,000 rand.Back then it could have been anywhere between 14 and 15,000. And I didn't have that money at the time. So I thought of another idea, I was like, yo, you know what, I am making a bit of money off the tattooing now, so I could basically go and book an appointment with one of the guys that I looked up to, who are like now my friends, fortunately.And I would go to them and say, like, instead of me asking them for advice, I would pay them for their services to then learn from that. So while I was getting tattooed, I would sit and ask questions like, why are you using this liner? Why are you using this?Why is the needle bigger than the one I use? Why this ink? Why that?And that basically helped me change like my style and learn things that I wouldn't have been able to pick up even like on YouTube, because the guys, they are not necessarily, I'm watching time lapses. So they're not necessarily saying I'm using this kind of a needle or this kind of ink or whatever. So yeah, my peers basically just helped me with that in terms of basically me booking sessions to gain value out of it without me. I didn't want to pesterize people, basically, like, you know, you go to places and you want information from people and it's like, okay, but I'm giving you so much value and I'm not getting anything in return. So I think that was my way of showing love and respect to the industry as well and willingness to learn, with them.
Bobby: So you would pay a couple of thousand Rand, have a tattoo done, and the tattoo artist would
Gareth: Basically mentor me…
Bobby: Guide you through it and he didn't charge you a premium? That's awesome.
Rehema: I don't think they even realised that they were actually paying, that what they were selling was learning. And I think that's actually phenomenal, right? Because what you said earlier on is that you dropped out of school and we've all got this notion of where schooling actually exists, right?But you sit back and said you didn't have purpose, you lost purpose. But I feel like you already started finding purpose, you had a clear agenda. So tattooing was what you've chosen.So you had a clear view of what you're deciding to go with. And once you've done that, you know they say as an entrepreneur, you invest in yourself first, right? You back yourself.So this idea of backing ourselves, we always think it's money, but sometimes like you said, you found yourself as a canvas. The primary canvas is yourself, you invested in yourself and you started to do that. What I'm loving is this idea that the schooling began not just with yourself and trying to find information, but going to others and finding different ways of learning.We would typically sit back and say it's a barter, but you're saying actually there was a financial transaction in exchange. They were doing it. I was seeing what they were doing.It was practicals, right?
Bobby: You were quizzing the person while they were doing it.
Rehema: It was experiential learning. So you're also experiencing and you are feeling what it looks like. I'm sitting here and I'm wondering, you've gone this journey, you've taken your photography, you got into spaces, you started being more well known.You said you used influencers. How did that work?
Gareth: Yoh, it's actually crazy. So there's a friend of mine at the time, okay, he's deceased now, rest in peace, my boy. But there's a guy by the name of Costa Titch, who at the time was not as big as he was recently.He became a global superstar and he was actually a close friend that I'd met at one of the events and I was like, yo, dude, I like what you're doing with the music and stuff. Would you think of giving a young kid like myself a shot to actually do this? And that I think is actually one of my most iconic pieces because he got Believe tattooed on his throat.
Gareth: Oh, wow. By you?
Bobby: Yeah, by me. And that went on to like, global stuff like, man, he got signed to Akon before he passed away. He was doing shows all over the world, man and that was basically just him opening the way for me at that point to validate that this guy is now on that. But it was just basically like networking and then we became friends and he trusted me enough to do something for him on that scale, you know, and I'll forever be grateful man.
Rehema: That's phenomenal. That's a powerful story. Again, for me, it goes back to him saying that I left art school because part of the thing was, I didn't know where my art was going to end up, right?You said yesterday that your house could burn and that art is gone. But the fact that people are walking around and each person is an asset to us, it's a walking canvas and is an advertisement. And to have it on people is so powerful because people also end up spreading it to their own networks consciously, unconsciously, by fact that they're inked and for you to be able to say that I've inked people who are very well known, so the quality of my work. You do talk about the fact that in South Africa, it's perhaps you don't, there wasn't like a formal space to go to, there wasn't like a brick and mortar institution that you could go and learn. So learning was on the go.That learning on the go, how does one know that a tattoo artist is of a certain calibre, ranking and gift, right? So it's like me wanting to go on a, you know, pick a personal trainer. I'm going to look at the personal trainer.Are they tight? Are they right? Do they represent what they’re..?But for a tattoo artist, how do I go shopping for a tattoo artist? What am I looking for?
Bobby: Yeah, I just want to add to that, because you said, you know, it was Costa Tich, the Believe Tattoo, people were then able to trust you. And that talks to your question, it's an informal industry, it's unregulated, it's almost self-regulated amongst tattoo artists. And yeah, how do you, how do you get to that point where, you are…
Gareth: You know what’s good and what’s bad.
Bobby: You are trusted that, you know, you're certified.
Rehema: And it's two-way, right? So one, how do I know how to go to and how to use it back and say, I'm good, you know.
Gareth: So that basically was not, it's not decisions that we make as artists, but they are. So because of the art background, like, obviously, we all know, like, everything stems from a basis point. So I used art as my basis point.So we could basically differentiate between what's right and wrong, like on paper. And then basically, it would just then translate to skin. So how you would see someone do a portrait, like, I mean, if, you know, you guys have kids, right?
Rehema: Mhm
Gareth: If a toddler had to draw an image right now, a portrait of any one of us right now, would you trust for someone to get it done? Would you think the portrait would match your actual, like, look or, I don't know how to say likeness?
Bobby: Yeah, yeah.
Gareth: It wouldn't.The toddler can't, doesn't have that skill.
Rehema: It wouldn't. But we are forced as parents to frame them and put them up.
Gareth: So basically, it would be the same, the same principle with tattooing as well, like, there's a lot of technical, like, technicalities that go into it. So like, how deep you go into the skin and stuff like that. So artists would then, well, amongst ourselves, we would look at it like that and say, what would be, how would a tattoo look like for the, I could say, the likeness, like, to compare towards like a picture like in fine art, we call it still life.So if we have like this cactus, for example, you draw this cactus, you'd be able to identify whether the cactus looks like a cactus or not, depending on who drew it or, and their skill set. So with the training and stuff, like, obviously, I've, in our, like you said, it's not regulated. So we basically gained clarity from our peers, or like, we call them OGs, you know, like the guys that are further on in our career.So they would see how our work was progressing. And they would then say like, or they would give recognition in terms like from social media, likes, comments, like, “yo, man, we see you doing your thing”, that would basically be like the stamp of approval for any artist.
Bobby: So through peer review
Gareth: Peer Review, yes
Bobby: You elevate your status within the industry, within the community that the artists or the tattoo community, tattooist community, but then also in the public's eyes.
Gareth: And then that would then make the client trust because it's like, oh, okay, you associated with so and so, or, you know, so and so, or I saw you did a tattoo on Costa Titch, or I saw you did a tattoo on George Libisi, you know, her cut the lights, those are like a few names that we've worked on. And they are, again, prominent figures in these spaces. So they would then again, validate that, okay, this guy's work is on that calibre, you know, because you do get your guys in the hood and stuff that are still doing tattoos at 50 Rand a letter.But those are people who are basically just price hunting, but it's not quite working.
Bobby: Are there sort of, within the peer community, are there sort of categories that you have, like a ladder that you would be climbing up, like you level one, two, three, four, up to level five, or does it go up to level 10? And where do you like, how does the public know where you're sitting in that scale?
Gareth: Shucks. I think it would just be based off of comparison then because, like I'm saying, we'd look at like our, our OGs or like the guys that were further ahead in their careers than us. And we would basically try to, I don't want to say mimic or like try and do what they're doing in that sense and do that comparison.So it was literally just that man, just seeing how they would carry things out. And if we were meeting it on their standard, or even just to get a little bit close to their standard. And then again, from validation from them, it would be like, “yo, man, like, I see you, you're trying, like you've progressed from when you started out to doing like messed up names or the messed up tattoos” I have to, like, I've got cabbages on my leg.
Bobby: Well, actually roses, but they look like, they look like cabbages.
Rehema: And he's hidden them today, so we wanted to show people, I wanted to show people what he's calling cabbages, which I would call his fine art.
Bobby: So to me, I mean, what's really coming out for me, and it's like a lot of respect to you for it is that I'm just in the story that you've written for yourself from your early, well from leaving school to where you are now. You have been that person that has brought out the best in you. It hasn't been somebody outside that you've identified that you love art, you've identified that you need to become really good at it.And you've taken necessary steps, you've put, invested the money, the time, your body, the industry, the peers, you've built that all up, you've built up your client base. So that's all, you've been driving that. But you've done that within a household growing up as the child of a parent, parents.And you kicked off by saying, you know, you're desecrating your body. How did you, what was your family environment around it? Was tattoos, whether cool, tattoos were cool? “We've got your back.” Just talk us through that evolution.
Rehema: I'm looking at an African woman and I'm thinking,
Gareth: No ways
Rehema: okay, yeah, I'm thinking, you look like the age that would be my child's age. So I'm like, I'm that woman who is like, and I told my kids, no, it was no 18, no 21, no, never.
Gareth: When you move out.
Rehema: When you move out. It's still now.
Gareth: My mom had the same sentiments, man. My mom had the same sentiments. She was very against it because obviously for our parents, education was a very important thing.You know, if you wanted to become something in life, you know. So my mom was actually super, super against it, man. Like I reached out to her in the beginning to say like, “Eish you know ma, the art thing like is not working out.Like it doesn't seem like I'm going to be making money soon.” And my peers around me, like my friends were now living their lives and moving out, getting cars and I'm like, shucks. Like I need money dude.
Rehema: Where were you? You were at home?
Gareth: I was at home, man.
Bobby: They were getting white appliances, dishwashers, washing machines…
Rehema: Adulting
Gareth: Toasters
Rehema: Yeah, toasters
Bobby: Oh, that's awesome.
Gareth: So yeah, my mom, my mom basically, she disagreed with me from the onset. Like, “okay, if you're going to do this, if you're going to pursue this career, then you're on your own man.”
Rehema: You're on your own. African woman. You are on your own.
Gareth: And she was like, if there's no progression in this, man, then my mom used to actually force me to go to interviews. So my mom used to set up interviews for me and be like the morning of like, “hey guy, you have an interview at this office space at 10am and if you're not there, you're not coming home today”. I was like shucks okay.
Bobby: Let me go, crack the whip.
Gareth: So yeah, basically. And even through that, I was still obviously pursuing the tattooing.And then I had to basically prove to her that this was an occupation that could make me money or it could make a better life, not only for myself, but for her. And her turning point was actually, she saw my work get better and her friends would then, how can I say, like tell her like, “yo, like we see your son's work, like it's pretty good.” And she then went on a pilgrimage in, like she did the, it's Jerusalem, right?They did a pilgrimage where they walked the path of like Jesus and stuff like that. And she then stumbled across a tattoo studio on their journey that had stencils basically made like stamps that dated back, like, I don't know if it was before Christ or just after Christ, but a whole lot of thousands of years old. I don't know if it's thousands.
Bobby: So these were stencils that would be the equivalent of a tattoo?
Gareth: Yeah. So it was basically passed down, generation to generation. So the guy that's currently doing it, it's stuff that he obtained from his great, great, great, great grandfather who was practising.And that was my mom's turning point. So she said, when she got back from Jerusalem, she's like, “yo man, like, you know, we experienced this thing. And we saw this and I actually said that I would want you to tattoo me.” And I was like, what?
Bobby: Wow. That's amazing.
Rehema: Like, if you can convince your mother, like, who else in the world do you need to convince?
Gareth: I think maybe you, Rehema.
Rehema: Well, I think for me, really, it's such a big leap from this is taboo. This doesn't make sense. And I think that part of it is research, right?As a parent, as an adult, or somebody who's fearful of something that they don't know, taking the time to learn more about it. And I think that Debbie sent me one of the things that you sent recently around how tattooing is actually time immemorial. I remember when I started going to work and I was telling them that my first profession was accounting.And I had dreadlocks and it was taboo. And it was such a big deal that you're going to work with dreadlocks and society has this perception of what's acceptable and what's not. And I recall then also getting things like nose rings and belly rings and people are thinking, why are you doing that?And I would argue that my grandmother actually has always had a nose ring and she's from the early 1900s. And so starting to appreciate that some of these things that we say are taboo, or they don't make sense. It's a lack of our own understanding.
Gareth: That's true. That's actually powerful. Sorry, but you see, in that essence, like what you're saying, if we look at a whole lot of indigenous tribes, like not just in Africa, all over the world, you realise that beautification and scarification was happening like way before we even had tattoo machines.So if you look at like Nigerian culture and stuff, they practise something. I know in Xhosa culture, they also do it where they cut. So that would be body modification.It's just that we have now, how can I say, bettered the tools as time has advanced. And it's not as gruesome as it was before. So yeah, I just think in Africa, we do have a bit like a lack of knowledge on a whole lot of history, like where this thing actually derives from and comes from.And that's also one of like my missions to teach Africans that this is not from, it's not Western culture, as we would say, you know, this thing has been dated back like to our predecessors.
Bobby: If you're just talking about your mom's experience, her tattoo stamp or whatever it was, dating back centuries and centuries and centuries, you look at the Maori's as well. I mean, just the inking that they do, that's been around forever. And I suppose it's that awareness that tattoos aren't a form of desecration.It's a form of making a statement, either for your friends, your peers, for the outside world, but probably more importantly for yourself as something that's really special for you that brings you to some form of grounding. And I think, you know, just from a tattoo point of view, your mom being on a spiritual journey. A pilgrimage in Jerusalem, and I'm assuming you grew up in a very religious Christian household, and her seeing a tattoo artist there, and she can be tattooed by somebody who's got the stamp that dates back generations, but then choosing to say, “hey, my pretty boy at home, he is…”
Rehema: “He's the one”
Bobby: “I've heard from my friends that he's good. I've heard, you know, I've seen what he's doing is good.I'm getting that feedback.” And now that like sudden dawning that this is not something new. This goes back in Christianity.And that landed with her and suddenly, she came back and she had a tattoo with you.
Rehema: That’s powerful.
Bobby: That's absolutely phenomenal. That must I mean, how did that make you feel?
Gareth: Yeah, I think like, I cried that night.
Rehema: I can imagine
Gareth: Like literally, yeah, because I was like, yoh like to go from fighting with your parent on a daily basis to acceptance is like, it's huge.
Bobby: What tattoo does she have?
Gareth: She actually got Jesus in Hebrew. So “Yeshua”.
Rehema: Okay.
Gareth: Yeah. So she just got it done, like on her wrist.
Rehema: Sho.
Bobby: So that had a special meaning for her. Yeah. So what would be a special meaning for you? What would you have done if you were to have a tattoo?
Rehema: I've been looking at tattoos for a long time. So I think there's three symbols that are important for me. One is a baobab tree, because it's always first of all, it's I think, indigenous and native to Tanzania for historical reasons and it represents replenishment, the whole tree can be used for shelter, for food. The second one would be the semicolon. And the semicolon for me is just an acknowledgement that conversations around being alive and humanity, and how it exists. And I know there’s words like depression and suicide associated with it. But I think for me, it's about living and embracing life in a continuation. And just the fact that a semicolon tells you there's more coming.
Bobby: So that's, it's almost like it doesn't imply a pause.
Rehema: Yeah.
Bobby: Semicolon. It's boom, pause, breathe, and there's more to follow. Identifying that little gap. Okay.
Rehema: And then finally, I'm known as sunshine. And so I had one something that symbolises that. So I think something that's very intrinsically and selfishly about my identity, but I think symbolically, it would be for my daughters to say I accept like, I don't always have the answers. I don't always. And I'm very, I think that I'm very open minded. But in the spaces where I'm still to learn to be a bit more open minded, it's an acceptance that yeah, why not? Do you.
Bobby: That is beautiful. So all those ingredients need to be incorporated into a design. And now I think, to our viewers, we are going to have a live tattooing session here. Rehema, who is about to desecrate her body, having now finally accepted and acknowledged that tattoos are not something that are new and faddy and tramp stampy but they are very symbolic and historic. So you'll just talk us through the generation of your tattoo. So maybe just….
Rehema: You talk about stencils, right? So stencils, so take us through the process, because I've already got a stencil marking and I've been shaking since we started the session.
Bobby: So that was that was done just before we started. So it would dry.
Gareth: Yeah. So basically, the stencil process is just to give us like, it's a it's a map for me to use to ensure that what I'm putting on the skin is also very much accurate, instead of freehanding like a toddler, you know. But yeah, it's just basically a stencil solution that we use just to stick the this little bit of film, it's just ink, basically purple ink that we use. And yeah, that's just about it, man. There's nothing…
Bobby: Can we look at the design? Can you just maybe show that and turn it so the camera can see it?
Rehema: I don't know how to show it to the camera so it can see it. But I think they'll be able to see it. They're good. They can see it. I am shaking out of my mind. Okay.
Bobby: So what have we got there?
Gareth: There's the baobab. Okay, so basically what I've done with what Rehema said about the sun, the baobab and the semicolon, we basically incorporated the sun into this part. So like how you would have a sunrise or sunset, so behind like a silhouette type of thing, where we use just the circular motion here. And then we had the baobab inside, which also you see grounded in. And then we just added the semicolon for a nice little touch there, you know, make it unique to you. One of one.
Bobby: That addresses, you see, so now this is your artwork for you, to remind you of or to ground you with these things. So it's not for the public, it's for yourself. And I think that's a lot of, I think that's where the deeper part in having a tattoo comes from, where it's a permanent artwork that is for you. It's not, it's not ego driven thing, I want to look flashy, or we touched on the different types of stamps that used to be outdated, which are no longer. But that's a piece of artwork now that's gonna go with you now for the next couple of decades. It's awesome.
Rehema: It's forever.
Bobby: It's forever.
Rehema: Its forever. The interesting thing is because I'm from East Africa, we do actually do forms of tattoo, which is henna.
Gareth: Yeah.
Rehema: And so since I was a child, I mean, I used to mix the leaf, dry the leaf and mix it with the tea, like dry the tea and mix it and actually make the henna paste. So I'm coming from a culture that actually has got forms of tattoo. And so it also allows me to just reflect on the hypocrisy because one…
Bobby: Your own hypocrisy. Yeah. That’s part of the learning.
Rehema: And I think it's just living multiple, switching cultures and context and adopting ways of being and existing and forgetting your grounding and saying, it's just another form. It's basically henna. And if every time I was on holiday, I would renew the henna all the time because I loved the ink on my skin. Its just another extension of that. I'm still scared. Because it's permanent.
Bobby: I think it's beautiful. I think the story behind it is beautiful. I think let's.
Rehema: Let me let you do your art.
Bobby: Let our tattoo artist get going with his work.
Gareth: At least with henna, the henna was semi-permanent. This is permanent, though. But like I like what you're saying about like…
Bobby: Do I need earplugs for the noise, for the screaming? Do we have an ambulance on standby?
Rehema: Okay, I do scream. I'm a screamer.
Bobby: Okay earplugs.
Rehema: I'm scaredy cat. I'm a screamer. I am delicate like that.
Gareth: I don't think it'll be that bad.
Rehema: I don't believe in pain. I don't believe in discomfort. I think those are foreign things.
Bobby: Okay. So when you do it, are we not going to talk through anything? Are you going to talk us through stuff? I'm not sure how noisy it is, but.
Gareth: I'm going to, we're going to check. I think Thabs will let us know if the machine is interfering. Do you want me to run it?
Rehema: Okay. You're putting on gloves and stuff. Is there like health things around this? You talked about regulation, but you didn't talk about the fact that there's something you need to do and study and know.
Gareth: Yeah. So basically hygiene is very important in tattooing because of obviously bloodborne pathogens. So because I'm working with your skin and blood, I can't necessarily touch too many things or else there is a very high risk of infection. So in the tattoo community, they actually say that hygiene is more important than how the tattoo looks.
Rehema: And here I'm thinking about the end product. Okay. Hygiene - that's why them gloves.
Gareth: That's why them gloves. Also just to protect all of us or like, you know, stuff like man, ink does stain a lot of things.
Rehema: Stain?
Gareth: I was nervous.
Rehema: Okay. Do you ever slip?
Bobby: Lets not manifest
Gareth: I wont disclose on camera.
Rehema: I want to know, its my body.
Bobby: What we are doing here is we, Gareth is going to do his finest work ever. That is what we are manifesting. It's a beautiful design.
Rehema: I love the design.
Bobby: And it's going to be the best advert for his work ever. So we're going to watch this.
Rehema: This is actually inking. It's inking a bit of you into me because even though I came up with the elements of the design, you actually found the inspiration for this design. So I've never thought that ink a man on my body.
Bobby: So there we go.
Rehema: A man's name on my body. So this is interesting. You're going to be indelibly linked to this tattoo.
Bobby: We are.
Gareth: Okay. Are you ready? The only thing I ask is don't move. That's the most important.
Rehema: Then you should be strapping me down. Okay. All right. I've had children. What could be harder than that?
Gareth: I've actually heard people say it's worse than birth.
Rehema: What? You didn't say that to me. I never gave childbirth naturally. So I'm that girl you to need to medicate for these things. Father God, Im actually praying.
Gareth: Just remember don't move neh.
Rehema: Oh, blessed Jesus.
Bobby: How's that feeling? Is it a bit painful?
Rehema: It is. It's like, it's like waxing. Okay. I won't say waxing where, but waxing.
Bobby: You’re not allowed to move and Gareth is not allowed to laugh.
Rehema: It's like waxing.
Bobby: Well I hope that’s fun.
Gareth: It's not like, well, I wouldn't say it's like waxing. I think it does hurt.
Rehema: Do you wax?
Gareth: No, I've never waxed. I've actually had my, my, what, what is it? My eyebrows, tweezed, eyebrows getting tweezed, more painful than getting tattooed. Actually, in my personal opinion.
Rehema: Yeah.
Gareth: A hundred percent.
Rehema: Oh, flip. We actually can't stop now hey?
Bobby: No, you can't, otherwise you’ll have a very funny Y shape on your arm.
Rehema: Okay. No, it's not like waxing. It's worse.
Gareth: Yeah. That's why I said, like, if you have to tweeze your eyebrows or something like that.
Bobby: That’s looking good. Okay. So just talk us through, does Rehema moisturise her skin well enough, does she need to put..
Gareth: Your skin is actually taking the ink very, very well.
Bobby: Does that mean it's dry or moisturised?
Gareth: It means it's moisturised enough. Not overly moisturised.
Rehema: You want to expose me?
Bobby: No, I'm just wanting to know what kind of skin you need. Gareth was saying, you've got all different skins that you work on, you know.
Gareth: Yeah. Everyone's skin is basically different
Bobby: This must work better than the orange, I would imagine.
Gareth: A hundred percent. And your skin is also taking it better than the orange if I'm being honest.
Bobby: The orange is a bit quieter to be honest.
Gareth: True.
Rehema: I'll let you guys keep talking because this is daunting, hey.
Gareth: And on a scale of one to 10, what would you say the pain was like?
Rehema: Um, it's more of a discomfort. It is like a tugging.
Gareth: It feels like you want to pull your arm away, but you can't.
Rehema: Yeah.
Gareth: It's more of an irritation than anything.
Rehema: Yeah.
Bobby: Alright so Rehema, just talk us through here. Did you share this with your daughters that you were having a tattoo today?
Rehema: I did.
Bobby: And what was the response?
Rehema: The initial response is I can't believe you're getting this before me. And there's been radio silence. So I'm not quite sure what that means.
Bobby: They didn't negotiate with you that mom, if you're getting a tattoo, you're going to sponsor tattoos for us.
Rehema: Why did you bring in the sponsor part?
Bobby: Because that's what daughters do.
Rehema: No. We encourage our daughters to fund their own interests.
Bobby: No, but if they are allowing you to have a tattoo, then there's a negotiation. I have been the problem. I'm having the tattoo and that's giving them permission to do what they will with their bodies.
Gareth: So would you allow them to come get a full sleeve?
Rehema: Full sleeve. Now that's pushing it.
Gareth: But now mama's being a hypocrite.
Rehema: You know, it is so, it is so hard actually to, to voice the things that you believe in and then to have them come back because there is this, this, this, there’s scales to it. Right. So I'm now sitting back and I'm saying, okay, I'm allowing it. Then I'm saying, I'm allowing it small. Then I'm already recognising that maybe I have more than one, you know, and now you're saying a full sleeve and I'm just sitting back and I'm thinking about where does it stop? It's really challenging me in terms of what am I accepting? What am I saying yes to, the minute I say yes.
Gareth: You know, it's also crazy how I would explain it to people. It's like, you know, when you go out and you buy a new pair of shoes or like clothing or whatever, like when you get something new, like you're super excited about it. So the tattooing process is the same. Like you get so excited to do something and then you get so used to living with it that you don't actually notice it anymore. So it becomes, that's why people say it becomes addictive. It's more like, oh, this tattoo looks lonely, man. I think I saw something cool.
Bobby: We need something additional. But, but what's interesting, just a point that you raised is that, you know, how you have to not start changing your mindset or how you think about one little tattoo that's kind of acceptable, but does an entire full sleeve, is that acceptable? And then let's just take this conversation a bit bigger, just in terms of collective consciousness around what have been values or standards and things that people subscribe to and how that evolves and how that changes. So one of the things my daughter shared with us at one stage was a little, it was almost like a bumper sticker that said, thank goodness all the people who think tattoos are taboo are soon to be retired or dead because
Rehema: It sounds like my daughter would say that.
Bobby: So that, but that is how, I mean, how life and thinking changes and you have to, you know, if you start moving with the times and you start seeing how society is changing and how things that were taboo are now becoming more acceptable and just talking about tattoos that you dive into the history of humanity and tattoos were around and the notion of them changed and are sort of not coming back into flavour, it's been around forever. But there's a whole lot more to that than just, you know, that concept of tattoos. How are you going to think forward now in terms of full sleeve tattoos? How do you have to change that narrative?
Rehema: I absolutely don't know, but I think that there's always going to be a permanent reminder for me, even through this conversation and what we're doing in this conversation, by having the tattoo while we're having the conversation, this is also going to be a reminder for me or it's going to make me ask the question, what am I saying no to? Why? And to just enquire what my rationale is, what's driving that, whether it's a fear, whether it's a lack of knowledge, whether it's a lack of insight, or it's just a preference. And it doesn't mean that I'm always going to say yes, but I think I'm going to temper my nose with enquiry, with curiosity. And I think coming from that place, because I think there's a lot more that I've bedded down as this is what it looks like, this is what it feels like, that hasn't allowed me to explore what if it's not that.
Bobby: But it's been bedded down through conditioning.
Rehema: Absolutely, absolutely.
Bobby: And now you and conditioning, unfortunately, plays a huge role in how we judge the world and how it shows up for us.
Rehema: And how we judge others.
Bobby: Now my question to you, I want you to get the exact point. So many people walk around, they see somebody with tattoos, and they say, oh, tramp stamp, or look at that, that looks so gross. And you immediately judge and put that person in a box, you label them. So you are one of those people now. So never again, are you going to be able to look at a full body tattoo person, even they've got tattoos over the entire head, and judge them for their tattoos?
Rehema: Absolutely.
Gareth: You're one of us now.
Rehema: Im within
Bobby: Inner circle.
Rehema: And I think we're constantly entering circles, right? We're constantly joining spaces consciously and unconsciously. And I think this is for me is a what am I consciously joining? Right? What am I consciously subscribing to? And what are you letting go of? And what am I letting go of as well? And I don't think I fully know what I'm letting go of here. So there's I talk about and you choose what we're letting go of. But you know, we talk, I'm going through a divorce, it's almost over. It's perhaps even letting go of that. I don't think it's singular things in your life that you're embracing. I think it's a multitude. And I think that comes back down to art, and how we appreciate art and where art exists. And this is a combination of the artist, but also the person who purchases the art. I'm not buying this or getting this on my body, because I want it. I'm also conscious of who's putting it here.
Bobby: Yes.
Rehema: Whose work am I willing to walk around and say, proudly, you know, showcase and say, look at that.
Bobby: Yes.
Rehema: And this is the artist and this is what they do. And I think there's a sense of community in that co-existence and that ability to…. Yoh.
Gareth: We’re almost done, don’t worry.
Rehema: Dude… To showcase…. Hold on, why does it hurt differently? And this surface area is not that diverse.
Gareth: So actually, you know, what’s crazy. People think that tattoos hurt based off of like where, okay, bone does affect it, but it's basically based off of your nerve endings. So it would be more painful here just because of the mere fact that your finger nerves are connecting here at this point and then feeding into the rest of your arm. So the pain will differentiate like from how low we are, how high we go. And but basically all parts of the body hurt differently. There's no, yeah, some might hurt less than others. Some might not hurt at all. And some might feel like you're giving birth. One of the two or three.
Rehema: Okay.
Gareth: But we're almost done.
Bobby: So what are you just saying about it represents a whole variety of things and having that the fact that it is the artist who you've chosen. There's a symbolism behind the artwork itself in terms of, you know, you letting go of various things. But to me, yeah, you're part of the inner community. Now you you are in the community of people who've got tattoos. But also to me, what like jumps up now is never mind the actual artwork and the story behind it. Just the reminder that “let go”. You know, it's a reminder that that actually is represents you letting go of your, your judgement or your perception of people who've got tattoos. You've now got it. And it's the more you let go of, the more you, you connect with, the bigger community you connect with.
Rehema: Yeah. And I think you're raising something for me because yesterday I was talking in a space and I'd set on my on my watch. You know, these cues that you have, you're tracking certain behaviours that allow you to reach the results that you want. And yesterday on my watch, it said 100 days of meeting your targets. I realised I had no idea what targets that I set. And I was so excited. And I’ll tell you why I was excited. I was excited because what I've been wanting is to set behaviour patterns that I no longer have to consciously think about. There's just a way of doing things because I find when I want to shift and change stuff, I'm so focused on, I must do this. I must do this. And unless I'm doing that, I haven't embedded it in the way I'm doing it. But to be able to get that notification and 100 days of doing whatever I said I wanted to do, and it was no longer something I had to think about, I just had arrived there. I think that's a tattoo for me, right? It's indelibly marking the things that I'm committing to that I don't have to wake up and say, I'm going to exist like this. I manifest it, right? Yeah, I do forget where I do need that reminder. There is something that I can turn to very quickly.
Bobby: Yeah. And something that's going to anchor you.
Rehema: Absolutely. It's definitely going to be a conversation starter.
Bobby: This is more than just a tattoo. It's a full on spiritual experience for you.
Rehema: It's a story.
Bobby: A story.
Rehema: It's a story. And I think I would say that part of my journey with the Baobab tree is that I've always used it as a representation of story. It was the brand logo of my previous company.
Bobby: Oh, wow.
Rehema: So it's always been, so it's branding. How do we brand? So I think for me, it's a continuation, semi-colon story, Baobab tree story, and the fact that it is art. It's a form of storytelling.
Bobby: It is. It is. Oh, that's beautiful.
Rehema: In trusted hands.
Bobby: I need a closer inspection of it.
Rehema: I think after a while, the talking has helped me not focus on...
Gareth: The pain.
Rehema:The pain. Yeah. I'm not going to be that person who says, no, it's just discomfort.There's pain there.
Gareth: There is pain, I won't lie. And you don't get used to it.You know, people would think they see I'm heavily tattooed and they're like, oh man. But for you, it's nothing, man.
Rehema: No, it is something.
Gareth: You don't get used to it. Yeah.
Bobby: That is looking really good.
Gareth: But yeah, man, that's basically it.
Rehema: We done? OMG. We done?
Gareth: It was like nothing, right?
Rehema: No, I wouldn't say that.
Gareth: Better than giving birth.
Rehema: Oh, yeah. Giving birth, they give you morphine, dude. Legally, they give you morphine. So, um, oh, no, it's not that bad. And I think it's beautiful. I love it against my skin. Oh, my goodness.
Gareth: There we go.
Rehema: Pretty boy Gaz.
Gareth: You already know the vibes.
Rehema: There we go. I have a tattoo.
Gareth: Not a henna one, a permanent one. Don't leave Bobby hanging.
Rehema: I didn't see that.
Bobby: That is awesome. Well done.
Rehema: OMG. I don't believe I've done this. OK.
Bobby: What happens now?
Rehema: Yeah.
Gareth: So we need to wrap it with Saniderm.
Rehema: With what?
Gareth: Saniderm. It's like basically a breathable plaster. So go back to pregnancy. So if you have a C-section, they cover you with a breathable plaster. It's the exact same thing. Just breathable film.
Rehema: What happens if I sommer somehow lose weight? What's going to happen here?
Gareth: Absolutely nothing.
Rehema: It's not going to shrink?
Gareth: No, because your skin is not necessarily going to... How can I say? Your arm is not going to wither away.
Rehema: It's not.
Gareth: Basically.
Rehema: And when I get older, I just want to know that the shape... What's going to happen when I...
Gareth: It will retain unless your skin literally hangs onto your hand. But that will never happen.
Bobby: Keep moisturising.
Rehema: He says I can be the poster girl for a moisturising company because my skin is so good, right?
Bobby: There you go. That's wonderful. So now I want to bring this back. I mean, obviously, we're time restrained here. That is beautiful to watch and to see an artist at work. I've never actually watched a tattoo being done. So I'm probably going to have to walk the talk as well for another discussion or another day. And you'll tell us what it is that you will do and why, right? I will, definitely. And, you know, part of the story of Ikigai, the circle, it's what you love, what you're good at, you've become that. And what value do you offer to others? Now, I don't want you to answer that question. I want you to answer that question. What value has Gareth just added to you?
Rehema: I think, one, it's, I always say that there's beauty in feedback in the world, and we don't get enough of it. So for me to speak about something that I believe in and things that are important to me, for him to translate that into an artefact that I can move around with allows me to stay close to what is important, right? And so it's almost like it's telling story in exchange, but he's giving me feedback and an artefact in a way that I'm not gifted to express. And that's the gift that that is for me. And I'm working with an art piece. And I think we underestimate where and how art exists. I say I'm a storyteller. And I think to be able to embrace multiple forms of art, and also somebody who loves working with business people, is also normalising the fact that businesses look different. They are not homogenous. They don't all come out of a school, a traditional school. He's given me the gift of perspective and insight into how else we can exist and use our talents. So more than what you've given me as an artefact, I think he's gifted us with his story. And that I think is a powerful gift.
Bobby: So very definitely. So thank you for that story. But I think just in terms of value that you're offering to others, it's that ability to express your individualism through your own personal art and to be the canvas that you walk around with. So in terms of what you have, everyone's got their own stories about why they wanted whatever it is. And there's always a story attached to each tattoo. So the value you're allowing people is to step outside of the masses and say, you know, we're all unique like everyone else. But this is my expression of my uniqueness.
Gareth: Individualism.
Bobby: And I think that's a beautiful value add that you allow people. So that's the very cool number three in the Circle of Ikigai. But the last one is that I want to ask you, what does the world need in terms of where do you make a difference?
Gareth: Shucks. So I don't even know how to answer that because I'm obviously still on my journey. But my vision is basically just to empower other people like myself, man. People that, how can I say, didn't go the way our parents wanted or what society deemed fit. So I think my mission would be more to just show people that you don't have to necessarily follow the rules in order to become something or make something of yourself. I like the name of the alchemy, the podcast, you know, turning something from nothing into something, you know. So that is also like my mission. I'm trying to show people that have nothing, that you don't need a whole lot of money. You don't need, you could literally just start like me, 500 Rand, man, and get something done and move with it. So I just hope that I could inspire or even help in a way, get the youth up and make them believe in themselves more, man. Opposed to looking at society and feeling pressure from your peers, your people around you, you could do whatever you set your mind to with whatever tools you have available at that present moment.
Bobby: I think you've just framed that really so well because honestly what the world does need is inspiration. Everyone needs inspiration. And it's not coming from your traditional, the schooling, the universities, education, you know, we can get that all online. It's from real life people. So the fact that, I mean, you living the story, you have been through the school of hard knocks, self-learning. You've gotten to a point now where you are a professional celebrity tattoo artist. But importantly, this is what the world needs. It needs that example of you to give people hope. But also people like yourself who are giving back. You are taking, let's call them interns on board. You're showing people, you're teaching them. So the experience that you went through of having to use your own body as, let me pay five grand for a tattoo and I'll learn. You're doing that for people for free. So you're giving back and the world does need that. It needs more people paying it forward, more upliftment. So a lot of respect out to you for doing that. The world needs more of you. And I'd just like to say thank you very, very much for being on our podcast, for agreeing to be a guest and for showing us your incredible skill there.
Rehema: Inking me. What is it called? I'm now inked.
Gareth: Yeah, you're inked.
Bobby: You're part of the inked community. Well done.
Gareth: Thank you so much. Before we finally wrap up, behind you, we've got our tree of life.
Rehema: It's next to you.
Bobby: Thank you. Which actually talks to your baobab. So the tree of life behind you, just read the little definition because I haven't got this down pat yet. I'll tell you what it is. So the tree of life is, it's the sacred map of interconnectedness. Its roots plunge deep into the soil of your ancestors while its branches stretch into the heavens, connecting you to spirit. It speaks of wholeness, vitality, and the cycles of renewal.
Gareth: Powerful.
Bobby: Which encompasses everything around The Spirit of Alchemy. And that's what life is all about. So from roots to the heavens and that circle of life. And just as you are indelibly stamped on Rehema's wrist, we'd like you to dip your thumb or finger into that little red ink box. And that tree of life has got no leaves at the moment. And every guest is leaving their stamp, their fingerprint somewhere on the tree. And it's going to become a leaf that's going to be there permanently for us.
Gareth: I can choose any spot.
Bobby and Rehema: Choose any spot.
Gareth: I want to choose the most unorthodox…
Bobby: Decide where, what talks to you.
Rehema: The most unorthodox, okay
Gareth: Yeah like the weirdest place
Rehema: I want to see what unorthodox looks like.
Gareth: I want it to overlap someone’s, everyone has theirs….
Rehema: Fantastic
Bobby: Awesome
Bobby and Rehema: Thank you so much
Gareth: Thank you guys, thank you so much for having me. I appreciate it.
Bobby: That is beautiful, thank you. Thank you for joining us, I hope you’ve enjoyed this episode of The Spirit of Alchemy. We look forward to welcoming you again to our next show.