Today we’d like to introduce you to Astrid Yeager
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
For me, trust is a big thing that I love to build between myself and my clients. In February of this year (2024) I did my first realistic handpoke, it was an x-ray of an orchid on my friend from high school (HSPVA Houston- full circle moment.) They had seen me grow into my own distinct style artistically and they really felt that they could trust me. That piece is still one of my favorites to date, and we had a great time in the hours before, during and after that tattoo as well. We shared a meal, talked about life, and reminisced on some of our shared experiences as artists in the Houston tattoo community.
I started hand poking at sixteen years old. First learning as much as I could about the safest practices from any sources I could find, from youtube to other tattoo artists. I began by practicing on myself and an occasional friend. For me, it was always about learning how to be better in any way I could, not just stylistically but in the sterilization and customer satisfaction processes as well. I bought my first tattoo machine when I was 17 or 18 and did my first tattoo on a client at 18 as well. I am 23 now and I have completed over 200 tattoos in over six years ranging from simple line work to handpoked semi-realism.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
As a young woman entrepreneur in Houston, It has always been an interesting and unexpected road, learning about and dealing with some of the more problematic “industry standards” from expensive “apprenticeships” to misogynistic shop culture has given me a stronger sense of self worth and understanding for my own personal tattooing practice. I have learned exactly what I don’t, and do, want for myself and for my clients. I have gained a greater understanding for making the experience of getting a tattoo better in its entirety. These obstacles have also informed my creative practice within my art making as well.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a multimedia artist that works in many mediums but I’m known as a hand poke tattoo artist that specializes in semi-realism, blackwork, and dotwork. This means that instead of using a machine to create more of a fast, get in get out experience, I use a single needle (or cluster of needles) to create dotwork effects that directly translate from the initial drawing or reference to the final tattoo. While the hand poke method may be slower, it is extremely rich in its history. During my apprenticeship I was able to interview and learn from an artist in the UK named Grace Neutral, a hand poke artist whose style intersects with spirituality as well and takes the form of mandalas and geometrical designs.
Grace has some amazing videos with vice and I-D that talk more deeply about some of those topics if anyone is interested. I want my art to not be diminished as stick n poke. It is not a cheap and quick alternative to traditional tattoos, it is a spiritual and experiential permanent art process. It is an ELEVATED tattoo experience.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
I feel that perserverance and strong creativity are the most important characteristics that I have grown over time. I believe that my drive to be a greater version of the artist that I am will allow me to fulfill my dream of creating a collective network of badass, hyper talented, kind and influential
femme handpoke and other artists within Houston, and hopefully the world.
Tattoos allow us to adorn the bodies we were born in. getting a tattoo is a blessing and the practice should be treated as such.
The goal has always been to make hand poke accessible and safe in the Houston community.
Pricing:
- Minimum- $75.00
- deposit of half is required upon booking the appointment.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realsoftpokes/
Image Credits
personal photo shot by Hailie Durett
