In this episode of Chats and Tatts,  I had the privilege of interviewing Stevie Randallyn, a tattoo artist who overcame a life-altering stroke. Stevie shared her journey of experiencing a stroke at a young age and how it affected her ability to speak, taste, and even tattoo. Despite facing significant challenges, Stevie's determination and resilience shone through as she navigated the difficulties of relearning how to tattoo with one hand and overcoming the limitations caused by the stroke.

Stevie's story is one of redemption and inspiration, showcasing her unwavering passion for tattooing and her ability to adapt to new circumstances. She highlighted the importance of support from the tattoo community and the impact of her stroke on her personality and perspective on life. Through her experiences, Stevie emphasized the power of gratitude and the ability to find strength in the face of adversity.

Overall, Stevie's journey serves as a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit and the capacity to overcome challenges with determination and a positive mindset. Her story is a testament to the transformative power of perseverance and the ability to find beauty and gratitude in every moment.

Chat breakdown:

[00:02:33 ] Stevie's love for tattooing.

[00:04:51 ] Overcoming adversity.

[00:09:33 ] Stroke recovery and realization.

[00:12:53 ] Overcoming challenges for two daughters.

[00:16:49 ] Overcoming self-pity and finding inspiration.

[00:17:41 ] Tattoo community and support.

[00:29:31 ] Overcoming language challenges post-stroke.

[00:35:13 ] Life-changing effects of stroke.

[00:39:57 ] Lack of gratitude.

[00:42:09 ] Acupuncture and stroke recovery.

[00:47:00 ] Juggling motherhood and tattooing.

[00:51:19 ] Overcoming challenges in motorcycle riding.

[00:58:59 ] Embracing individuality in tattoo art.

[01:00:08 ] Drawing on iPad vs. paper.

[01:06:42 ] Tattooing and personal growth.

[01:11:59 ] The evolution of tattoo marketing.

[01:14:29 ] Tattooing traditions and inspiration.

Quotes:

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Like, it's amazing to me what humans can get done when there's no way out.\"\n\n- 00:15:37 - \"All we're going to ask is how do you stretch?\"\n\n- 00:18 :10-00:18:20 - \"That's so funny you'd say it's too complicated. It's simpler.\"\n\n- 00:21 :20-00:21:30 - \"So I ended up learning that from him. And once I learned that from him, I did eight tattoos in one day and I was just like, I'm back. We're here.\"\n\n- 00:25:29 - \"Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you just say, I think you say meta is the command. So you can say meta film. You could be tattooing while you say it, and now you're just filming. Or Metta, take a picture, and boom, and it goes straight into your phone.\"\n\n- 00:26 :21-00:26:31 - \"I'm getting some tomorrow. I can't wait to get these things. Have you ever done any speaking, uh, at places where people have gone through stroke who aren't tattooers, but just to be an inspiration to them? Like, Hey, I know you're struggling right now. You're worried about how to eat food and how to do basic household things. Look what I was able to accomplish.\"\n\n- 00:30:02 - \"that flying, vibrating midget, midget bird.\"\n\n- 00:31 :23-00:31:33 - \"So I can go two ways with that. One has made me very kind of reminds me of like, you know, you're like, man, I wonder what made this old person turn into the senile, snappy\"\n\n- 00:35 :28-00:35:38 - \"Considering it made me throw up in the middle of like work and like just completely was destroying like me having a normal work schedule. That's one thing that I'm just like, oh, I could never think that more.\"\n\n- 00:37 :24-00:37:34 - \"Just because you're having an emotion doesn't mean you have to react to that emotion. You can just stand back and look at it and decide what to do with it.\"\n\n- 00:40:07 - \"I feel like we all suffer from a disease as human beings of lack of gratitude\"\n\n- 00:42:20 - \"I jeweled on myself like crazy. I couldn't drink anything unless it was through a straw because everything would just fall out of my mouth because I couldn't close my mouth.\"\n\n- 00:45:49 - \"If you were a female tattooer, it was like a unicorn.\"\n\n- 00:47:42 - \"Rocking your baby, ripping lines.\"\n\n- 00:50 :46-00:50:57 - \"To be completely honest, if I ever end up rich, like where I have tons of money to blow. I will because I can't\"\n\n- 00:54 :15-00:54:25 - \"I can't imagine just being like, oh, or trusting. I just I don't know. I just takes everything out of the\"\n\n- 00:54 :47-00:54:57 - \"noticed that I'll choose to get tattooed to like, kind of like work through that pain. Type of therapy.\"\n\n- 00:58 :41-00:58:51 - \"If it works for you, it works for you. As long as you have it figured out and it's like actually working and they heal fine and then whatever teaches own, it's just not for me.\"\n\n- 01:01 :02-01:01:13 - \"Yeah, it does. It does. And it ain't going away.\"\n\n- 01:02 :49-01:02:59 - \"My uncle last night was asking me about tattoos. He goes, people will just walk in and, you know, pick stuff off the wall anymore.\"\n\n- 01:06 :42-01:06:53 - \"Nah, it can be that good. You gotta get another tennis player on the other end of that court who's hopefully better than you. That's how you grow.\"\n\n- 01:07 :24-01:07:34 - \"I can see it. So I went and that's how I actually opened Guru is I, um, I didn't want to.\"\n\n- 01:10:23 - \"If you don't show up in the algorithm, then no one knows you exist.\"\n\n- 01:12 :32-01:12:43 - \"And you can deepen and enrich that experience by having a connection to the human being that's tattooing you.\"\n\n- 01:14 :51-01:15:02 - \"Thank you for who you are, for being an inspiration to me. You know, I have my little bitches and whines that I get up with every day. I'm going to bitch and whine a little less after being with you.\""],"configuration":null,"prosemirror":[{"type":"rootblock","content":[{"type":"bulletList","content":[{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:00:46 - \"Hey, if you don't feel that way when I say that, I challenge you. Sit somewhere quietly in a beautiful place and really ask yourself, because we're all born with it.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:02 :55-00:03:05 - \"I loved it. I loved it. Then. Not so much now. Now it's complicated.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:07:16 - \"Only old people have strokes.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:09:23 - \"I was just like, okay, well this will be a six month vacation. I'll be fine.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:12:03 - 00:12:15 - \"So I tattooed what was supposed to be a recliner on him, but it looks like two hot dogs and a piece of cheese.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:13 :28-00:13:38 - \"You know what I mean, though? Like, it's amazing to me what humans can get done when there's no way out.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:15:37 - \"All we're going to ask is how do you stretch?\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:18 :10-00:18:20 - \"That's so funny you'd say it's too complicated. It's simpler.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:21 :20-00:21:30 - \"So I ended up learning that from him. And once I learned that from him, I did eight tattoos in one day and I was just like, I'm back. We're here.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:25:29 - \"Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you just say, I think you say meta is the command. So you can say meta film. You could be tattooing while you say it, and now you're just filming. Or Metta, take a picture, and boom, and it goes straight into your phone.\""}]}]},{"type":"listItem","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"type":"text","text":"00:26 :21-00:26:31 - \"I'm getting some tomorrow. I can't wait to get these things. Have you ever done any speaking, uh, at places