Emma Breitman: How did you first get started tattooing? 

Sian Shine: I’ve always loved tattoos, and even did my PhD on tattooing and colonialism in the 18th Century. I have ADHD, and after struggling with and then dropping out of academia, I drifted around a few jobs, bartending, then working as a postie for Royal Mail. 

My friend Jack is a tattooer and always said he’d teach me. Post-COVID lockdowns, I took him up on it. He lives in the States, so he couldn’t formally apprentice me, but he helped me from afar as I started tattooing myself, then friends, then friends of friends, and finally paying clients. I joined my first studio, FORT, as a founding member in 2022 and got my tattoo license that year. 

EB: What does being Jewish mean to you?

SS: I was raised mostly secularly, and I grew up without a lot of other Jews around. I felt that being Jewish was weird, and I tended to downplay it. After my grandmother died, I missed our family Rosh Hashanahs and Passovers crowded down three tables end to end on mismatched chairs. I joined my first shul (Kehillah North London) in 2020 and signed up for Queer Yeshiva’s Bnei mitzvah course a year later, as I hadn’t had one growing up.

In both places, I found queer radical Jewish community that filled a place I didn’t know was empty. Being Jewish means engaging in my ancestors' spirituality and tradition, fighting for a better world, and passing that on to my kid—I have a one-year-old. 

EB: What inspired you to explore Jewish themes in your work? 

SS: I had long been a fan of Joey Ramona’s work, but I honestly didn’t anticipate Jewish tattoos becoming the bulk of my practice. I drew a few Jewish designs, and they were super popular. I did more, and then continued to get requests for them. I think there is just a demand for a tattooer who connects with Jewish identity from a diasporic perspective.

EB: What types of Jewish topics or histories spark your creativity?

SS: In my tattooing, I love folklore, Judiaca, and images that have represented our people for centuries, such as pomegranates, golems, menorahs, mezuzah cases, medieval Hebrew illuminations, candles, and Hebrew lettering.

Histories of resistance also inspire me, like the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, Jewish anti-facist movements such as the 43 group (which my great uncle was a member of), the Bundists of the late 19th century, and now UK groups such as Naamod and British Friends of Rabbis for Human Rights who are speaking out and taking action against the horrific treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. 

EB: Tattoos are often taboo in Jewish communities. How do you manage that contradiction in your work?

SS: To get theological for a second, to me the parts of our liturgy that forbid tattoos are up for debate—they can be taken to mean “don’t get tattoos that are like non-jewish tattoos,” in which case Jewish tattoos are fine. Though tattoos are arguably idol worship. 

In general, I think tattoos are now more acceptable, even among Jews. At this point, I have even tattooed frum people. Plus, there are plenty of progressive or non-practising Jews out there who just don’t mind. 

EB: What does your creative process look like?

SS: It’s fairly straightforward. I take bookings via an enquiry form so that I have all the information I need in one place. Once someone’s booked, I’ll read the form, put on a podcast or audiobook, and get sketching. Then, when I have a rough sketch, I move on to Procreate on my iPad to do the final design. For my own flash designs, I look through big reference books of Jewish art and imagery, scour antique websites for Judaica, and just go for a walk. I love to tattoo botanicals, so the outdoors is a great inspiration. 

EB: What is your favorite part of your work?

SS: I meet amazing people every time I tattoo. Enabling them to express themselves and make them feel good about their bodies is a gift. I try to operate from a trauma-informed and consent-led place, and as a Jewish tattooer, that often means holding space for our troubled family histories. I consider being supportive, empathetic, and professional part of my role as a tattooer.