After a challenging period of learning in Copenhagen, Stine made a life-changing decision: to move to the island of Bornholm, open ‘Wildflower Tattoo’ and find that mental rhythm we are all searching for.
Stine, in your case, would it be fair to say that tattooing is both an artistic expression and a way to seek a state of mind far removed from the stress and ugliness of modern life?
Yes that’s definitely a good way to put it. For me, tattoos have been a way to express myself from quite an early age, and I knew from even before I could get tattoos, that this was the way in life I wanted to take. Later in life tattooing became my safe place and a place where my mind is at ease. I feel incredibly grateful that I’ve been able to pursue a passion like this in life, where my work is a place I can relax. Something I hope my customers also see and feel in my studio.
How did you realize that Fineline, Ornamental, and Dotwork styles could be your best form of artistic expression?
Way back, I actually got my apprenticeship from my Realistic portraits, but I quickly realized that the methods from drawing Realism to tattooing it, was so different that I lost the spark I had for the style. That’s when I decided to work more towards a graphical look, and I’ve been very intrigued by Dotwork early on, so now it really caught my interest. I also followed quite a few artists doing Ornamental, and it spoke to me, way more than Realism ever did.
Mandalas were super popular at that time, and I got to do quite a bit of them. I really enjoyed making anything with dots and geometry, so I started working towards making it my own, and I quickly had a customer base supporting me. I ended up participating in “Best Ornamental” as soon as I finished my apprenticeship and won my first award. That was a huge motivation for me to keep getting better and to dig deeper into personalizing my style.
Could you explain how you came to the decision to move to the island of Bornholm and open your ‘Wildflower Tattoo’ studio in Nexø?
Bornholm was a bit of a crazy romantic idea. I’d been working in Copenhagen for 7 years at that time, and I also learned some things about myself, that made me want to leave the stressful life in Copenhagen and aim for a more peaceful living style.
I struggled with taking care of my mental health, and got late diagnosed with autism and even later, ADHD. Something I didn’t want to define me, but a lot of things suddenly made sense.
I found an explanation to why I functioned so poorly in the busy life of Copenhagen. Moving to Bornholm is the best thing I’ve ever done for myself.
I went from a small apartment, to having a house, a garden and much better friendships than I could ever imagine when you’re starting completely over. It was an instant safe place. I got my very own studio (IG: @wildflower.tattoostudio), which has been a playground for me ever since. I got to build it all from scratch, just how I wanted it, and just how I want to present a studio to my customers. At home, I have space to be creative, and I feel much more at peace than I did before.
There’s one thing I didn’t quite understand: your studio on the island of Bornholm is called ‘Wildflower Tattoo’ whereas it used to be known as ‘Wild Mice’. What made you switch from “mice” to “wildflower”?
My artist name is Wild Mice (IG: @wildmicetattoo) and has been from the beginning. I wanted something more international than my own name, because it’s very Danish. So my last name is Villemoes and some people called me “Villemus”. That directly translates to Wild Mice from Danish to English and it just got stuck! When I opened my studio, I knew I wanted to have guest artists to come visit, so I didn’t want to use my artist name for the studio.
That’s why I created ‘Wildflower Tattoo Studio’ (IG: @wildflower.tattoostudio). I wanted something that was still very much me, but a specific studio-page for announcing everything going on in there, so I could keep my artist page separate. So in short, ‘Wild Mice’ (IG: @wildmicetattoo) is me, and ‘Wildflower’ is my studio (IG: @wildflower.tattoostudio ). I’m behind both, but I needed to separate the two. Something I’m very happy I did, because I’ve had a lot of amazing artists come visit me, which I’m super happy about.
Tell me a bit about the tattoos you sport on your skin. Is there a tattoo artist you trust implicitly?
I’ve been in the business for more than 10 years, so naturally tattoos were inevitable. I have quite a few different artists on my skin, but the one who has made the most is Jakob Holst (IG: @jakobxtattoos). I started following him from before I started tattooing, and I’ve always loved his unique style.
His style is so inspirational, and he’s the kindest soul to be around. If I had more space, Jakob would’ve gotten it all. However, I also wanted to collect tattoos a bit, because there’s so many talented artists out there, that I ended up using my one leg, just for bangers from various artists.
What’s your take on guest spots and tattoo conventions? Is it hard to tear yourself away from a magical place like Bornholm?
I used to love conventions, and I wanted to work towards attending the big international ones, but I also learned that it took way more than just being good at your work. Networking, content creating, and a lot of being away from home. Something I sadly didn’t thrive in. It was exhausting and I couldn’t keep up. I didn’t enjoy it.
That’s why I chose to cut it down, to only attending the best Danish convention we have, ‘Nordic Ink Festival’ (IG: @nordicinkfestival), and then visit the big ones, and just enjoy the show. That way, I’ve been able to truly enjoy being there, without the stress that comes with it.
I love being at tattoo conventions again, but in my own pace, to get inspired and motivated instead.
And landing back on my island takes all the weight off my shoulders, and I’m reminded how lucky I am to live in such a peaceful place as Bornholm. A location where I’ve been able to build my business, and have a 2-3 month wait all year round. For that, I can only be extremely grateful.
And your last famous words are… ?
I don’t know if they’re famous, but what I’ve learned from the past few years, is to remember to listen to yourself. Happiness and self-care is more important than anything else.
