Jun 16, 2026 · 54 min · 14 segments
In the conclusion of the season 7 finale, Anna van Schaap (fine artist, tattoo artist, curator) sits down with Aaron McCall to talk about building a creative life that refuses to be small. She gets…
Anna van SchaapGuest
Aaron McCallHost
Joe MattesonHost
Everyone assumes I went into tattooing because it's like an art form that you can make money on, you can live on, you know, you get to use your creative skills.
And that's not wrong, that it's very rare as a fine artist to also have a, you know, everyday job as well, where you get to directly use the skills that... bring you joy and happiness but what actually is the number one thing that like makes tattooing um just light my heart on fire is spending every single day like day to day with so many amazing people like i get to do a job where i get to actually make art and i get to hold people hostage for like four or five hours And pick their brain and get to know them as a person and connect with them.
I've walked away from this business, you know, it's been three quarters of a decade now.
And I like by the hundreds now know so many people like regulars that just come back and I've like watched their lives grow.
Um, but it also is such a sacred form of trust where someone is like, I'm giving you permission to literally alter my body in a way that is a forever thing.
Cause I have a really interesting, I think, take on touch, like the foreverness of tattooing at, from an oil painters perspective, um, Um, but, uh, yeah, so just like in this very forever or at least forever in this lifetime way.
And, um, the fact that again, I, it's, it's hard cause there's only so much you can talk about it before people sort of like tune out to it.
Um, but how men in the industry have absolutely beyond abused that right, abuse that trust, abuse that privilege.
Um, I specifically wanted to be a tattoo artist like, you know, everyone is welcome in my shop and I have plenty of hetero male clients.
But I specifically wanted a space where the she's days and gays are safe and that they know that they are safe, that they that's incredible, like.
And I think, you know, again, that's my whole business operates on just word of mouth.
But I will tell you the horror stories that I have heard from so many clients, like very real horror stories.
Everyone assumes I went into tattooing because it's like an art form that you can make money on, you can live on, you know, you get to use your creative skills.
And that's not wrong, that it's very rare as a fine artist to also have a, you know, everyday job as well, where you get to directly use the skills that... bring you joy and happiness but what actually is the number one thing that like makes tattooing um just light my heart on fire is spending every single day like day to day with so many amazing people like i get to do a job where i get to actually make art and i get to hold people hostage for like four or five hours And pick their brain and get to know them as a person and connect with them.
I've walked away from this business, you know, it's been three quarters of a decade now.
And I like by the hundreds now know so many people like regulars that just come back and I've like watched their lives grow.
Um, but it also is such a sacred form of trust where someone is like, I'm giving you permission to literally alter my body in a way that is a forever thing.
Cause I have a really interesting, I think, take on touch, like the foreverness of tattooing at, from an oil painters perspective, um, Um, but, uh, yeah, so just like in this very forever or at least forever in this lifetime way.
And, um, the fact that again, I, it's, it's hard cause there's only so much you can talk about it before people sort of like tune out to it.
Um, but how men in the industry have absolutely beyond abused that right, abuse that trust, abuse that privilege.
Um, I specifically wanted to be a tattoo artist like, you know, everyone is welcome in my shop and I have plenty of hetero male clients.
But I specifically wanted a space where the she's days and gays are safe and that they know that they are safe, that they that's incredible, like.
And I think, you know, again, that's my whole business operates on just word of mouth.
But I will tell you the horror stories that I have heard from so many clients, like very real horror stories.
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