Nikita Verberne is a well-known Amsterdam based tattoo artist who had to fight her way to the top whilst shedding light on her mental health challenges. We photographed her in a place where she can be totally herself: tattoo shop Schoffie Tattoos. We talked to Nikita about being a mom, her upcoming book and her childhood.
I have told the story of my tattoo career many times. Although I am a very positive person, I don’t want people to only see or read about success stories. This campaign is about being me. So, I would like to talk about all sides of me. I am more than just a person with tattoos and a tattoo artist. I am also a mom with a two-year-old son. I have autism, I am working on a book idea and I am a woman that struggled with a very unfortunate and lonely childhood.
“I am a woman that struggled with a very unfortunate and lonely childhood.“
Nikita Verberne is a well-known Amsterdam based tattoo artist who had to fight her way to the top whilst shedding light on her mental health challenges. We photographed her in a place where she can be totally herself: tattoo shop Schoffie Tattoos. We talked to Nikita about being a mom, her upcoming book and her childhood.
“I am so much more than a tattoo artist.”
I have told the story of my tattoo career many times. Although I am a very positive person, I don’t want people to only see or read about success stories. This campaign is about being me. So, I would like to talk about all sides of me. I am more than just a person with tattoos and a tattoo artist. I am also a mom with a two-year-old son. I have autism, I am working on a book idea and I am a woman that struggled with a very unfortunate and lonely childhood.
For sure. I am trying to be very open about the fact that not everybody that experiences success, has had an easy start. I came into foster care when I was very young. I experienced a lot of abuse and violence growing up. It was difficult for me to make contact and I had no friends. I disappeared into drawing, always and everywhere. This of course was the start of my future career as a tattoo artist. At the age of 15 I started living on my own, working multiple jobs to pay my rent and building my dream to become a tattoo artist, but I was not taken seriously for a very long time.
Very good! I have always been very sensitive to sound, light and change. That resulted in panic and insecurity. And that impacted relationships and friendships. I felt like an alien many times. With my diagnosis I now know why I react like I do in certain situations and can explain this better to the people around me and to myself. My head always feels very occupied, routines work but when I get distracted I feel I need to start over again.
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The answer to this question is very simple. When I am with my child, only he exists. He is the only person with whom I feel no fear. Motherhood has been by far the best thing that has happened to me. Sounds cliché, but because of my background I never thought I could give and receive unconditional love. But when my son was born, I knew that love is also in me. I wish everybody could experience this feeling.
The idea is to write this book for others. It’s a sad story about me as a child. But it’s not only meant for people who have been through the same thing as me. It is for everybody who is open to recognizing that these things happen to children. The book tells stories about what has happened to me from both me as a child and as an adult. What have I learned from those experiences and what can I do with them?
“Motherhood has been by far the best thing that has happened to me.”
The answer to this question is very simple. When I am with my child, only he exists. He is the only person with whom I feel no fear. Motherhood has been by far the best thing that has happened to me. Sounds cliché, but because of my background I never thought I could give and receive unconditional love. But when my son was born, I knew that love is also in me. I wish everybody could experience this feeling.
The idea is to write this book for others. It’s a sad story about me as a child. But it’s not only meant for people who have been through the same thing as me. It is for everybody who is open to recognizing that these things happen to children. The book tells stories about what has happened to me from both me as a child and as an adult. What have I learned from those experiences and what can I do with them?
“I am a quote.I am a quote.I am a quote.I am a quote.”
