Shot by Pariss Bostick
ALICE NAOMI GLASCOTT / TATTOO ARTIST
“Ooh do you have a speaker?” she asks, unpacking the tapered candles she has brought with her. She links to my speaker and, unsure of who to play (I have no opinion, eager to experience the fullness of her perspective) she settles on FKA Twigs, and so the base note of the room’s energy is set. The whimsical and uniquely feminine hymns are an ambient pairing to the candles, glowing bravely against the expectant shadows of late afternoon. She has also brought Posca pens with her, which over the course of our interview, she will use to transcend a blank A3 paper into an art piece - a gift perfectly suited for my wall. This action is the top note of our conversation. Buttressed within the warm cocoon she has created, we briefly discuss the joy and heartbreak of female friendships, as well as the perversion and bastardisation of Marilyn’s trauma in “Blonde”. On reflection, I find my transformed living room an apt mirror of her own powers for transformation. Powers expressed in her ability to create tangible art that immerses you in her world. It’s a world that, once met, you dream of incorporating into your own reality. The joy is you can - you can wear it. Her tattoos are a distilled, tactile art piece, every bit as magical as their artist.
*Authors note - Allie identifies as she/they, soul and body present in the pairing. In the tenor of my own thoughts as I write, I have elected the feminine.
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Shot by Pariss Bostick
Interview with Charlotte Macs
How would you define yourself and what you do?
Oh my god broad question...a delusional nymph, scurrying through life making little knick knacks and silly pictures. Or maybe more of a succubus than a nymph [#balance] but definitely some kind of ethereal creature. I would say I’m from another dimension.
What was your childhood, as a neurodivergent, like?
I mean my early childhood, before school, when I could just be in my own world, that was a very magical time. At my own pace and in my own space, I never had a lack of things to do, ways to think or creations to imagine. When I started school, I think that’s when authority figures around me started to suspect there was a difference. You also have this blind confidence at that age, so I hadn’t learnt to mask; missing social cues or my struggles conforming to strict schedules/expectations. But right from the get- go, I couldn’t do a lot of things that were asked of me in the classroom. So I started masking that and just wrote/drew what I knew and then I could fully let my imagination unleash. It meant I could be comfortable in school and a keen learner. That definitely changed in high school, when you know, you become more self-aware. I think for everyone [high school] is the first time we are really socially aware but I think that even though I had to mask things and the immense loneliness of that - I looked back to the joy of my early childhood and found the ability to trust in the little world I have within myself.
What would you say has been one of the biggest challenges as an emerging designer and also working as a freelancer?
Standing your ground. I’ve had a lot of experiences with clients — people trying to take advantage of me — asking me to do something in half the amount of time, or pay half the amount of money. People will take you for a ride because you’re young and don’t have qualifications behind you.
Do you feel pressure to advocate from experience, or any restrictions on your own authentic expression?
I often think, or feel bad that, I may not live up to the representation the autism community needs right now. Sometimes I can be too chaotic or controversial or am too sexual, just trying to express myself. Now with shows like Heartbreak High, the media is starting to show autistic women more truthfully; who they can be and how they can look. But all my life I’ve felt great guilt about not fitting into the idea of what a disabled person should look like. When I dress up I think of it as becoming one of my drawings, which are magical and sensual. But my outfits can be quite sexual and I worry people will box me as one thing, instead of a whole person exploring their own sexuality and boundaries. It’s daunting because it feels like you need to be a ‘good’ disabled person to be heard. So I think an authentic experience of advocacy comes from fully accepting yourself. I think that self-acceptance leads you to a point where, it’s like, how can I not advocate for this? As a young adult on this journey, you want to shout from the rooftops that things around us need to change. It’s a messy path being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. I fuck up, stumble and confuse people a lot, which means I also blame myself a lot. But, you know, if being loud and honest can help someone in a similar position feel less alone or understood, then fuck it, I’m fine to piss off a few people with outdated views.
Shot by Pariss Bostick
Have you experienced burnout alongside your success?
Autistic burnout has always been a really painful part of my life and something I’ve never been able to avoid. I still haven’t been able to completely unpack that but I am really proud of myself for discovering what I’m capable of and forgiving myself for being burnt out. When AB does happen, you reach a point of real disablement, real disconnection from your body - it’s something that happens behind closed doors. I’m getting better at realising I’m going into burnout but because of masking, keeping up appearances with friends/family, the way success is taught and even just the social etiquette of being agreeable and compliant, it can be hard to admit to others and yourself. I think it always starts off with the feeling of dread, that you’re out of energy and starting to run on fumes. You’re not really present physically, and you’re completely caught up mentally, but, you know, you’re in the middle of the working week and life doesn’t stop happening. You can’t just pull out of all your commitments, so you push forward, setting fire to the fumes until they are gone. So a lot of autistic people find themselves masking and worsening an unhealthy situation. It’s an invisible part of the disability - you’re standing there looking normal and capable, but inside, you’re shutting down.
What is your view on tattoos and the process of tattooing?
Tattooing is a really sacred body modification. There’s something undeniably spiritual about the transference and its permanence. In my own lifetime, I’ve seen the tattoo landscape really diversify with a new wave of artists and clients. I think this and the awareness of Indigenous people’s sacred links to tattooing have really changed the wider perception of tattoos in a positive way. A beautiful part of doing it privately in a less consumerist, capitalistic way is you can take the time to honour that. I set the time we’ll need for the tattoo, so I can make sure clients are getting exactly what they want from their tattoo. The space to communicate with respect and trust is so important to create my best work and a positive experience. It can be difficult to do when you’re in a studio with the whole hard metal chair vibe, that wants you to fit in as many people as possible every day. It was a part of tattooing I had to take control of because I definitely could not mark someone’s body without knowing I was in a space where I could completely honour marking them in this way. Please do your research and make sure the place your artist practices in is safe for everyone there and allows the time for their best work.
Was the permanence of your art ever really daunting?
Omg definitely, I had huge anxiety about the responsibility of it. When I started I felt like what I made had to be perfect. But that state of pressure and expectation meant I wasn’t making work, that was totally true to me. Letting go of the idea of perfection and accepting tattooing as something that’s as fluid and free as any initial sketch actually resonated with people more. Now I know that a meaningful creative essence and love for the process are most important. You can’t just prioritise the technicality of the tattoo, you have to prioritise the soul too.
What does your art and its medium say?
Well at the ripe old age of 25, I’ve gone through a few phases with my art. Even though the frontal lobe has dropped, I’m still a little bubby - that’s what I’ve got to remind myself. Validating my inner child, what brings her joy and wonder, is the process of drawing. My passion stems from the childlike idea of just doing it because it’s fun and you’re able to learn through it. Because of that journey, I see my characters/symbols as guardians or teachers. When I tattoo them on the people who have found their way to me, I think of it as giving them a guardian or guide. It’s a symbol of protection, and that childlike wonder I re-discovered, that they can have for themselves.
Shot by Charlotte Macs
Top 3 tattoo trends?
1. Anti Art
2. Tramp stamp resurgence
3. Anything Nah Mate Pokes makes
Who do you think is the most exciting young & emerging creative in Sydney?
Amber
Tattoo Artist
@dizz.tatts