Abstract
Over the years, there has been an increasing interest in tattoos (Rogowska et al., 2022), however, the tattoo industry is highly stigmatised (Tews & Stafford, 2020). The aim of this study was to explore (a) the experiences of tattoo artists participating in stigmatised work, (b) the motives behind tattoo artists choosing this career path, and (c) to understand how tattoo artists create meaning in their work and create their own identities through the work that they do. The researcher collected the data using semi-structured interviews with eight participants. The data was analysed using the thematic analysis method, where codes and themes were extracted. The findings in the study indicated that although tattoo artists are highly stigmatised for the work that they do, they find fulfilment and are proud of their work. This study will contribute significantly to the field of research and psychology as it sheds some light on stigmatisation and how tattoo artists cope with stigmatisation in their workplace. Furthermore, it highlights the challenges and benefits of being a tattoo artist, and this may be helpful information for psychologists who are assisting individuals with career counselling.