Meet Delia Tager (‘22), Art History Major Turned Tattoo Artist
From childhood sketches to majoring in Art History at Barnard, Delia Tager (BC ‘22) has existed within a creative space their whole life. Now, they have turned their passion for art into a career, tattooing out of two studios in New York City.
Artwork by Delia Tager
By Haley Scull
October 11, 2024
The fascination with tattoos started young for Delia Tager (BC ‘22)—childhood stares at people with tattoos on the street quickly turned into drawing little designs on their own skin with Sharpies. Their parents hid permanent markers from them, an attempt to quash their budding interest. It didn’t work.
After years of doodles on paper and skin alike, Tager graduated high school and ended up at Barnard, set on pursuing art. The new environment functioned as a breeding ground for tattoo motivation and inspiration. When a few Barnard friends began getting tattoos their first-year, Tager says it “opened that up as a world that was possible.”
On a trip back home to Portland, Oregon, they finally got their first ink—a “crazy” tattoo on their torso that took over five hours to complete.
They say this decision is characteristic of who they are: “Something is available to me? Let me do it at one-hundred percent. Let me not dip my toe in; let me jump into the deep end.”
Once their first tattoo was completed, Tager was hooked. The Barnard community around them offered an abundance of support and recommendations for the newest local artists, best aftercare practices, and more. Soon, the one tattoo turned into a few…and then a few more after that.
Now, a couple years after graduating from Barnard, a patchwork of ink covers Tager’s body and they work as a tattoo artist out of private studios in both East Harlem and Brooklyn. Tager says their work often leans towards whimsical, eclectic, and textural, with many of their flash designs looking as though they came from a storybook. Their flashbook features sketches of ornate lockets, mermaids, and butterflies, to name a few.
However, Tager claims “it’s hard to have a specific style because [they are] open to doing so many different types of things.” They especially love when clients bring in ideas for custom pieces, even if it goes beyond the scope of their ‘usual’ work.
“I love to do work that is personal to the person who wants the tattoo,” says Tager. “I like to collaborate and just have a good energy exchange.”
Though their artistic expression and job seamlessly connect these days, Tager says they felt stumped after graduating from Barnard. Going into graphic design for a company or another mainstream art position never felt true to who they are—they didn’t want to just follow someone else’s artistic vision.
They wanted, as they had since childhood, to make their own art. That’s when a tattoo artist, midway through a tattoo session on Tager, suggested they try out tattooing. Tager hasn't looked back since.
Just as they relied heavily on the community around them at Barnard when they started getting tattoos, Tager turned to their surrounding community to grow as a newly budding tattoo artist. Friends’ skin became a practice ground for new techniques and other artists became Tager’s strongest motivators and teachers.
Today as a more established and confident artist, Tager finds their clients’ comfort and safety to be their priority. As a queer, gender non-conforming person, they say they haven’t always felt comfortable in their own body. Tattoos have been a source of comfort, an opportunity for them to create their own narrative about themself and their body. Being an artist now allows them to offer that experience to their clients.
“Getting a tattoo is an opportunity to take control, take power over your body and harness that power,” Tager says. “Tattooing is a sacred art form in that way because it has that self-affirming possibility.”
Even though they love their work as an artist, during college and now post-graduation, they say that they are not immune to the societal pressure for a more stable and traditional job, especially as a Barnard alum.
“At a school like Barnard, it’s really hard as an artist to think about a career that is non-traditional,” Tager says. However, it's within this unique career that they’ve found solace.
“Tattooing has helped me broaden my perspectives on the types of career paths that are possible and attainable. It’s really what I want to do. Doing something else would just honestly feel so disingenuous and not worth the time, effort, and energy.”
As Tager looks to the future, they’re committed to making their space in East Harlem and Brooklyn studios welcoming spaces for clients. They say appointments are always open for new and returning clients, with a special welcome for those from Barnard. Just as the Barnard community informed their own journey with tattoos, Tager hopes to guide and inspire future cohorts of students as they embark on their own tattoo journeys.
For more examples of Tager’s work, take a look at our NYC tattoo guide.
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