Tucked away in the forests of Powell River, with only two ferry rides and three hours of driving along logging roads away from Vancouver, B.C., lies a new tattoo shop. Fresh paint and sawdust are faint but present, betraying the flurry of recent construction. The all-too-familiar drilling of metal into flesh punctures the air. Sat at her stool, Tia Ackerman works. She’s only 23, but she’s already well-positioned to take her craft to the next level. Finishing her apprenticeship this year, she’s wasted no opportunity to start her shop: TA Tattoos. It makes sense, given the landscape. Powell River is occupied mainly by loggers and hippies (my words, not hers), two demographics that share one thing in common: a love of body art. We got in touch to ask about her flight path to becoming a newly ...