As a teenager, Tay Ashby begged his father for a tattoo.
His pressured father eventually gave in – but believed that allowing his son to get a permanent tattoo would discourage him from continuing.
Ironically, Tay, now 30 years old, makes a living as a tattoo artist and has 80% of his body covered in ink.
He told the Daily Star: “My dad took me for my first tattoo when I was 16 in the hope it would scare me so I wouldn’t want to get one anymore.
“The main reason he didn’t want me to get too many tattoos was so I wouldn’t be judged and hinder my career.
“But it finally worked out for me after I became a tattoo artist.”
And Tay, from Melbourne, has now shared throwback photos of her dramatic transformation.
Reflecting on her unrecognizable fresh appearance, Tay said: “When I look back at old photos before I got tattooed, I can no longer see myself.
“I am a lot more myself and I feel more in my own skin since getting tattooed a lot.
“This is me.”
The horror fanatic is now helping others with body art as a tattoo artist at Dead Mind Tattoo in Melbourne.
And while his customers have to endure daily needles, Tay reveals where he gets his most painful tattoos.
“I went down south to get a tattoo, which was probably one of the most painful tattoos,” he said.
“The worst part is that I did it myself! Either that or I have a tattoo on my face that goes all the way to my nostril, which is painful.”
And about his favorite hobby, he added: “My throat tattoo because the idea came from my favorite TV show The Walking Dead.”
One of his most meaningful works is the letter ‘K’ on the side of his face – in memory of his daughter.
And because of her oversized appearance, Tay is often judged by strangers.
“The reactions on the street were always mixed, ranging from disgust and judgment to someone wanting to stop me to chat or look at them,” he said.
“One thing I learned is that children have no filter, they are always the funniest, pointing and screaming. I can imagine that will be confusing for some parents.”
But Tay said the mixed reactions are what he likes.
“For me, the best thing about getting tattooed a lot is that people either love it or hate it,” he added.
“They either love me or they hate me. I am who I am and these tattoos tell a story about me. And I love it.”
Tay recently participated in an experiment in which experts covered up all of his tattoos with an extreme transformation.
He said he felt like an alien – and you can read all about it here.
Regarding future tattoo plans, Tay will soon get an eyeball tattoo.
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