Tattooing and Addiction Recovery

Talk Recovery Radio Next Episode – Thursday Feb 2nd, 2023 @ 12pm PST

This week on Talk Recovery Radio we welcome two tattoo artists in recovery from addiction, Dre Gail and Riley Maten. They will both share their stories of recovery and talk about how they got into tattooing and how it has effected their recovery journey. Babydoll tattoos has been around since 2017 and has grown to a fully equipped multi artist shop in 2022. Catch it all on our Facebook page Thursday at 12pm. The show will be replayed on radio at 12pm PST on Thursday February 9th, 2023.

Dre Gail - BabyDoll Tattoos Owner

Babydoll Tattoos, as a business, originated with Dré acting as a one woman show and slowly building her brand over the first few years.  In 2017, she built and licensed her first shop in a simple office space (with a sink of course).  From there, in 2020, miraculously post lock-down, Dré expanded the studio and moved it into a location where multiple artists could work.  Finally, in January of 2022, Babydoll Tattoos recognized their opportunity to achieve their five-year goal of opening a storefront, fully-equipped, multi artist shop. Meet Dré Gail aka Babydoll of Babydoll Tattoos. After a long relationship with art, Babydoll Tattoos was born out of a simple desire - to tattoo one’s knuckles.

Dré had a love for the movie Sucker Punch and identified with the character, Babydoll’s, descent into dreamy fight scenes at times of discomfort. While exploring appearance modification, Dré wanted to tattoo “baby” and “doll” on her knuckles but her resumé at the time did not accommodate such tattoos. Wanting to maintain employment, and with her qualifications thus far landing mainly in the corporate professional world - she decided to build her own empire that suited her own wants and needs and to spread that empowerment to others. She created a job that would allow her the flexibility to express her creativity in a financially beneficial way. On a deeper level, after struggling with severe body dysmorphia and a feeling of displeasure within her own skin, Dré changed the means by which she tried to take control of her body. Rather than starving, belittling and hating - she embraced it with art. Treating her body as a partner and an expression of her experiences was therapeutic and a love for tattoos began.

Her dream grew and she transferred her artistic education, corporate experience, and empathic nature, to tattooing. Babydoll Tattoos intends to offer all clients an opportunity to embrace their bodies and physical appearances in which ever way they choose and coach them through the process. Tattoos are a personal and often spiritual experience and as an artist, Dré respects and appreciates her involvement in such an intimate experience. The client’s comfort and individual needs are put first and foremost by our skilled artist and she holds her artists to the same standards, hunting out employees who share her values and can embrace the shop philosophy.

Riley's Vision

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.