A Letter From XI

Dear Potential Dream Client,

Thank you for creating this time for us to share a moment in a realm made with seemingly random 0s and 1s! I am deeply grateful to hear that you connect with my art and my process!

I am fully aware how different I must be for lots and lots of people haha. I have not seen another of my kind in this tattoo industry but I have seen a lot of artists in general having a similar process. It took me a long time letting my full expression of an artist unfold and take presence. As this process is very much alive and breathing like another life form, it truly is difficult to just put a price on it hey? :) It's very much like living life haha, we would never know when we all of a sudden would be hit with a bill that's super unexpected and we would never know when some extra income just shows up to alleviate us from all the anxiety :p

My intention behind the price is to allow space for the fullest expression and presence to take place, both for you and myself. As we cannot determine exactly, with close range, how much we need to lead a life which can change drastically as we speak, my predicting abilities seem to fall prematurely in the face of narrowing down exactly how much would be required for a piece of art/life to be born. All that is required would reveal itself in the moment as the art unfolds. The range provided is based on my experiences of being a doula of art for many laps around the sun. The conversations, the interactions, spoken or unspoken, the ponderings, the questions unfolding in the moment... are all part of the art, which is where all the resources/'the money' goes. The fruit, the result, is the tattoo in this case. In a way, it resembles an apple farmer doing everything in their power to take care of their apple trees, with all of their presence and devotion, and they know that the fruits WILL taste amazing without needing to taste every single one. And they will happily sell, share, offer, speak about the fruits of their labour with pride.

Just to help the human mind understand the pricing of collapsing everything into the linear concept of 'time', the resources required for me to perform and be present per hour can be transformed into $300CAD at the moment: a session starts when we meet and ends at the moment when the fruit is collected, the completion of the tattoo or whenever we'd like to stop a session due to any reason. As the intensity and presence required for my process to unfold are demanding, I do have a minimum of $600 per session.

To make sure that I sustain the quality of my art, I am available to see one client per week.

I completely understand how this all might be so abstract and hard to wrap one's head around. But still, I want to express myself as authentically and clearly as I can. My goal is not to be clever so you would book with me. My goal is to show all that I am so you can determine for yourself if you would like to plant your seed/story into my land from which we collect the fruits -- the tattoo. 

That is all to say this: I take each project with all the life force I can conjure. If the pricing gives you too much anxiety to be present, I would strongly suggest waiting longer (as long as needed) to make a decision in your heart. Please know that whether it is a yes or no, I deeply appreciate your time, energy, breaths, and everything of you for reading and being here with me for a few moments. Whether we end up coming together to create a piece of art or not, I wish you the most beautiful day. I am grateful for us crossing paths!

Thank you again! 

Cheers,

Xi Chloe Hua of STUDIO XI