Philly Talks Interview

My journey of learning boundaries by building a compassionate practice in a fierce industry

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My name is Ruby Gore and I am a tattoo artist and founder of Black Thorne Tattoo in Portland, Oregon. I specialize in scar cover up tattoos, floral blackwork and offering a trauma informed approach to getting tattooed.

How Empathy Shaped My Career

The funny thing is, I almost didn't start tattooing because I hated the idea of hurting people—it genuinely bothered me that much. But that concern ended up shaping my entire approach to tattooing.

Having had plenty of my own terrible experiences getting tattooed, I decided that just because that was the norm in the industry, didn’t mean that’s how it should stay. I’ve taken a lot of shit over the years from other tattoo artists about how much I “princess” my clients, ignoring the haters, I’ve stayed strong on my mission to create a different kind of tattoo experience.

I want the process to feel thoughtful, and as pleasant as possible for people - I understand that I can’t make tattoos not be painful, but that doesn’t mean that you have to be “tough” and it certainly doesn’t mean that the experience has to be awful. So, I do little things like keep a heating pad that I can turn on for people who are chilly, or offer numbing spray that I can apply after we've finished the linework to try and make the shading process a little more comfortable.

These thoughtful choices might seem trivial to some, but they resonate deeply with clients who share similar values. These seemingly small decisions—whether it's providing a heating pad, choosing ethical products or offering a hug at the end of a session — create a more meaningful connection and show clients that every aspect of their experience matters. It's all part of creating a space where people feel seen and respected in ways they may not experience elsewhere.

Now I have clients that travel to me from all over because my mission resonates with them. This is especially true for those seeking scar cover-up work, which has become one of my specialties. Many come to me after experiencing trauma in their life, looking at their tattoo session as a closure point in their healing process.

A lot of the scar cover up tattoos that I do are for self harm scars which can sometimes hold a heavy weight. More often than not, sessions end with hugs, tears and sometimes even a very genuine "I honestly didn't believe that you could actually cover them" lol. That's something I didn't realize would affect me so deeply, being as empathetic as I am, but it's become one of the most rewarding aspects of my work. It's an extremely humbling experience, and I'm honored that I get to make that level of impact on people's lives.

Let it Consume You and Take No Shit

I have a to-do list that would make anybody cry and I love it... I just like getting better at what I do. I'm always finding inspiration every which way I go, it's why I like traveling so much. Even on the shittiest trip, I'm like, "this is terrible, I'm tired, I want to go home". And then as I'm on the plane going home, I'm so glad I did that because I learned this, or I met this person, or now I have this new idea to start a spin-off project.

Let what you love consume you. I mean, I definitely don't recommend going on as few hours of sleep as I do, but when you really love something you just lose track of time. Like when you realize it's 4:00 in the morning and that you should probably go to bed, but then it's like, oh wait, hold on one more thing... which is why I have a notepad on me at all times writing out all these ideas.
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I never took no for an answer, I just realized that with some things I needed to get better and then come back. Learning how to take criticism was the best thing I ever could have done, art school helped with that a lot, but also just learning how to have a tough outer shell because the world's gonna be shitty regardless... not caring what other people think was probably the best thing I ever learned how to do.