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.
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.
