Mark speaks with Lluna of Lluna Soul Ink about stepping from artist into guide, building devotional space, and using tattoo mapping to turn tattoos into living records. They trace her early Berlin years, informal apprenticeship, and the shift that came through the Tattoo Pathway community. Practical talk on boundaries, cancellations as energy, listening with all senses, and holding a frame that is safe and clear. Lluna also shares festival talks in Europe, placement questions she gets asked most, and her vision for a small retreat style space near Berlin.

Links
Guest site: llunasoul.comInstagram: llunasoul.ink

When you are ready→ Book a 1:1 consult with Mark→ Get tattooed by Mark

Recommended next episode→ EP 32. Sand, Symbols and Metamorphosis with April

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Comment with your takeaway or question.

Brand or studio aligned with our message? Collaborate or sponsor: tattoopathway.com/contact

Timestamps[00:00:00] Welcome and why this conversation[00:01:05] Ten years in: early starts and Berlin beginnings[00:02:31] Australia years and traction in the studio[00:03:22] Language: artist and guide, tattoos with intention[00:03:58] Finding Mark and the Tattoo Pathway work[00:05:06] Courses and tea ceremony as the opening frame[00:06:50] Boundaries, cancellations, and reading the energy[00:08:38] A firmer foundation and less doubt in practice[00:12:28] Beyond the image: what we print in the skin[00:12:48] Mapping as method: skin as a life map[00:14:39] Using mapping with every client[00:16:30] Festival talks: placement questions and strong interest[00:18:40] Why intentional space matters for change[00:21:36] Body maps that stay simple and useful[00:23:03] Stepping into the role of teacher in public[00:26:32] Devotional space: getting yourself out of the way[00:28:24] What lights her up: long term client bonds[00:30:53] Advice to artists: community, fundamentals, reflection[00:33:22] Next steps: Europe base and retreat style vision[00:37:26] Staying open to cycles and places[00:39:15] Where to find Lluna and how to connect

Connect with Mark and Tattoo PathwayInstagram: @themarkofnara | @tattoopathwayWebsite: https://tattoopathway.com

In this conversation, Mark and Josh trace a 33-year arc of tattooing—from ’90s street-shop grit and tribal magazines to private studios, bikie threats, and rebuilding community.

Josh shares early sparks (drawing on siblings, an art-teacher mum), his first experiences at Illustrated Man, the rise of custom work, and why a good street shop can still be a true neighbourhood heartbeat.

We dive into identity vs discovery psychology, cultural lineage vs contemporary mix, apprenticeships vs quick courses, social media’s specialisation trap, when to say no ethically, and what it means to put presence over popularity in the chair.

If you care about the craft and the culture, this one’s a map and a mirror.

LINKS

• Josh's Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/tatudharma/

• 
  

  
  WHEN YOU’RE READY

  → ⁠Book a 1:1 consult with Mark⁠

  →⁠ ⁠Get Tattooed by Mark⁠

  
  

  
  RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE

  → ⁠19. Phillip Milic: Tattooing’s Evolving Culture – A Veterans Perspective

  
  

  
  SUPPORT THE SHOW

  Like this episode? Hit the like button and subscribe for more.

  Leave a comment if something landed – we’d love to hear from you.

  Know a brand or business aligned with our message? Sponsor or collaborate with us: ⁠tattoopathway.com/contact⁠

  
  TIMESTAMPS

  [00:00:00] Why Tattoos Hooked Me (remote childhood, Nat Geo spark)

  [00:01:51] First Studio Reality Check (Illustrated Man, Kim changes everything)

  [00:04:15] Designing Our First Pieces (from cliché to considered)

  [00:05:57] Meaning vs. Aesthetic (initiation, identity, appropriation)

  [00:08:54] Street Shop = Community Engine (why it still matters)

  [00:11:45] The New Problem Set (courses, saturation, skipped apprenticeships)

  [00:28:32] Apprenticeship > Online Course (what real learning looks like)

  [00:33:13] Algorithm Ink (how tech reshaped tattoo culture)

  [00:41:47] Phones, Trains & Small Talk (connection is a skill)

  [00:50:51] Instagram vs. Presence (the chair-side experience wins)

  [00:57:18] Specialist Trap vs. Generalist Freedom

  [01:08:48] From Churn to Ceremony (private studio intimacy)

  [01:21:18] When the Shop Burned Down (what it taught me)

  [01:22:58] Byron Reset (rebuilding community and pace)

  [01:33:05] The Emotional Load (boundaries, saying no, tough calls)

  [01:39:37] Fit, Placement & Regret-Proofing (how we decide)

  [01:59:23] Tattoos for Your 2050 Self (longevity & planning)

  [02:12:12] Should Tattooers Get Tattooed? (the debate)

  [02:20:22] Numbing Cream: When, Why, Risks

  [02:23:13] Real Advice for New Artists (skills, mindset, business)

  [02:24:54] Closing + Self-Care (stay human)

  
  

In this conversation, Mark and April explore how play, symbols, and intention open real thresholds of change. April shares her path from disability support work into Jungian sandplay therapy, why the subconscious chooses the right symbols before we do, and how a pair of intentional tattoos (“Letting Go of Fear” / “Letting Love In”) became a living practice.

We get into metamorphosis as a template (egg → caterpillar → chrysalis → butterfly), her project The Quiet Space, writing Pain as a Portal, an unexpected health initiation that forced deep embodiment, and how ecstatic dance (Dancing Freedom) moves energy through the elements - earth, water, fire, air, ether. If you’re navigating discomfort or longing for transformation, this one’s a field guide made of stories.

LINKS

• • Website: The Untold Space
  • Book: Pain as a Portal

• 
  

  WHEN YOU’RE READY

• • → ⁠Book a 1:1 consult with Mark⁠
  • →⁠ ⁠Get Tattooed by Mark⁠

  
  

  RECOMMENDED NEXT EPISODE

  • → ⁠EP 18. Tattoo Therapy and Suffering Well - With Lee Trew

  
  

  SUPPORT THE SHOW

  Like this episode? Hit the like button and subscribe for more.

  Leave a comment if something landed – we’d love to hear from you.

  
  

  Know a brand or business aligned with our message? Sponsor or collaborate with us: ⁠tattoopathway.com/contact⁠

  
  

  TIMESTAMPS⁠⁠

  [00:00:04] Two “guides,” one conversation

  [00:01:12] Sandplay 101: Jung, trays, and living symbols

  [00:03:35] The subconscious chooses—then shows you the next step

  [00:05:21] Working with youth (and why adults can still play)

  [00:07:06] Altars everywhere: reading life’s symbolic language

  [00:09:46] When the story doesn’t match the symbols

  [00:15:59] Tattoos as thresholds: fear out, love in

  [00:17:25] Ceremony in the studio: intention changes everything

  [00:22:13] Naming a practice: from Blue Soul to The Untold Space

  [00:26:40] The Quiet Space: six months of communal stillness

  [00:29:37] Pain as a Portal and the butterfly template

  [00:34:54] Watching metamorphosis (literally) changes the work

  [00:39:06] Burnout, blood, and a body-led initiation

  [00:41:59] From head to body: integration as a survival skill

  [00:48:04] Dancing Freedom: earth → water → fire → air → ether

  [00:52:02] Purification vs transformation (and choosing harmony)

  [00:55:17] The Diamond Metamorphosis Template (12 facets)

  [00:57:12] Celebrate chrysalis → butterfly (don’t just rush ahead)

  [01:01:01] A practice you can do now: say hello to the discomfort

  
  

  @themarkofnara⁠

  ⁠@tattoopathway⁠

  
  tattoopathway.com