Angela Roewe

There's no doubt Carrie Davini has ink in her blood. Better yet, it's colored. She ventured on an unusual "female" career a decade ago, and has since managed to win the battle of the sexes. As the only female tattoo artist in the Metro East, who works for Evermore Gallery in Edwardsville, she is living her lifelong dream despite what others have to say about it.

Davini always had a passion for art, doodling and sketching whatever came to mind, but wasn't quite sure how to employ her talent.

At age 16, she found herself in a tattoo shop, Guilty and Innocent in Chicago, and was shocked to see a female tattoo artist at work. Automatically, the woman's work inspired her. "The work she was doing was real art," Davini said. "It was beautiful beyond words. That's when I decided a girl could make it in this industry. I had always thought of tattooing as baby names and gang signs; it wasn't until then that I recognized it as a true art form."

She was later fortunate to acquire a counter job at a St. Louis tattoo shop. Apprenticeships are hard to come by in the tattoo arena, so Davini had to work overtime to prove her dedication and strong desire to tattoo. Finally, the shop's owner placed the needle and ink in her hands. "I did my first tattoo when I was 22, a small star on my friend's arm," she said. "The tattoo looked horrible, but practice makes perfect. She still comes back for more and is astounded at how far I've come." It's not only a career to Davini, but a lifestyle. Only about 20 percent of her body is not covered with colorful, meaningful tattoos. Her largest one is that of the Virgin Mary because Davini says "she is a strong female image that I hold dear to my heart." "My latest tattoo is a portrait of Iron Chef Japanese, Masaharu Morimoto because I love to cook and he's the Godfather of cooking," she said. "I also have basil and parsley behind my ears. They give me guidance in the kitchen."

Davini said many women consider tattooing as a career, but when they begin to look into it, they realize it is a very male-dominated industry.

"Most apprenticeships survive off of intimidation, and most women are too proud to get treated unfairly, so they never make it - understandably so," she said. "I have learned to shut my mouth, dish it back, or laugh it off. You really have to have an aggressive personality to survive in this industry.

"I love a challenge. When someone keeps telling me no, I fight even harder. It's the best feeling in the world knowing you worked very hard for what you have, and it didn't take flashing a set of boobs either."

Despite her tenure in the industry she still encounters male clients who are shocked, and resentful, to deal with a women in a tattoo shop.

"I think it's funny now," she said. "There are times men will look right past me so they can find someone they think can do better work than I can. I have had men flat out refuse to be tattooed by me simply because I was a woman. One, in particular, wanted me to put a red cross on his hand so he'd be saved before the world ends. You can't win 'em all."

She compares tattooing to counseling, saying often people desire a tattoo as an attempt to heal, mark a certain milestone, grieve a loss, or mark a turning point in one's life.

"My favorite thing about this job is the relationship I develop with my clients," she said. "I am putting something on their body that means something very deep to them; something they will have forever. I love the look on their face when they see their completed tattoo. I'm helping people feel better about themselves or get through a certain time in their lives. That's extremely rewarding. There are days I can't believe I actually make money doing what I love."

Her advice to young women is to make it happen because life is too short.

"We only get one shot," she said. "Don't turn 50 and wonder what it could have been like if you would have done this or that, or fought for this or that. So what if you fail? You'll never know unless you try. One of my favorite quotes is from Anais Nin - 'And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.' I think we as women should all live by that." Evermore Tattoo Gallery is located at 220 North Main in Edwardsville. For more information on Davini's work, call (618) 655-9979, or log on www.evermoretattoos.com .