Her story
Mia Lindqvist grew up in Gothenburg on long winters and her father’s bedtime stories about Norse gods. Seven years ago she traded the North Sea for Texas, where she now runs a busy chair at a salon in East Austin and spends her days off at local tattoo shops.
Her style is illustrative black & grey: soft shading, botanical detail and faces that look like they were pulled from old engravings. On her right arm, a portrait of Freya, the Norse goddess of love, is framed by peonies. On her left forearm, a sun with a human face glows through a tangle of leaves, her tribute to Swedish midsummer and to Texas heat in equal measure.
She began modeling for local artists who needed clean, well-lit portfolio shots of their healed work, and her feed of selfies from the salon mirror has since turned into a steady stream of brand collaborations.
In Sweden the sun disappears for months. So I got one that never sets.— Mia Lindqvist
Her ink journey
- Age 18
The world serpent
A small snake on her shoulder, done in Gothenburg: Jörmungandr, the serpent from her father’s stories.
- Age 21
Peonies
Her first large piece, spreading down her left arm. “That’s when I knew I wasn’t stopping.”
- Age 23
A sun for Texas
Months after moving to Austin, the midsummer sun with a face on her forearm.
- Age 25
Freya
A black & grey portrait of the goddess on her upper arm, surrounded by flowers. Two sessions, eleven hours.
- Age 27
The butterfly
A detailed butterfly on her right forearm, the piece that ties both sleeves together.
Gallery
Three questions
Color or black & grey?
Black & grey. It ages like a good photograph.
Your aftercare secret?
Fragrance-free lotion, patience, and sunscreen every single day once it’s healed. The Texas sun doesn’t forgive.
What’s next?
My back. A Viking ship in a storm, from shoulder to hip.
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