An ordinary afternoon at work nearly 15 years ago turned sinister for Shelley Black when her heart began thrashing against her chest as though it was trying to free itself from captivity.<\/p>\n
Legs beneath the desk, arms dangling either side of her body and mind racing, fear began to sink in.<\/p>\n
Shelley had just given birth to her first child, Bethany, and the new mum hadn\u2019t any idea what could be wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought I was having a heart attack,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had some tests done and it was found I had really bad thyroid disease. The specialist said I was the worst case he\u2019d seen in about 11 years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Within days of the diagnosis, Shelley left her personal assistant role and started radiation therapy.<\/p>\n
She said not working sent her into a pit of boredom, a place where she would rediscover a childhood hobby she\u2019d long forgotten about.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d always loved drawing as a kid but I\u2019d never really done it seriously because my parents were the type that said \u2018You can\u2019t make a career out of art\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought to myself, \u2018I\u2019d love to do some tattoo script for my daughter\u2019s room\u2019. I couldn\u2019t do it and all the tattoo magazines I was buying didn\u2019t have quite what I was looking for. So, naively, I contacted a local tattoo studio and said \u2018Hi, I\u2019m a mum, I don\u2019t want to become a tattoo artist, but this is what I\u2019m trying to do. I\u2019ve got a bit of time off work, if you could teach me how to draw, I could clean your studio or get you lunch\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe owner contacted me and said \u2018Bring in your portfolio\u2019. So, I went down to the studio and honestly, I nearly died.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was like \u2018What am I doing here? This is completely out of my comfort zone\u2019. There were skulls on the walls, young guys with tattoos up to their necks and I thought to myself \u2018You are so stupid\u2019.<\/p>\n
As the self-proclaimed square\u2019s eyes panned the Ascot Vale parlour once over, she started thinking of excuses plausible enough to warrant her escape.<\/p>\n
But when the tattooist flicked through the pages of Shelley\u2019s work, he extended her a surprising offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe said \u2018Wow, these are really good. Do you want to become a tattoo artist?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cI stopped dead in my tracks. It was one of those really weird moments where you go, \u2018Do I take a chance or not?\u2019 I didn\u2019t have anything else to do, so I said \u2018Yeah, okay\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started and the first time I put a machine in my hands, it was like \u2018Where have you been all my life?\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cYou know those Oprah moments? It was kind of like that. I started tattooing and absolutely threw myself into it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After working for a handful of studios across Melbourne and finessing the art of body ink, Shelley decided to open her own studio on Torquay\u2019s Bell Street.<\/p>\n
It was here that she was first asked to attempt a nipple tattoo on a client who had undergone a mastectomy.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was something I\u2019d never thought of or looked into. I researched it and it was basically the same as what I was doing at the time, except usually these nipple tattoos are done by inexperienced doctors or beauticians.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelley trusted her instincts and completed the tattoo using three-dimensional shading.<\/p>\n
To her disbelief, it worked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought \u2018This is something I could do\u2019, especially because I\u2019m a female and not some big, bad bikie tattoo person.\u201d<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t long before groups of breast cancer survivors were phoning Shelley to secure their appointments.<\/p>\n
One client\u2019s mother said she was \u201cThe Nipple Angel\u201d, and the name\u2019s stuck ever since.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey feel like women again,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey come in kind of apprehensive and not wanting to go through another procedure, but I always tell them \u2018This is the good bit, this is the end. You\u2019ll walk out of here feeling like your old self again\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
She said although the process was rewarding, it came with its challenges, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard some awful stories. Everybody thinks you have breast cancer and then you get your boobs done, but it can be such an intense process that lasts for ages. It\u2019s really mentally draining.\u201d<\/p>\n
One particular story that has left its mark on Shelley is of two sisters who both tested positive for the BRCA gene.<\/p>\n
She said after the siblings\u2019 breasts were removed, they each had a total hysterectomy.<\/p>\n
Neither women would become mothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes I break down during the sessions and have to take a minute.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s intense because you\u2019re hearing stories, sharing close personal space with somebody, and I\u2019m especially trying to make them comfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I ask people if I can take photos of them so that I can show other women, a lot of them ask me not to have their face in the frame.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s still that element of feeling shame that they\u2019ve had their breasts removed, which was kind of a shock to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelley said while she could only listen to women\u2019s experiences with breast cancer and not relate, she hoped her art practice would return a part of themselves that was taken with their illness \u2013 their identities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s incredible. I didn\u2019t realise until I started just how important it is, and how much that the little thing I can do for these women; it\u2019s like the end of their whole cancer journey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get to do the nice bit, basically, and it usually ends in tears.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shelley\u2019s studio Tidal Tattoo Torquay is located at 38-40 Bell Street, Torquay.<\/p>\n
Due to Facebook and Instagram\u2019s nudity policy, Shelley\u2019s accounts have been removed on more than one occasion.<\/p>\n