A letter from the Owner
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I wanted to update you all on the status of Ravenwood Collective, and how the Covid 19 pandemic massively affected our studio and my personal life over the last 3 years. As many of you may already know, I started Ravenwood Collective in 2016 shortly after discovering that I was about to become a single mother. I worked on the space with the help of my community and tattoo clients right up until delivering my son Beorn, and just two weeks later, I was working in my own space and caring for my child. Over the years Ravenwood became a beautiful, thriving community of some of the most incredibly talented artists and amazing clients I’ve ever seen. When my son and I could afford to get time away, we would camp outside of the city and pretend that our space for the moment was our ‘adventure house.’ On difficult days when my son was sick, teething, or missing me, I would tell him about the adventure house that one day we would live in, where we would grow our own food, raise animals, and live in nature. I told him that was what we were working toward. Fast forward several years later, Two weeks before giving birth to my second child, Ravenwood was forced to shut down for the COVID 19 lockdowns. I had just found out my daughter was breech, I didn’t know if I would be allowed to have anyone with me in the room with me while I was giving birth, or if there if would even be space for me In the hospital. On top of that, I had 6 employees I was worried about and was again faced with being the sole provider for my two children. During this time, a lot of things changed for so many of us. Every interaction felt scary and uncertain. My children and I started foraging in the city for fresh dandelion greens, chives and mint. It was an alarming discovery to recognize that we were entirely dependent on very fragile systems in order to get our basic needs met. My family became isolated and felt devoid of community. More and more, we felt the squeeze of living in an apartment in the city. I felt like a bird in too small of a cage-I couldn’t stretch my wings. My children were suffering- isolated and cooped up. Something had to give. These circumstances brought to mind my recurring joke to my clients that when I retire from tattooing I wanted to become a farmer. This intense yearning was amplified in my family to get back to nature and find a more sustainable way to live. The massive societal trauma of the pandemic forced me to reevaluate my priorities. Together as a family, we decided to make the dream of the ‘adventure house’ into a concrete plan. I didn’t want my children to have to wait until my retirement to experience a life in nature and with community. Six months later I sold my Pittsburgh apartment and purchased a property in rural West Virginia that is nothing short of magic. My goal now is to reconnect with my family and community and bring my clients into a more intimate and natural environment. I want to create a space where clients and I together can focus in on the magic of realizing their vision and embodying their stories in a private sanctuary of healing, growing and self-empowerment. I believe that the process of putting art on a persons body is a sacred ritual; it is meant to be immersive, interactive and deeply personal. Tattooing in its proper form becomes a bigger part of an individual story- as it grounds us in our truth, integrates the archetypal wisdom of our ancestors, teaches radical self love and empowers us to connect with our own intuition through embodying our personal stories.
Starting in the spring of 2023
I will be reopening my books for hyper personalized, ceremonial tattooing at my private studio. These projects will be and carefully curated based on their size and subject matter, the goals of the individual, and the type of story they want to tell. Clients selected for these projects will be invited to retreat in their own private living space and soak in the surroundings of Appalachian forest, clean air, bright starry skies, and access to miles of trails in the Monongahela wilderness. If you are interested in participating in this experience, please reply to this email, or fill out a consultation request HERE.
Thank you For supporting me and my many amazing artists that I had the pleasure of hosting and working alongside with at Ravenwood Collective over the years. I am so excited for the opportunity to share this adventure with you all in this new chapter of my life.
Sincerely, Allie Owner, Operator of Ravenwood Collective 2016-2022