Welcome to TATTOO TALK, a monthly column on our blog. Here we dive into the tattoo stories of our favorite people of the internet!
Today, we sat down with Jordan Shiley to chat about all things tattoos.
RJ: Jordan, we are eager to know more about you, tell us all about yourself!
Jordan: My name is Jordan (@jordanorion) and I'm a 27-year-old creator based out of Southern California. I was born and raised in a small town called Stephens City, VA and dreamed of the west coast for a long time before it was my reality. I moved here in 2018 after graduating from James Madison University with my now husband, who I've been with since I was 15. I packed my life into my little Volkswagen Beetle and drove to Orange County to live with my partner, our husky, my brother, and our good friend. We had no plans other than where we were going to live, but I knew if I didn't take the leap then, I may have never left.
My career started in a full-time position doing social media and left after six months to work for myself, which is when I started to get more tattoos! Since then, I've been helping small businesses around the OC build their brands and social media presences as a contractor. I currently run social for a few local brands and really cheeky cafe called Coffee Dose that's known for their 'anti bitch serum' and love it! On the side, I'm also a spin instructor and a content creator. I've been seriously creating since 2014, but was a dedicated MySpace, Facebook, and Tumblr girly along the way of course.
I live and breathe music and have a useless/ridiculous amount of knowledge on rock and roll history from taking classes, watching documentaries, and books. I explore and appreciate all genres and decades of music, but rock and punk rock are my true love. My favorite bands are Rage Against the Machine, The Maine, Blink-182, and Nirvana! Most of my free time is spent going to shows and festivals, playing the guitar, getting tattooed, drooling over palm trees and California sunsets, and watching tv/movies with my little fam.
RJ: How old were you when you got your first tattoo & what inspired you to get tattooed?
Jordan: I got my first tattoo when I was 17! I always knew I wanted tattoos, but I never thought I'd be able to get one so young. Thankfully 17-year-old Jordan had taste and got an american traditional piece on my back that I still love. My dad went through his midlife crisis around that time and after years of saying he would never get tattooed and swearing that I wasn't allowed to get any, he got a huge piece on his shoulder. I gave him so much shit for it and somehow managed to guilt trip him into signing off on one for me and of course... one tattoo led to another, and another, and another lol.
RJ: Did you always had the intention to get as many tattoos as you have or did it gradually become an obsession?
Jordan: I always knew that I wanted sleeves, but I changed my mind a couple of times before figuring out exactly what I wanted. After my back piece, I got a matching tattoo with my mom and brother on my forearm and stopped for a few years until I left the corporate world to freelance and felt safe to get more! Once I was confident that I could sustain working for myself, I started my sleeve since I was less worried about what Corporate America would think. Though I originally swore off color and wanted blackword, I ended up falling in love with very vibrantly colored american traditional pieces and that's what I've gotten since. I started on my left arm, moved to my right arm after it was full, then my hands and chest pieces, and now I'm working on my legs! I do want full leg sleeves and the sides of my neck done, but I'm not sure if I'll add any more to my back or midsection after that. Only time will tell!
RJ: How do you feel your tattoos have influenced your personal style or identity?
Jordan: I feel like I really found myself once I started getting tattooed. By that point I'd moved across the coast from my hometown in Virginia, started a new life, got engaged, and was really starting to figure out who I am and what makes me happy. As many alternative people do, I went through a normie phase in college because I thought I needed to look a certain way in order to get ahead in life or have a successful career. Luckily, California nurtures the creative soul and once I started working for myself, I felt more comfortable expressing myself through my appearance. That's when I started dyeing my hair fun colors, getting more tattoos, and becoming the truest form of myself thus far.
RJ: Do you have a favorite tattoo among the ones you have? If so, why is it your favorite?
Jordan: My favorite tattoos are my symmetrical roses on my chest. They don't have any meaning, it just weirdly made me feel so beautiful after I got it done and I always feel the most confident whenever they're showing.
RJ: Our mission at REBEL JUNE is to revolutionize tattoo aftercare by offering a unique blend of aesthetics, functionality, and wellness. What is a wellness routine you practice on a daily basis?
Jordan: I am a dedicated yogi. I've always loved exercising, and I've actually taught most formats of group exercise classes since 2014, but yoga is the one format I don't teach and that's why it feels so special to be a participant. Though teaching fills my cup, it does make me very analytical of any class I take, so I wanted one format that was a safe space to be mindful, relaxed, and open. It's the one hour a day where I'm separated from my phone, my email inbox, reality, and all of the noise that comes with it. Being able to be selfish with my energy for 60 minutes (whether it's a more challenging flow or more of a stretch/meditation) is the most therapeutic outlet I've incorporated into my life. Not only has it helped keep my body healthy and mobile, but it has done wonders for my mental health.
RJ: Did you ever get tattooed spontaneously? And if so, what is the story behind it?
Jordan: Yes, many times! Some days I just felt like getting tattooed and picked flash from my artist, or had friends that were apprenticing and needed a canvas to work on.
RJ: Do you have a go-to tattoo artist that you go to?
Jordan: Yes! Chris Earnhart at Arcade Tattoo in Oceanside, CA is my main tattooist. He did both of my sleeves, my hands, my chest, and my thigh piece so far. He has the lightest hand, his work is brilliant, and he's really talented when it comes to choosing the right colors. I give him a lot of creative freedom when it comes to design and color. I'll just be like, "Hey Chris, draw me a cool cobra," and we'll get an outline of the space it's going to fill, and he works his magic.
I also go see my friend Austin Wheeler who tattoos out of Old Glory Tattoo in Yorba Linda, CA often. He did my dragon, grim reaper, panther, sacred heart, and wolf on my leg!
RJ: Do you have any band lyrics or references tattooed?
Jordan: No, not yet! I do want to get a Lord of the Rings tattoo at some point, but I'm in a stage where I'm kind of afraid to get any brand references on my body because of how rapidly people are being cancelled. I can separate the music from the artist, but for example, I almost got the Deja Entendu astronaut tattooed... which would've been really cool 15 years ago, but now, maybe not so much.
RJ: Last but not least, shout yourself out where can every one find you!
Jordan: Thank you!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanorion
Tik Tok: https://www.tiktok.com/@jordan.orion