We see tattooing differently
An education platform helping people engage with tattooing as a meaningful, transformative practice — grounded in research and lived experience.
Over 18 years, our team has observed and clarified that there are essential steps required to imbue tattoos with significance. Drawing from our collective experience from the position of tattooist and educator working with a diverse range of individuals, and personally undergoing the transformative journey of receiving tattoos, we have culminated our insights into what we offer as the Tattoo Pathway.
Through our work in education and independent research, and as a professional industry participant, we feel a responsibility and calling to re-install the value of tattooing within the individual's experience and more broadly in our globalised culture.
Through education grounded in applied practice and leading research, we provide a clear pathway for people to engage in the transformational power of tattooing consciously.
For future generations to be the custodians of a tattoo pathway that is sacred, and leads people to be dignified in their beauty.
The Tattoo Pathway Pillars
Our approach is structured around six foundational pillars that guide intentional tattooing practice.
Self Responsibility
Take ownership of who you are and where you are going.
Technical Knowledge
The tattoo itself and the physical change one undergoes.
Spiritual Wisdom
The metaphysical and experiential facets of tattooing.
Record Keeping
Recording and imprinting layers of information.
Navigational Aid
The journey of tattooing and cycles of induction into the unknown.
Dignified Beauty
The coherence of technical knowledge and spiritual wisdom.
Meet the team
Mark Nara
Founder & Lead Practitioner
As the Founder of the Tattoo Pathway, I am determined to offer educational resources that guide people seeking meaningful tattoos and those working in the tattoo industry to participate in tattooing as a significant and sacred practice that fosters growth and refinement.
For the last 18 years, I've dedicated myself to exploring tattooing at its deepest levels. My journey started with a challenging old-school apprenticeship. Pre internet accessibility and reality TV sensationalism, it consisted of every ounce of time and energy I had, complete with bikers and no pay, which was an intense experience.
I simultaneously earned a Bachelor's degree in Visual Art and Graphic Design from the Australian Catholic University, which honed my artistic skills. I cut my teeth in bustling street shops before refining my practice in the first half of my career working at an internationally acclaimed private custom studio.
The most transformative part of my journey was the revelation of my spiritual connection to the Creator under the guidance and apprenticeship of a traditional holy man. This set up the second stage of my "work" – an investigation of tattooing and its roots in the human experience.
Along with consistently practicing intentional tattooing within the context of spiritual-reality, I now work with the Tattoo Pathway drawing from a passion for my craft and an unwavering commitment to truth and service.
Taylor Deacon-King
Lead Researcher
I have been drawn to the practice of tattooing for the last 15 years. At a time of navigating identity, authenticity, growth and meaning I felt drawn to mark my skin, unknowing of the significance and initiation of receiving a tattoo. For the last five years, I have been engaging with the Tattoo Pathway, which has allowed me to acknowledge and integrate the profound impact tattooing has on living a meaningful life connected to the sacred.
I have completed a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master's of Science in International Development and Emerging Economies. Needless to say, I love research and data! I am so excited that I get to use my skills and experience to conduct research for the Tattoo Pathway. My hope is that through our work, we can support more people to have meaningful tattoo experiences.
Jeerish Naradoo
Creative, Operations & Technology
My journey with tattooing began with scepticism and judgement, influenced by the broader cultural stigma towards it. However, over the past 10 years, spending literally hundreds of hours as a silent observer during tattoo sessions, and receiving my own tattoos, has deeply changed my outlook. Hearing the power of client's stories through their tattoo journeys, along with first-hand experience dissolving untruths in self and identity through my own tattoos, I have witnessed the profound change and evolution that can unfold.
As a qualified graphic designer, and with my skills in web design, technology, and communications, I've taken on numerous behind-the-scenes roles to support with connecting more people to the Tattoo Pathway so that they have access to the transformative power of tattooing.
Part of something bigger
Tattoo Pathway is the education and frameworks arm of a broader ecosystem dedicated to transforming how people experience tattooing.
What we offer
Educational Courses
Comprehensive courses to deepen your understanding of intentional tattooing.
Podcast
Monthly discussions on identity, spirituality, and industry ethics.
Tattoo Guide Training
Certification programs for artists ready to hold space for transformation.
Workshops & Events
In-person and virtual gatherings combining education with personal growth.