A loose, honest conversation between longtime friends Paul and Tanya Buxton — tracing her path from apprenticeship chatter on social media to specialised medical tattooing, private studio space, and the first pink, one-woman version of Paradise during lockdown.

It’s about growth, adaptation, saying yes when the world was closing down, and turning a back-room studio into the start of something bigger. Expect laughter, stories, nipple tattoos, pandemic pivots, and a reminder that the best moves often start in tiny rooms no one sees coming.

A grounded conversation about space, craft, and stubborn creativity. Paul sits down with Jamie Lee Knott to unpack the story behind Chapters, a once derelict, Grade II listed building in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter, slowly brought back to life with help, graft, and a refusal to quit.

From tearing a studio down to the bone, to living with unfinished work, to turning a historic building into a home for tattooing and painting, this episode is about building a place that holds both art and a life.

Expect talk of restoration, neighbourhood energy, and the simple truth that studios are never finished — we just stop abandoning them for a while.

A deep dive into making for the sake of making. Paul chats with Jason Butcher, exploring how authenticity defines art, why labels fail, and why feeling “real” matters more than liking it.

Expect stories about unexpected interruptions, childhood memories resurfacing, and how the act of creation itself can be its own reward. This isn’t about perfection or approval — it’s about honesty in making, and the chaos that comes with it.

Gabe Ripley has been helping businesses like ours navigate the tech world for over 25 years. His unique combination of skills, experience, and tools are crafted for the small (and large) business community.

His Mission is To make technology a tool for your success, not a source of your stress. Every business owner deserves technology that actually helps them grow. Gabe can help you to turn your tech headaches into growth opportunities

He’s not just talking the talk, he’s been there.

Gabe was the CEO of a 7-figure business from 2005-2012. So, he knows what it's like to make tough decisions with limited resources and unlimited pressure.

He also loves all things tattooing! Producing World Class Events like:

Paradise Tattoo Gathering

Icons & Prodigies International Tattoo Convention

Worldwide Tattoo Conference

Paradise Artist Retreat

Emerald Isle Tattoo Session

Queercation Tattoo Conference

AND he also hosts, provides technical support and more for:

Tattoo Now

Reinventing the Tattoo

You can contact his via his website: gaberipley.com

In case you're here just for the gossip, the Tattoo School Conversation starts at 15:40 ;)

Sam Barber’s portfolio is a striking blend of lifelike animals, captivating nature scenes, and expressive faces, with hints of horror and surrealism adding an intriguing edge. Known for her awe-inspiring tattoos, she is among the most sought-after tattoo artists today.

Despite her immense popularity, she continues to evolve and refine her style, always seeking new knowledge. In addition to her impressive portfolio, she owns the North of Winter studio in Manchester. Sam Barber is a gypsy at heart, a wolf mother, and an artist endorsed by brands like World Famous Tattoo Ink, Inkjecta, Killer Ink, and H2Ocean.

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Links to content mentioned in the show:

Sam's instagram: @sambarbertattoo

My email address is paul@paultlbt.com

Tattooing and Body Piercing Guidance Toolkit: https://www.dover.gov.uk/business/licensing/pdf/tattooing-piercing-toolkit.pdf

Iuri Wiatzberg is a fineline artist from Brazil who started out studying biology — and somehow, you can still see it in his work. There’s a sense of structure, of quiet observation, of trying to understand life from the inside out.

We talked about what it means to market yourself as an artist rather than a celebrity — to build a reputation around craft, not clout. About deliberately being the worst artist in the room just to learn from the best. And about making work for the client, and for the love of the art itself, long before you ever think about the algorithm.

It’s a grounded conversation about growth, humility, and the strange, scientific beauty of making something real.

https://www.instagram.com/iuri.ink

Joshua Black is a tattooist from Baltimore, now working out of Gypsy Skull Tattoo in Hanover, Pennsylvania — a shop run by Brian Fuentes.

His decision to finally start his journey into tattooing came at a time when he wasn’t even certain he’d be able to walk that path. Literally. Stuck in a hospital bed during the early days of the pandemic, alone, battling scoliosis, and watching the world fall apart, the first steps of his journey were uncertain in every sense — physically, mentally, and emotionally.

When he finally left the hospital, he made a choice: he was done being a wage slave. He was going to make art, not excuses.

We talked about becoming a tattooist later in life, about rediscovering happiness, and about sometimes having to blow everything up just to save yourself. Josh also reflects on the old school, their influence, and how tattoo TV and the rise of celebrity culture have shifted the perception of what tattooing is really about.

Because the truth is — we’re not the cool ones. The tattoos are. And Josh hasn’t forgotten that.

https://www.instagram.com/joshua_black_tattoos