Meet Jess LaChance, owner and lead tattoo artist at Ms. Dixie’s Tattoo & Pinup Parlour in Troy NY. Jess is an incredible human whose beliefs and soul pour into every tattoo they create. “I ask people to show me what inspires them, tell me about themselves.” This is so Jess can put a little bit of that hidden meaning in the designs created so people have a special, unique piece to cherish for the entirety of their lives.
In order to move forward with this interview I want you to understand the human Jess is. Jess radiates sunshine, and if you’ve met anyone with such a calmness about them, a connection to themselves with such a gentleness and respect - you know what I mean. Connecting with this project Jess had brought a different and holistic view on the novel coronavirus. Our entire interview loomed with a sense of positivity and healing.
Jess is a highly educated human, having their undergrad at Russell Sage with a focus in sociology, global cultures and inequalities - focused on gender studies. With an internet persona as “Ms. Retro Dixie”, Jess explains what that means which also ties into who they are as a human. “‘Ms’. Is an ode to the feminine about me, I don’t abide by social construct, I am me. The ‘Retro’ is symbolic of a throwback age, vintage. The one era I was most drawn to in studies relating to gender, family, social constructs- was the 1950s. While there was discord in this time period, there was nostalgia - the idea people wanted to try and grow through difficult things. I’m not saying someone shouldn’t leave things if dangerous or violent, but there is a part of staying and working through things that makes you grow and explore yourself. Retro pulls back layering of stereotypical femininity. The ‘Dixie’ part of it was the slower culture and way of being from my childhood. When i started to get into the industry -modeling type things- they had a name for that and it stayed. The short of it: an ode to feminine ideals and flipping them.”
Jess has a gorgeous studio in the heart of Troy that is extremely inviting and every bit a part of who they are. You walk in and there is life everywhere from gorgeous plants to sunshine radiating through the large windows. There is art all along the walls from past tattoos done, to collected pieces Jess has purchase, to gifts and inside jokes from clients. “If anyone is in here (my studio) and they want to engage in a conversation with me, they hear all of these things I’m built on…at the end of the day it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks, you have to be what you are. If you go into the origins of everything built up around us, it’s three things: mercury, salt and sulfur.” What Jess is describing is known as the Principals of Alchemy. In Alchemy, Salt, Sulphur and Mercury are believed the contents in all matter. In these three principles, Salt is referenced as the body, Sulphur is active energy of the universe representing the soul, and Mercury was the principle of fusibility - the ability to ebb and flow representing life itself. It’s believed in the study of Alchemy that in order for the energies of Life to transmit their influence into matter, these three principles are needed.
Myself as a person, I’ve always believed everything happens for a reason and we have to be self aware to take things good or bad as a lesson. This being part of why I understood where Jess was coming from with their take on the COVID-19 pandemic - it’s seen to Jess as less of a tragedy and more of an enlightenment with a basis around higher truth. “I strongly feel we are going through a mass awakening right now. As a society, we are coming to realize that truth exists higher than what we have believed it to. In order for a system like that to develop and come about - where you can’t have corruption, lies, distortions and false information. We are experiencing a real life Tower Card.” The tower card in Tarot is what is being referred to- it topples. “We are very much experiencing a falling of a that system. It is showing that unity is stronger than lies and extortion… the people will prevail and they always do. Goodness will always prevail.”
The current state of our world with this virus is truly a reset for society and nature. “Its interesting because the word ‘corona’ means crown. In the system of our 7 chakras, our highest chakra is the crown chakra which is about openness and access to ultimate truth. We are going through a coronavirus right now, which substitutes crown and what we are going through is an energetic cleansing of our society. Its not about people getting sick because they’ve done something wrong - not at all. It’s the fact whatever deep fears there are for people, people are confronting those fears on their own level. If you don’t like being alone- there are many people forced to be alone right now (quarantine). In turn, it’s a reminder to all of us as a populous to reach out to those people who have a hard time being alone and remind them it’s okay to be alone, it’s okay to deal with those emotions while being alone. If people are refusing to see the good in society, they are being confronted with so many people who want nothing but to do good for other people. That is absolutely what this is about - this is about unity.”
It’s not a coincidence there are reports across the world that smog is evaporating, you can see the bottoms of bodies of water.. the world needed a hard reset because of everything we have been taking for granted. It’s unfortunate we are losing lives in the process, but we have to believe in this greater message, utilizing human connection - again what this Pandemic Project is all about.
From the perspective of a small business owner, a professional, Jess is also feeling the sting of unemployment. “I wanted to slow down a bit, but not stop. Rent is still due, I still haven’t gotten unemployment yet.” The biggest struggle personally for Jess - and many others in industries that are being ordered to be closed- is financial. “Other than ONE stimulus check that doesn’t cover bills, I’ve been out of work for over 4 weeks. (at the time of the interview)” Small business owners are undoubtedly suffering the most. “I’m thankful that I’m healthy, I’m happy, I have time to reflect on things and I’m grateful I’m in a peace of mind to do so. Not everyone has those things. Yes money is a piece of paper, but a loosery. Working slave to a paper piece is not the point of existing. We didn’t come here to slave our life - we came to learn, connect with others, to come together. It’s hard when you’re trying to do all of that and getting these messages that you’re being punished as small business owners, waiting around for the other shoe to drop. Now I have to go pay all of my rent for a space that I’ve not been allowed to use.”
This coming from an understanding of Governor Cuomo’s Mortgage Moritorium that does absolutely nothing to protect renters, but allows mortgage forgiveness. “Small business owners are renters, not owners of their properties most of the time. So now my landlord gets a freedom to not pay their mortgage, but people who are struggling have to pay (rent)?”
Jess and other small business owners we have talked to have said that their landlords are making deals with their tenants that they will be charging the missed rent spread out over the next few months which is not helpful as many small business owners are making little to no income during this pause. At the same time, Jess says when these thoughts creep in to “recenter, hold faith, and remember when we have health and happiness, things are going to be okay.”
Those thoughts in additions to new hobbies are what is keeping Jess positive. “As an artist, I’m always busy with my projects - I don’t do a lot of free drawing and I thought I’d use a lot of this time to do that but I haven’t. I’ve been learning to make my own kombucha! I’ve always been a juicer, so that’s something that’s always been a love. I’ve grown veggies here and there but now I’m doing it in different ways - it’s giving me self love.” As I’ve said in other interviews and to people that I’ve talked to - I genuinely hope people are taking this time to heal themselves. A higher healing so to say - do things that you normally “didn’t have time for”. Do things that serve you - make you happy. Do nothing at all and that is an okay way to cope with this. Overall, self love is the key to positive mental wellbeing, especially when the world is in shambles.
On that note, Jess agrees. “I want people to do better for self love. It all starts internal. I think that people need to take time before responding to any circumstances. I think people need to feel what they’re feeling right now that is good. For instance, if it’s a sense of peace, people need to ask themselves ‘what takes away from my peace in the way I was living’ and they find a way to integrate more of that peace in their world when things go back.” Jess tells us in their household, there is no news on the television. “….people need to trust how they feel, their intuition vs what is being fed from a media source. This past summer (2019) I stopped watching the news entirely and still do not. I think that contributes to my peace of mind and well being. I think not taking things for face value and peoples opinions, but seek your own truth while trying to understand others - instead of passing judgement, research things and learn. That sounds utopian, but there are bits that people can pull out.”
From Jess, people can pull something out no matter what you believe in. No matter if you believe in ‘higher powers’ or energies of the earth.. whatever your own rock is. At the end of the day, we are all tired mentally and physically. This time in our lives is hopefully one we won’t see again, but in order to do that we need to fix our relationships with ourselves - foster it. We need to take care of our planet, and each other. We need to lead with truth and find human connection through all of our likeness and diversities. My interview with Jess was insightful, and left me feeling a sense of calmness. A sense that I was on the right path. Before I left, they read my Tarot and pulled for me the “Courageous Peony” - you can see in an above picture. This card was interpreted as the unique and creative. I don’t believe this is a coincidence.
When the world comes off Pause, you’ll find me in Jess’ chair.
For more information and to see some of Jess’ work, please support small and follow on instagram @msretrodixie .
// Please note all quoted statements above are those of Jess LaChance and not reflective of Faiella Studios.