Plant-based tattoo business owner encourages adoption of inclusive vegan lifestyle for all

“I’d just encourage everyone to rethink what they’ve been thought to believe about diet and nutrition and make their own informed decision. Ethical reasons aside, giving up meat and past favourite dishes is a great challenge to oneself, and doing it with friends this Veganuary is even more fun.”

Julian Chia, tattoo artist and taxidermy collector, has a pragmatic attitude towards veganism. Detractors of the plant-based lifestyle so often cite the perceived preachiness of its disciples as a turn-off to moderate individuals thinking about conversion, and while this criticism is often unjust, there can be no doubt that veganism remains a divisive topic. Because of this, and in spite of the fact that no meat has passed his lips in around ten years, Julian does not identify as vegan:

“I don’t eat meat, but I am not vegan. I ask for the vegan meal at restaurants, but I prefer not to identify as vegan/vegetarian because I value independence, freedom, and autonomy when it comes to lifestyle / dietary choices. Sometimes, being too entrenched in one camp causes too much bickering for my liking. I am not fussed if my food is cooked in the same pan as a meat dish, and I still buy meat for my doggo.”

Julian’s renunciation of a puritanical approach in favour of one informed and moulded by the realities of the twenty-first century is refreshing. And it’s fair to say that the fundament underlying this approach – the striking of a balance between the philosophically pure and the practical – has shaped all aspects of his life. One example of this is his proclivity for taxidermy:

“I love natural history, fossils and taxidermy. All my taxidermy (apart from a few vintage pieces I have from the early 1930s) are by taxidermists who forage their supplies. The animals are never farmed or killed intentionally for taxidermy. This adds a lot more to the costs of the pieces I have, but it’s an important thing for me. I understand taxidermy isn’t vegan because it’s literally all animal material, so I guess whether its “ethical” really depends on where on that ethical spectrum you lie.”

On the whole, taxidermy is a pastime that has evolved enormously over the past hundred years or so. While it used to be the norm for taxidermy mounts to be created from animals that were killed specifically for the purpose, that is no longer the case – most taxidermy mounts now are created from animals that have died as a result of accident, illness or old age. But of course, this is not always the case, and the abhorrent practice of killing animals purely for the sake of display is unfortunately not fully extinct at this moment in time. Because of this, taxidermy will remain a hobby that is generally viewed with a degree of suspicion and distaste by the majority of animal lovers. 

However, it is not taxidermy but another art form beginning with “T” that sustains Julian financially. For, as mentioned earlier, Julian is a tattoo artist by profession, and the proud owner of a tattoo shop based in Kampong Glam, called Wild Paw Tattoo. You may not be aware of this fact, but not all tattoo ink is vegan – some inks contain bone char, glycerin from animal fat, gelatin from hooves, or shellac from beetles. Given Julian’s strong moral compass, however, it will come as little surprise to learn that the inks used at Wild Paw Tattoo are indeed fully vegan:

“I love tattooing and animals, and working with products that have animal origins or were tested on animals did not sit well with me, so cutting those out was one of my main goals when starting my shop. I had a lot of help from other vegan tattoo artists (including another Veganuary ambassador and interviewee – Anthea Wong) and friends when I was working towards achieving this.”

This coming January, Julian will be encouraging his team of tattoo artists at Wild Paw Tattoo to give Veganuary a try. Why not join them, and give it a go yourself? One of the fantastic things about Veganuary is the sense of community that forms among participants, as people from all walks of life embrace a new lifestyle choice together. Many people recognise that veganism is the right path, but find it daunting to set out along that path alone. If you fall into that category, here’s what you should do – speak to a friend or family member about participating together, and agree to help and support each other through the process. If you can’t persuade anybody else to join you on your mission, then join a community on social media – you’ll find that there are loads of people just like you, looking for guidance and encouragement. Veganism isn’t always easy – but then again, nothing worth doing ever is!

I’ll leave the final word on Veganuary to the kind, rational and forward-thinking Julian Chia:

“I gave up meat because I wanted to stop eating animals, but I don’t want to be preachy. I’d just encourage everyone to rethink what they’ve been thought to believe about diet and nutrition and make their own informed decision. Ethical reasons aside, giving up meat and past favourite dishes is a great challenge to oneself, and doing it with friends this Veganuary is even more fun. There is great joy in discovering new dishes and experiencing new flavours.”