Dancing Needles Tattoo apprentice to host five-day fundraiser for Raise for Rowyn

Dancing Needles Tattoo has often held the tradition of allowing its apprentice to host a fundraiser inside the shop, and this month, shop mentee Kahlil Hynson will host a five-day event in an effort to raise funds for local nonprofit Raise for Rowyn.

Additionally, Hynson hopes to also raise awareness around the topic of stillborn babies. He told the Nisqually Valley News on Saturday, Jan. 3, that he and his wife were introduced to Raise for Rowyn after experiencing a stillborn child. After the experience, he was drawn to give back to the non-profit that offered help to his family during a time of distress.

The tattoo fundraiser will occur from Wednesday, Jan. 14, through Sunday, Jan. 18, and appointments for the event can be made by contacting Dancing Needles Tattoo on social media, or by visiting its website.

“We’re thankful for Raise for Rowyn. They help families that’ve lost a child. Here at Dancing Needles, the apprentices always get to choose a fundraiser of their own,” Hynson said. “I wanted to do something involving stillborns because I experienced that in my personal life. I thought choosing that would be meaningful for me and make me want to do tattoos that are meaningful. One thing about stillborns, it’s not as rare as people think. It’s the unknown of the known. A lot of moms, families — even dads — are out there living with the same experiences that I did. I thought it would be cool to do little flash pieces for families to remember their loved ones.”

Hynson will have a selection of flash pieces available for the event, and is also open to tattooing client-provided designs with the approval of the tattoo shop. Placement of his tattoos for the event are strictly limited to flat surfaces of arms and legs.

Additionally, the artist said 100% of the proceeds will be given to the local non-profit organization — but donations for tattoos must be made in cash.

“It’s by cash — we’re only taking cash. It’s going to be a big event,” he said. “There will be lots of laughs. Hannah will be here guiding me — not helping me do tattoos, but guiding me. I believe a representative from Raise for Rowyn will be here as well.”

Hynson has been an apprentice at Dancing Needles Tattoo in Yelm for roughly six months. He told the Nisqually Valley news that prior to his apprenticeship, he was active duty military — but always had an affinity for drawing.

“I went ahead and applied to be an apprentice here and they gave me a shot at becoming a tattoo artist. That’s how I really got started,” he said. “There’s been more work and I’m putting it simply, but this is probably two years in the making.”

Hynson added that Dancing Needles Tattoo has “taught (him) everything you can think of” from building different tattoo equipment, to ensuring the shop is presentable to customers and running efficiently. Additionally, he’s begun to learn about the business side of operations during his apprenticeship at the shop.

“I think a lot of tattoo shops don’t do that, especially for apprentices,” Hynson said. “They’ve been teaching me all around. They let me know this is a business, but it’s a job that you love to do and you’re happy to do it.”

Currently, Hynson primarily focuses on basic line work tattoos, color packing and packing in general. He said in the future he’d like to begin doing Japanese traditional and realism styles of tattoos.

“I want to be an artist where people talk about the art rather than anything else,” he said. “It’s nice to get paid for what you love to do, but my end goal is to have art that nobody can deny looks good.”

Hynson can be reached on all forms of social media at Kesus.Arts.