hi! im heather c. lou aka hc lou and im a visual artist and tattooer in saint paul, mni sota... but some of you all know me as an angry gemini earth dragon, community-organizer, educator, and every dogs biggest fan.

i have lived in mni sota for 10 years and focus on making high quality art and tattooing accessible for melanated, queer and trans, disabled, and fat clients.

i have been tattooing for about 3.5 years and i am transitioning to a new independent working space between this summer and early october 2026. this process will take some additional financial resources, so i am asking community members for support.

i do not come from generational wealth, do not have access to white privilege, and am a single femme, nonbinary, disabled, working class person of color. i do not have family to ask for financial support, so i am asking my community to help redistribute wealth so i can continue my tattooing business and practice.

i am asking for a total of $13,500 for my next steps. any additional funds will help pay my partial wages/bills during my work transition.

if more than my requested amount is raised, they will be added to my QTIBIPOC tattoo fund, which helps provide financial assistance to queer, trans, intersex, black, indigenous, and people of color with gender and identity affirming tattoo experiences, including: tattoo reworks, cover ups, top surgery and/or mastectomy scar work, and/or other customized design work.

proposed budget includes:

if you arent in a place to donate, please share widely and consider joining my patreon to be an ongoing supporter for my work.

you can also stay connected with my art via my website or instagram !

thanks for your ongoing support and care. i appreciate you.

in solidarity,

hcl