Ride or Die

PICTURES FOLLOW THE TEXT Heather Moss is one of the most amazing women in the tattoo industry. She’s not just a banging body with great tattoos, she runs Timeless Art Tattoo with her husband Bobby Moss—she really is a ride or die chick. Since she is the Boss Lady, we let Heather tell her story in her own words.

There are so many daily thoughts, duties and overall love for the crew that goes into being the Boss Lady at a tattoo shop. It has not always been easy. In the beginning, even with the support of my husband standing behind me, the artists who came and went looked at me as unworthy of making decisions and demands in the shop setting. I knew two things had to happen: One, I had to stand my ground and not be shaken. Two, I had to become irreplaceable to the crew to gain their respect. Since I wasn’t an artist I knew I had to make myself part of the team and that is what I did. I branded myself to my business, to my husband and most importantly to the crew that I have today. After eight years, Timeless Art is one of the best things that ever happened to me. It takes a special breed of crazy. It taught me how to work hard, respect my team and build my brand. We at Timeless Art are all irreplaceable; there is no greater feeling than the camaraderie of our team. Chase Odem did Bobby’s name on my wrist and Boog Star did my knuckles which read “Timeless.” With those two exceptions my husband is responsible for every drop of ink in my body. I chose black-and-grey work because I love the way it looks. I love the subtlety of the artwork and couldn’t commit to a ton of color. My husband has always been a color artist, and it’s pretty much all he did when we met. Now, thanks to me, a majority of his work is black-and-grey by request. My husband is responsible for my favorite piece, my right sleeve. It’s all about time, my family and our love. The top portion reads “Timeless Love” playing off both the shop and our partnership. The clock is the time we got married; the numbers falling throughout the sleeve are anniversaries, birthdates and other important numbers. My son’s name Ryland Gage is on the inside of my arm and my daughter Madison on the outer. There’s a broken hourglass with sand spilling out to represent time and reminds me to make each grain of sand count. The crown on my hand is to represent the royalty of family and is finished with ‘One Love’ just before my knuckles. My tattoos make me feel so beautiful. I never really felt right in my own skin, we all have our demons. My tattoos make me feel powerful over myself, something I have control over. Finally something that was all mine; mine to share, mine to hide, mine to keep forever. This industry is unarguably the greatest industry on the planet. There are no boundaries for those who find acceptance in the tattoo world. I was so incredibly fortunate to be Miss Milano 2014 and not only appear in Italy but to have an opportunity to represent Timeless Art and World Famous on one of the biggest scales imaginable. I do so many conventions a year, sponsoring the Phoenix Body Art Expo and my beloved United Ink. I look forward to each and every one, to see friends, idols and companies continue to grow and thrive in the industry. The crew jokes that the shop just gets us from one convention to the next. We have been the sponsors of the Phoenix Body Art Expo for four years now and it is a huge hit every time. I look forward to it every February. I am also lucky to not only have one United Ink show but two every year in New York. I am Jackie Rubino’s right hand man when I get there. That has to be one of the most well run, most chaotic shows on the planet. Back home in Arizona, you have shops that love each other and shops that hate each other. It keeps the thrill alive. We have so much support for our local community and it really shows during the Phoenix Expo. Everyone was against such a big production coming to the Valley at first, but each year more and more join the fun. In Arizona, we wear less clothes than the rest of the country so why not decorate the landscaping? A model hopes to be an inspiration, someone who did more than just make a pretty picture. I think people with platforms, regardless of how big or small, have a responsibility to their followers and to the industry that they represent to do something good with their audience. I really try and return every email, comment or at the least acknowledge the people who support my career. I make myself available and in every social setting to have a conversation, or give an aspiring model my advice or mentorship. I think it is so important to continue to uplift women who share the same dream but a different journey.