The surprising inspiration behind ‘American Pickers’ Danielle Colby’s tattoos
American pickers wants to prove that antiques and American history don’t have to be defined by dusty shelves and boring dates. The TV show’s colorful cast consists of Mike Wolfe and other pickers. This used to include Frank Fritz before the duo split following a personal feud. It also includes fan favorite Danielle Colby, who has handled the storefront from the start.
Danielle Colby is known for her straightforward demeanor, but also for her many tattoos. Although some of her inspirations for her body art are more traditional, she also has a special look at the tattoos that make them extra unique.
Danielle Colby is a fan favorite on ‘American Pickers’
Colby and Wolfe met years ago at a flea market. As she tells it, Wolfe rushed in and grabbed a lamp she was eyeing. “He looked at me and said, ‘Sorry girl it’s time to buy when you see it,'” Colby recalled to Freshly Inked. “I liked his cheekiness … we were pretty much inseparable after that.”
Later, as Wolfe prepared to launch American pickers, he added Colby to the lineup to give the show a distinctly unique flavor. “I wanted someone who didn’t look like he worked in an antique shop,” he said, per Celebrity Net Worth. “Because I wanted our show to be viewed differently. I wanted people to see antiques as fun, they’re badass, they’re killer, they’re great.”
Colby has since become a permanent fixture on the show. She has taken on a more central plot as she goes out and picks something herself. This is especially true after the rift between Wolfe and Fritz, which opened the door to highlighting the exploits of the likes of Colby and Wolfe’s older brother Robbie.
She views the tattoo artist as an integral part of the bodywork process
The focus of American pickers certainly not in Colby’s tattoo collection, but they’re hard to miss. She wears several on her arms and chest, which are frequently flaunted, although her wardrobe is noticeably more demure than her side gigs as a model and burlesque dancer.
Colby draws inspiration from some of the usual sources, including meaningful tributes to friends and family. But she also takes inspiration from the tattoo artists themselves. “I think my biggest inspiration is the artist I work with,” Colby told Freshly Inked. “When they’re inspired, educated, and practiced, it’s usually a pleasure to get tattooed by them.”
Colby sees the process as much more than going into a studio and picking a pattern or showing them a sketch. Instead, she maintains a more personal connection that makes the tattoo more of a collaboration. “I love when my friends work on me, I love making memories, I can’t have an artist work on me that I don’t feel connected to,” she said. “I need to feel a sense of kinship. I’ve been very lucky to find that with my tattoo artists across the board.”
Danielle Colby has more than 30 tattoos on her body
Danielle Colby refers to her bodywork as “collecting tattoos,” implying a reverence for the process. She didn’t always take it so seriously, though, as she joked with Freshly Inked that her first tattoo was a “tribal tramp stamp of a butterfly.”
Since then, she has collected more than 30 designs, according to Inked Celeb. Some, like those on her arms, honor family members like her mother and father. Another set on her back transforms her torso into the body of a violin, with oversized f-holes on either side. Most of her tattoos feature iconography and intricate designs rather than words, but she has “Irish Blood, English Heart” written on her shoulders.
Although the crowd has grown over the years, Colby shared that they are all incredibly meaningful to her. “I’m one of those people who have very personal tattoos. Every piece is there for a very specific reason,” she told Freshly Inked. “I really enjoy when an artist feels their inspiration and follows their own bliss… When I collect tattoos, I’m collecting someone’s art, having someone else’s beautiful work on my body, consistent with the subject I’m seeking.” .”
RELATED: ‘American Pickers’: Danielle Colby’s confusing first date with now-fiancé Jeremy Scheuch
https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/surprising-inspiration-american-pickers-danielle-colby-tattoos.html/ The surprising inspiration behind ‘American Pickers’ Danielle Colby’s tattoos
