Meet Annie Johnson of Positive Space Tattoo and Yoga

Today we’d like to introduce you to Annie Johnson.

Annie, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
For Christmas, one year “Santa” gave me a $40 gift certificate for a tattoo. It was tucked in the front pocket of a black leather motorcycle jacket and it was exactly what I had asked for. I was 14 years old. Its easy these days to feel like “how did I get here!” but looking back it does seem like my path had a certain trajectory early on.

As soon as I got my drivers license I had a job reading tarot cards at a place called Women of Wisdom. This was the early nineties, before Harry Potter, when high school kids practicing witchcraft was still frowned upon. I was always artsy, always drawing, but also somewhat of a realist. I did not believe that art would make me a comfortable living and we all want a comfortable living. I did not pursue art school or a career in art. I did not have my heart set on being a tattoo artist, I did not believe that was a viable option.

On my 21st birthday, I got a Reiki master teacher certification instead of drunk. They say that becoming a Reiki master will put you on a path to fulfilling your karmic obligations. (destiny)

It wasn’t long afterwards that a career in art pursued me. I was working in real estate finance when a tattoo apprenticeship was offered to me out of the blue. By 25 I was a board of health certified full-time tattoo artist. Even though I had a rich spiritual practice from a pretty young age, I did not get into yoga until it became physically necessary. Tattooing was aging me, FAST.

I slept with braces on both hands, I started getting cortisone shots and considering painkillers just to get thru long sessions. I wish I could say that I opened the yoga studio out of the goodness of my heart on some selfless mission to share the healing benefits of yoga with the world! But I chose to walk a path of truth. I started teaching yoga because my $&%*ing back hurt! My neck hurt, My hands hurt, to be fair, my soul was hurting, and tired. I need yoga in order to do good work.

I need it to remain honest and compassionate not just limber and well rested. I know that without it, my work suffers, my body suffers, my relationships suffer. My path, fortunately, lead me to an amazing couple, Carlos and Dalia who own a beautiful little commercial property, Tthe C and D plaza in Rehoboth. We started with the tattoo shop, a newly renovated space with lots of natural light. It’s the first-ever tattoo studio in this town.

The yoga studio came a little later and started out in a small space, a little under 900 square feet with only 2 classes a week. Today its a little over 2000 square feet with classes just about every day and at least a half a dozen teachers.

Today I am a smidge under 40 and nothing hurts. Its been 6 years since I have needed a cortisone shot, though I am still a plus-sized gal, I am in the best HEALTH of my life, mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually and it’s all because I have plenty of Positive Space.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The first noble truth,” The Struggle Is REAL! ” The struggle has been there from day one and is constantly evolving. The first thing I noticed is that what I thought would be a struggle, was not. Like convincing a very old-fashioned country town to allow its first tattoo studio. The town was not only great to deal with, but EXCITED to have us. I never expected that.

The things I was afraid to tackle ended up being a breeze! The real struggle was with things like worthiness. It took a while to get over the whole “who the hell am I to have all this?” that growing up poor can do to a person. These days the struggle is with asking for help. The idea that I have to do everything all by myself is proving to be a tough monster to wrestle with. For example, I really should not have let the inbox get over 20k unread messages before asking someone to help.

Sure, most of those emails are garbage but a good portion of them become my income and losing track of even 1 is unacceptable. I finally have someone I can trust in helping with that. and another person who helps with my QuickBooks, and another person to handle the housekeeping task so that I can focus on what I am good at. I can only imagine what the next struggle might end up being but I learned at a pretty young age that running from it only makes it worse.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Positive Space Tattoo and Yoga – what should we know?
Positive Space Tattoo and Yoga Studios are located on rt 44 in Rehoboth, MA. The tattoo shop is a co-op between myself and Rob Anastasia. Rob is a second-generation tattoo artist with heaps of talent. We have been working together for about 15 years without a single issue or incident. We work by appointment only and while we have a slow day occasionally we are typically very busy.

I am known for brutal honesty, great bedside manner, and feminine whimsical designs. The shop is his and hers split level with 2 private spacious offices.

To request an appointment client must fill out a form on our website which is also where you can view our portfolios. www.positivespacetattoo.com. We are not very active on social media but some of our newer stuff can be found on Facebook and Instagram. The yoga studio has been called “the studio for people who don’t like yoga studios” which I take as a high compliment. My longtime love of cheesy sci-fi and ridiculous puns influenced not just the name, but the decor.

Captain Kirk and Yoda can be found along with the traditional Buddahs and Laxmi. All of our classes are based more on one wellness than fitness and we use plain English as often as possible. We have a pretty strict NO GURU policy. There is ALWAYS a next level, another step, a lesson to be learned, which means we are all always students. We do not have a wall to wall mirrors. People seem to like that. Yoga doesn’t care what you look like or what size your pants are, or who made them.

All shapes, sizes, races, ages and gender variations are lovingly welcome. We have a series for plus-sized bodies and one for pre-teens coming up as well as a women’s self-defense series that I am excited about. I have been fortunate to gather some really amazing teachers that offer a variety of styles but my classes tend to be a little rowdy, I curse a lot and am prone to quoting rap lyrics rather than Rumi poems. People seem to like that too. Who am I to judge.

Before doing my teacher training I remember thinking of all the reasons why I shouldn’t be a yoga teacher. I curse too much (but never in a hateful way), I am plus sized, I prefer being on a motorcycle over a meditation cushion (and I don’t mean on the back of someone else’s), I own more firearms than mala beads and in my spare time I sword fight, not fencing, Viking Style! Somehow mysteriously those things have become the reason people enjoy my classes.

I am not what they expected a yoga teacher to be and it encourages them to be themselves. Authenticity seems to be contagious. WE (yoga teachers) are not perfect people and trying to convince a class full of people that you are doesn’t help anyone. So go ahead and curse, fart if you need to, show up in your pajamas and shoot me dirty looks or the middle finger when the posture gets uncomfortable, mix up your left and your right, maybe even fall over once in a while, none of that means that you are doing it wrong.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am not sure any of this would have happened without Timothy Gostling, owner of G and N Gunsmithing in Wrentham. Tim believed in me way before I ever did. When we met I was working in a busy but negative environment.

Rob and I both spent years working for someone who seemed constantly anxious, stressed or miserable about something. That kind of work environment stifles creativity, to say the least. It was Tim who encouraged me to seek out a more “Positive Space” to do what we do. I will admit that I did not do it. It was not until our old shop suddenly closed down that we found our Positive Space.

Tim also makes sure I unplug regularly taking me on little trips to the mountains and rivers to reconnect with nature. I am very fortunate to have him. If your romantic partner does not have a “You can do it/How can I help” attitude, you might be better off without one. I obviously owe a huge amount of gratitude to R0b Anastasia.

We managed to turn what we thought was a tragedy into a triumph with short notice and an even shorter budget. He is quiet, consistent, reliable, and crazy talented. I couldn’t have gotten a better business partner if I had ordered one from a catalog. I hope everyone reading this takes a minute to check out his work.

Jennifer Williams, Owner of J.O.Y. wellness center in Salem NH, which is where I did my yoga teacher training. Jennifer also taught me how to “chuck the finger” on the school bus in the 3rd grade. A pivotal moment in my personality development. Its still one of my favorite and most important mudras. She has been inspiring me for 30 years now and I can not wait to see what the next chapter might hold.

Laura Perry picks up ALLLL the slack. She handles my clients and my time (sometimes my attitude) with a grace and professionalism that blows my mind. She knows how I work, how much time I need, how long it’s been since I have eaten last and what supplies I am about to run out of. I would never have considered opening a second business without her in my corner.

And of course, my crazy yet brilliant parents, because the only 4 letter word off limits growing up was “hate”. For never ever telling me to “act like a lady” for flying by the seat of their pants where ever the signs point them and for never sacrificing their integrity.

Today they are pursuing miniature cow farming in Tennessee and I have no doubt that they will be the best at it!

Pricing:

• Tattoos are at a rate of $150 per hour with an $80 Minimum
• Yoga drop-ins are $15. 10 class passes available online for $110, $85 for unlimited monthly membership.

Contact Info:

• Address: 285 Winthrop Street Rehoboth Ma 02769
• Website: www.positvespaceyoga.com www.positivespacetattoo.com
• Phone: Tattoo 774-565-0676 yoga 508-261-4739
• Email: positivespacetattoo@gmail.com positivespaceyoga@gmail.com
• Instagram: @positivespacetattoo @positivespacerehoboth
• Facebook: @positivespacetattoo @positivespaceyoga44

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