09/09/2026
This summer marked Ebony Squid Studio’s 6th birthday! 🦑 but didn’t we just say 7 years of Ebony Squid?! Also our current studio only turned 2 earlier this year… So how does all that work then?!
You see, 7 years ago today is when it all started…
We love telling clients our story in the studio, but we’ve never published the full history before. We’ve now mapped out the full ‘squidstory’ and can’t wait to share it with you!
*swipe each slide to read a different caption*
Change and transformation are two of the most natural processes in the universe…
🫘🌱🌿🌳🌸🍎🐛🦋🍃🍂⛄️🪵🔥🌧️🪱
Thank you to every single person who has been part of this story. Every mark made has been part of the painting that we can see in all its glory now (and it’s not even finished yet!)
It’s been a HUGE adventure so far. This is just part 1 of our story… Keep an eye out for part 2!
Follow along with us for more! 💚
December 2022: Lala was able to reconnect with and say goodbye to her mother in an unexpectedly tragic and healing set of circumstances. La & her sister were able to be with her together in her final few days. She passed away peacefully in the early hours with La & Kris by her side. 🕊️🤍
Lala’s chronic illness symptoms flare and she barely leaves the house.
La begins to integrate these new experiences, trauma, and grief into her mind (with the help of her family, friends, and her therapist) and begins to heal.
January 2023: Less than a week after La’s mother’s funeral, our studio is broken into and almost robbed! Luckily, nothing was stolen and we were back to business as usual the next day. 😌
April 2023: Ebony Squid Studio 3.0 turned one year old! It was such an exciting achievement; the longest lasting premises that Ebony Squid has been in to date. The 1st and 2nd places were both less than 1 year. However, we had our minds set on a bigger and better “endgame” premises for the long term life of our business.
July 2023: after months of careful planning and intention, we found the PERFECT place we could settle into. It used to be a tattoo shop, so it was a lovely way of continuing was a lovely way of continuing what it was before…
August 2023: WE GOT MARRIED!
Knowing what a huge task lay ahead of us, we wanted the ceremony small and sweet. It was perfect for our neurospicy brains to handle! We had 2 mini moons afterwards, one straight after the wedding in the summer and another in the autumn.
The wedding was short, sweet, and silly! There was a fairground in Cardiff Bay that day, and hardly anyone was there - it felt like we'd hired the whole place for the wedding! It was the perfect amount of fun without being too overwhelming.
September 2023: Lala & Kris officially became Mr. & Mrs. Coles and signed the contract for Ebony Squid Studio 4.0! (Athena) came along and we got chips at the beach afterwards! Our new landlord is wonderful, and even the estate agent shed a tear because she was so relieved to see the place go to lovely new owners!
September 2023: returning from their wedding and minimoon the month before, Lala & Kris get to work on Ebony Squid Studio 4.0 - whilst running business as usual at back at Ebony Squid Studio 3.0!
We were still in contract with our current studio (the purple place) and we loved working there still. So used the opportunity to carefully break down and build up both studios at the same time. It meant we were fully able to say goodbye and pay respects to the purple place, and say a great big HELLO to the new place!
Bigger place meant bigger plans!
Everything was created and built with intention, patience and care. The older parts were repaired and made new.
Juggling 2 studio rents, building costs, and tattooing full time was really tough, but we made it! 2024 & 2025 were just dreamy. Lots of financial strain, debt, and overwhelm, but so much happiness throughout.
February 2024: the new place is officially open! We managed to restore the old place back to how we found it with our kitchen and security shutters left installed. Our previous landlord said we were the most professional people she's ever done business with 🥲 and we got our whole deposit back!
May 2024: Our apprentice Athena becomes our junior artist, then a fully fledged tattoo artist 12 months later!
Our bigger studio was able to host guest artists for the first time ever, and Lala is able to host sober board game evenings and "RADMIN" days!
Kris & Lala start a range of handmade wares and gifts! La sells homegrown plants from the studio, and Kris launches Tales & Fables Engraving 💚 they both try out their first craft market in winter 2025, and love it so much they make them a regular thing!
It still doesn't feel real coming to work here each morning - like, WE ACTUALLY DID IT and are still doing it?! 😍🥰 being a fully accessible studio has been a massive dream come true and we love being able to accommodate as many people as possible. Every body is welcome here ♿️💙
Spring/Summer 2026: the heatwaves and weather warnings kept on coming, and we managed to keep to our appointments during the hottest months ever on record.
So what's next? Even more of the good stuff! More craft markets, more conventions, more tattoos and wonderful clients! More boardgame nights and D&D campaigns. Most importantly, MORE PLANTS.
Team Squid x
