Esse Kaye | Good Witch, Bad Bitch

Help me get to Vegas! Hi folks! I applied for and received a scholarship to attend the APP Conference in Las Vegas this June! The APP is the Association of Professional Piercers (@safepiercing ) and this is a really big deal!* My scholarship covers my attendance and my classes, but it doesn’t cover my travel, hotel, food, or other expenses. I’m hoping to raise the rest by selling my artwork and services, but I have also started a GoFundMe that’s linked in my bio.** I’m incredibly grateful for your support, whether that’s through donating, buying my art, or just engaging with my content. Thank you and let’s get to Vegas! Current Class/Event Enrollments: -The Art of Play Piercings -Connected & Committed: Creating Customer Connections with Community Partnerships -But We Are Like A Family Here: Breaking the Cycle of Toxic Supervision -Going Under the Needle After the Pain: Trauma Informed Body Modification -ATTB: Mixer: (POC) People of Color -Staffing That Sticks: A Guide to Hiring & Training -Transgender Cultural Fluency -Misogyny in the Body Arts: Industry, Culture, and Change -ATTB: Mixer: LGBTQIA+ -Jack Yount Centennial -Design Fundamentals of Piercing *The Association of Professional Piercers is an international non-profit organization established in 1994 dedicated to the dissemination of vital health and safety information about body piercing to piercers, health care professionals, legislators, and the general public. ** I want to acknowledge that crowdfunding is not the same as mutual aid. I understand I am in a very privileged position in that I am not asking for help with medical care or housing costs, which are much more demanding. This is a professional event to help further my career in the body modification industry, not a survival need. #queer #queerartist #queerphilly #tarot #safepiercing

Hi queers. I don’t know if you know this, but hating your exes is actually straight culture. And no, I will not be elaborating on that. Thank you. #queer #wlw #sapphic #lgbtqia #queerartist

Tarot Card of the Day: Knight of Wands Minor Arcana. Fire. A man of action, letting passion and desire lead the way. Focus on what drives and motivates you, but be humble. You’re knowledgeable, but still have a lot to learn in the way of lived experience. What is driving you today? How can you make that external and share with others? #tarot #queerartist #tarotcard #knightofwands #motivation

We’re launching our first episode THIS FRIDAY! Head to our profile to find our YouTube page & subscribe to be the first to find out when it goes live. Get ready to smoke along with us every week ✌🏻

Grief and Queerness on Mother’s Day (Excerpts from a blog post on my website.) Today marks the middle of the time of year that is the most marked with grief for me: Mother’s Day. My mom’s birthday was April 29, the day she died was May 27, and Mother’s Day falls somewhere in the middle. This year I’m thinking about the very queer lives my mother and grandmother led. (They were both straight.) My mother, Gail, never remarried after she and my father divorced. She dated the same man on and off from the time I was in second grade until she died when I was 24. She never married him, even once all of us kids were out of the house. She mostly preferred to be alone, or to hangout with her kids or her sisters or other women. The other great maternal figure in my life was my paternal grandmother, Odile. Similarly, she never remarried after her divorce from my grandfather in the seventies. She lived in a condo in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico filled with artwork by her, her friends, or pieces she picked up in Haiti and PR. Grandma always made me feel like I was her favorite. She told me that I reminded her the most of herself. When I felt like my parents didn’t get me, my grandmother would tell me not to be upset with them. That they could not understand me because they were not artists, like she and I. That only artists could understand other artists. Happy Mother’s Day to all the people who feel grief on this day, regardless of the reason. Happy Mother’s Day, Gail. I love you and I miss you. Thank you for being a friend.  Happy Mother’s Day, Odile. I love you and I miss you. Thank you for sharing the great gift of art with me. And for the tiny boxes. Please read the full blog post on my website. #mothersday #grief #queer #artist

Photo dump from a queer working artist and some of her various media. (Q1, 2026) Lino, Jewelry Curation, Tarot, Writing, Drawing, Painting, Friendship.

Basic Jewelry Pt. 2: Threaded Jewelry & Rings When people ask us what a piercing costs, we usually tell them the piercing fee and the cost of “basic jewelry.” “Basic jewelry” usually refers to the lower-cost gemless options. All of our basic options are made of implant grade titanium. This infographic shows you our titanium threaded options that can be used for most body piercings. Septums and daiths are the only piercings started with rings. Nostrils and most ear piercings are pierced with threadless jewelry, which you can learn more about on our previous post. Barbells can be straight, curved, or circular. Straight barbells are used in bridges, tongues, and nipples. Curved barbells are used for navels, eyebrows, and rooks. Circular barbells and fixed bead rings are used for septums and daiths. With threaded barbells, you can mix and match your threaded end options. This includes beads/balls, gems, and spikes, although spikes may not be a safe option for some initial piercings. All threaded ends screw into a threaded barbell or labret. Our jewelry is all internally threaded, meaning the end screws into the bar, not the other way around. Externally threaded jewelry (the bar screws into the ball) is often a sign of low quality. Externally threaded jewelry should never be worn in fresh piercings, but it’s not ideal for healed piercings either. Plain clickers and seam rings are not suitable for fresh piercings because the ring closure mechanism can irritate the healing piercing channel. However, some more ornate seam and clicker options are okay if they are large enough to accommodate swelling, and the closing mechanism is in a spot near the decoration that makes it impossible to roll through the piercing channel. See something you like? Book your next appointment through the link in our bio and we’ll be more than happy to install one of these lovely little pieces into your new or existing piercing. #westchesterpa #safepiercing #internallythreaded

Learn the benefits and basics of building a journaling routine with the radically empowering american abolitionist philosopher, @esse.kaye ✨ Have you ever wanted to keep a journal, but didn’t know where to start? Do you struggle with confidence, inspiration, or perfectionism? In this session, you’ll learn the benefits and basics of building a journaling routine. Through a mix of techniques including freeform, mind-mapping, and bullet journaling, this class will encourage you to trust yourself, bring your goals into focus, and develop your own unique style. Learn to challenge your inner critic and find your voice! This workshop is about 90 minutes to two hours. Attendees are heavily encouraged to bring a journal or notebook and a writing utensil, but it’s not required.

✨Vendor Spotlight✨ Esse Kaye is a fat, queer, mixed femme offering down-to-earth tarot card readings, philosophical personal zines, and whimsical eyeball art. Their intersecting identities give them a unique perspective that informs their work and inspires others to get in touch with their own intuition. Come shop @esse.kaye and many other queer artists! 🗓️ When: Saturday, April 4th 🕛 Time: 11am-5pm 📍 Where: Wissahickon Brewing Olde Kensington 1526 N American St Philadelphia, PA 19122 🎟️ Free entry #shopqueerphilly #philadelphia #phillyevents #phillyartist #shoplocalphilly

What is basic jewelry? When people ask us what a piercing costs, we usually tell them the piercing fee and the cost of “basic jewelry.” “Basic jewelry” usually refers to the lower-cost gemless options. All of our basic options are made of implant grade titanium. This infographic shows you our titanium threadless pieces which can be used for nostrils and most ear piercings (lobes, helix, flat, conch, forward helix, and tragus). We carry cubic zirconium (CZ) in single set gems and clusters. However, clusters may not be suitable for all piercings or anatomy. Natural stones like opal, onyx, and turquoise are offered in cabochon settings and some clusters. We have a wide variety to choose from and all threadless ends click into a threadless labret or barbell post with a disk or ball on the back. See something you like? Book your next appointment through the link in our bio and we’ll be more than happy to install one of these lovely little pieces into your new or existing piercing. #westchesterpa #safepiercing #threadlessjewelry

Hi friends! I’ve got a lot of big announcements coming up soon, and here’s the first one: I’ll be vending this Sunday, March 1st at the @fatbabephilly clothing swap! I’ll be offering tarot readings, books, zines, stickers, and small paintings. As a reader, my role is to tell you what the cards mean in their positions and allow you to decide how the meanings are relevant to your life. I will always encourage you to listen to your own intuition and lived experience above anything the cards may say. Let me be an enthusiastic, approachable guide to the art of tarot. Whether you are looking for a down-to-earth, reality-based reading or hoping to expand your knowledge of the medium, I look forward to inspiring you to take the next steps on your own journey. I love empowering others to listen to their own intuition, feel comfortable in their skin, and learn how to become the person they want to be. Live Readings 1 Card - $5, 2 Cards - $10, 3 Cards - $15 Find me at the clothing swap this weekend and look out for more event announcements coming soon! #fatbabephilly #queer #tarot

Happy Valentine’s Day, sweethearts! 💕 Speaking of sweethearts, hi, it’s me! 👋 I’m Esse (they/she), and very pleased to meet your parasocial acquaintance. I’m usually the first person to greet you at the shop or to answer your phone calls. I’m here to help you. It’s your turn to get to know me! #westchesterpa #bodypiercing #goldjewelry