Lust List 2016: Cori: Tattoo Artist, Live Free Tattoo

Cori1

Job: Tattoo artist, Live Free Tattoo
Age: 25
Relationship status: Taken

With a platinum-blond pixie cut, athletic frame, and tattoos covering most of her body, Cori tends to turn heads. The Macon native currently splits her time between inking up ATL as an artist at Grant Park’s Live Free Tattoo (where she’s worked since the shop opened about four years ago), triathlon training, and indulging in dessert with her longtime boyfriend Jason Krutzky, a business owner and the drummer in local band Stonerider. She shrugs and flashes an infectious smile when asked why she thinks she’s appearing on this year’s Lust List, then says she hopes everyone, particularly women, will be inspired to be on their own Lust List, “and their own #WomanCrushWednesday.” Maybe that’s why her nominator credited his vote to Cori’s “attitude and huge heart.” — Caroline Cox

 


DEAR DIARY

I’ve got diary that I’ve had since about seventh grade. It’s got every boy I’ve ever had a crush on. The diary’s got about 10 pages left. I write in it about once or twice a year, and that’s how it’s always been, but I like that about it. I give a little update, like, “I did this, this, and this since I wrote in this eight months ago.” I can’t believe I’ve actually had it this long.

Back in my church days, this lady told me she had this journal forever, and I’d had diaries before and I’d say I was going to write in it every day, then I’d miss three weeks and be like, “I suck.” She was like, “I write in it once or twice a year and I’ve had it for years.” So I started doing that.

 


What’s your preferred cocktail?


Creature Comforts beer all the way, specifically Athena.

Which is more your style: Red Bull or chamomile tea?


I’m definitely more of a tea person. Red Bull makes me want to die. It makes me lose my mind. It’s terrifying.

What band were you obsessed with when you were 14?


Fall Out Boy!

Who was your first crush?


That would definitely be Legolas, but not Orlando Bloom, just Legolas.

What would be your last meal if you were on death row?


Probably a weird arrangement of mashed potatoes and pizza and maybe something fancy.

Do you have a favorite quote or a mantra?


For triathlons, I tend to start singing Dory’s song from Finding Nemo that’s like, “just keep swimming, just keep swimming ...” I start doing that in my head, and I imagine Dory. I even have it on a couple of my things I wear during races.

What’s the most romantic spot in Atlanta?


No. 246 in Decatur, mainly because that food’s damn good and it gives me good romantic feelings. That’s the place we save up for, then find a reason for a special occasion and go eat there.

On which reality TV show would you most like to be a cast member?


“The Amazing Race” because “Ink Master” is out of the question.

What’s your favorite curse word?


Dickweed is a good one, and I love the word shithead, and the word fuck. Sorry, mom and dad. I’ve also been calling people “butthole” a lot lately.

What’s your craziest travel experience?


We did do a road trip a couple years ago from here to San Diego. We got to camp at the Grand Canyon and we went to Joshua Tree. We went to this weird-sounding yoga thing in this big dome. You could hear people whisper across the room and it was like they were right next to you. It was some crazy sonic thing. Joshua Tree looks like a different planet. It’s beautiful.

Cori4

 

What’s your least favorite household chore?


I hate doing the dishes. I do it because Jason cooks almost every night, so I never let him do the dishes. I hate doing dishes, but I love him, so I do them.

What’s your best move on the dance floor?


Whatever is terrible, because I’m a horrible dancer. I do this one move called the Muppet where you kind of just flail your arms.

When was the last time you cried, and why?


Like two days ago, because I saw a sad puppy video. Thanks a lot, Facebook. It doesn’t take a whole lot to make me cry. I even got teary-eyed at a YouTube video with soccer players about sportsmanship.

With whom would you most like to play spin the bottle?


So I can’t include my boyfriend? I’ll say Chris Pratt, Ruby Rose, and David Bowie.

Name a celeb you would want to fight.


Donald Trump, and I could absolutely take him.

What happens when you die?


You haunt all the people you love until they join you, then scare them every now and then. That’s what I’m hoping happens.

If you were convicted of a crime, what would it be?


Releasing the animals from the zoo, specifically the big cats because I just assume they’ll like me and they’ll run away with me.

What’s the sexiest part of the male anatomy?


Honestly, I like back and shoulder muscles, even if they’re not super pronounced.

What’s your weirdest recurring dream?


When I was a server I would have the server dreams, where you have 18 tables at a restaurant the size of Georgia. It’d be like, “table 34 is six miles away and I forgot to bring them their waters!”

What is your idea of torture?


Going to IKEA on a Sunday.

FROM THE NOMINATOR: You’re up every morning at the crack of dawn to work out six to seven days a week. Where does that motivation come from, and what drives you every day?


The motivation comes from my absolute desire to push and test myself, mentally and physically, and because it makes me a happier person. It’s not about the way my body looks, it’s all about the way I feel. I thrive off of the endorphins, honestly. I can’t imagine waking up and just going straight to work.

I haven’t always been this active. When I started college I got super lazy, then I dropped out and stayed lazy. I suffered from an eating disorder. I was 21-year-old girl in a male-dominated industry working seven days a week, and the only thing I could control was what I ate and did to myself. I started running because, in my head, I was going to eat more and I was going to stop starving, but it slowly crept back in and I started over-exercising and under-eating again.

My determination now with the working out and waking up at 7 a.m. isn’t for the caloric burn. I do it now to be strong. I’m heavier than I’ve ever been, but I’m faster and stronger and I feel better than I ever have in my entire life. Through triathlons, I learned how to train properly, to eat properly, and to like myself. I think that’s why I’m so passionate about it.