I have lots and generally stopped overthinking them after my first one. In theory, permanently marking your body is seen as an eternal commitment that carries a ton of weight, but Iāve really benefitted from flipping that on its head and using tattoos as a practice to remind myself of the impermanence of life and of my body (weāre all going to die :)). Now I give them to myself with needles from amazon, I let friends tattoo me, I get them on a whim when Iām traveling. I think a lot of people are scared of carrying physical markers of all the different people theyāve been (myself included), but I think doing so is actually a great practice in self acceptanceācarrying all those versions of you, on you, all the time, baring them for others to see. The ones I got 4 years ago that I wouldnt get today donāt bother me even though I no longer resonate with them; theyāre a personal history of sorts. And because of the whole death thing, all tattoos are temporary :)
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Through many years of tattooing the memorable, the impulsive, and the stupid on my body, I tend to forget that I have them, even though I technically see them every day.
Every now and again, I like to do a tattoo review where I return to the site of each tattoo, reminding myself of why I got them and what the story was behind each piece. They blend in so well to my perception of my skin that I forget sometimes that once upon a time, I was some former age and I found something that meant a lot to me so I had it tattooed. And that that version of myself had her future self in mind while getting the tattoos, sending off a faraway message in a bottle, waving a twinkling greeting from forevers ago.
I carry her with me everywhere I go.
2d ago
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Moving to LA this past summer seemed to mark a new chapter in my life where I decided not to put so much stock into public opinion or perception of me and stopped trying to shape a narrative around my career. I realized there were things I might enjoy that I kept myself from doing for fear of having to live with the regret of a bad decision. Tattoos are obviously one of those decisions that once you commit to, youāre basically stuck with for life. I was always inspired by my friendsā tattoos and finally reached out to an artist I knew through a mutual friend once I got to LA. I got my first tattoo just before my birthday in August and was so impressed with how it came out that it opened up a deeper appreciation for the craft of tattooing and the culture around it. Through Instagram, Iāve been discovering so many different styles and designs that I began cataloging some of my favorites and booking appointments with other artists. Itās been a great way for me to stay social during quarantine while supporting local artists in the community. Tattoos are an expensive hobby and aesthetically arenāt for everybody, but I found they help me feel more comfortable in my body and from a styling perspective they help accentuate the more minimal outfits I find myself wearing lately. Both are qualities that make them more practical than spending all my money on clothes the way I used to.
Jan 19, 2021
i love coming up with different stories depending on whoās asking, what mood iām in, how much time i have to explain. but lately, iāve totally started copping out and saying āitās personalā every time the topic comes up. admitting to getting something so permanent on your body ājust causeā š¤Ŗ feels daunting, especially when most peoplesā reason for never getting a tattoo is that they canāt decide what would be important or visually pleasing enough to have on them at all times.
now, this indifference towards my silly ink has made me doubt or even dislike some of it and iām not about that! at all!! my interests have always been in a state of flux but iāve also always gotten so much joy from self expression and all my pointless tattoos are markers of times when that joy was there, or when i was searching for it.
so as practice, hereās a short intro to my latest ink š¤ i got it on a whim in argentina from an artist a friend recommended. itās a little streetlight on my leg and while, objectively, it means nada to me, it represents this trip where i grew closer to my friends by seeing them through the lens of their culture, the life of a friend that was lost while i was here, a person that i met that helped me grieve and made me uncover parts of me i had been caging for some time. tomorrow it might be in honor of remy, the sweet-sweet kitty that weighted-blanketed me through the whole session. either way, iām cool with it.
Jan 24, 2025
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Spring always brings it out of me. The buds on the trees! The breezy warmth! The tulips appearing where there was once only a small patch of dirt for dogs to piss on! Everything is incredible and awesome and absurd and Iām always so grateful for the moments I can get past my own relatively small problems to stand in awe of the world :,)
Apr 12, 2024
you choose a decade and a country and it gives you obscure music from that time and place. built from the private collections of djs and crate diggers all over the world, there are so many gems on here. bonus roadtrip gameāplay a song and make your car mate guess the country/decade
Feb 20, 2024
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Probably the most important tactile skill I possess! Being able to mend your own clothes, tailor them to get the perfect fit, and even design/make your own clothes is so rewarding, not to mention hella sustainable. The entire thrift store is my size bc I have a sewing machine and I can take things in or out as needed.
Linking a solid podcast ep that talks about sewing from a historical and philosophical context too hehe everyone should know how to sew
Apr 3, 2024