Ink! Our Stories, Told in Pictures

Ink!

I’ve always been fascinated by tattoos. The artist in me can appreciate the craftsmanship in a well designed tattoo. The philosopher in me always wants to know the meaning behind each piece.

Each tattoo is a story, told in pictures, and open for interpretation. In preparing this book, I have heard so many amazing stories behind the ink. With each person I photograph, one consistent sentiment is echoed; the models choose to share their story in the hopes that the stigma behind the ink will begin to fade away.

When you make the choice to mark your body forever, you must choose your message with clarity and commitment. It is not a decision made lightly, and for this reason only those values which we hold dearest are worthy of the permanence of a tattoo.

Life is incredible.

Even though it’s filled with many wonderful things, you can’t control the challenges that await you. Sometimes it feels like you’ve climbed so high and made progress but the end seems distant and hard to reach, almost impossible.

I’ve struggled with confidence and anxiety my whole life and sometimes feel like achievement in any form is impossible. But I need to remember to always look up because I am good enough and am strong enough to handle those challenges. And I can conquer them. The climber is extremely close to the top but persevered through the pain, just like I need to do through every situation life hands me. So I’m blessed to have this work of art to remind me every day for the rest of my life to be strong and persevere.

WHen I was twelve, I developed anxiety and depression. As I grew older, my depression worsened and it was harder to deal with. I turned to self harm as a way to cope with my feelings.

During my recovery, I turned to music. I resonated especially with a band called All Time Low. They encouraged me to stay positive. They released a song titled Missing You- directed towards fans struggling with mental illness. I relate to the lyrics and message in Missing You more than anything. The line: “Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one.”

My tattoo is next to my scars because I didn’t want to cover them. I used to consider them ugly but I can now look down on them and smile because of the art that reminds me that each day is a challenge. You never know what’s gonna happen, all you can do is hold on.

Balder. the most beloved god of light, prosperity, and justice, brother of Thor, was murdered

by Loki, the treacherous god. His soul is sent to Niflheimr to be held prisoner to Hel, goddess of the underworld. As the whole world feels the pain of his death, Odin sends Baldr’s brother, Hermodr, messenger of the gods to rescue him from the icy grips of Hel. He lends him his eight-legged steed, Sleipnir, who will carry Hermodr through the dark realms of the world. Hermodr rides to Niflheimr and confronts Hel and begs for her to return his brother to life. She promises if the whole world will weep, she will give him back his breath.

The death of Baldr is such an important story because it is fated to be a precursor to Ragnarök, the final battle of the gods, and the end of the world. I felt such a strong emotional connection to this story the first time I heard a song by Swedish death-metal band, Amon Amarth. It literally brought me to tears hearing the story. I decided to get it because it was not only a great tragedy, but it is a story about the love of brothers and what they will do for each other. It’s a message I resonate deeply with.

I’ve always been proud of my heritage. Most of that comes from my maternal grandfather, who passed away in 2005. Louie always had a story to tell about Ireland when I was growing up and his favorite thing to do was to pass on his love of the country. My mom’s work in genealogy continually uncovered new and exciting information about our ancestors from several countries, but particularly from Ireland, with over 70% of my heritage originating on the Emerald Isle.

After visiting the country twice, once when I was 14 and again at age 19, I knew I wanted to showcase my Irish heritage and created this design with the help of Matthew Wood. The central Celtic knot, well known the world over as an Irish symbol, is surrounded by vines, indicating a connection to nature. I’ve never felt an ounce of regret in getting this tattoo; rather, I’m proud to show my connection to my ancestors and the incredible Irish culture. Erin go Bragh!

My tattoo is a lotus flower. Lotus flowers grow out of the mud and the muck to blossom into something beautiful. The last few years have been a struggle for me. I have been diagnosed bipolar disorder, and I also came out out as gay. These difficult emotional experiences have served as my own personal mud and muck, and I am working every day to blossom out into something more beautiful.

My tattoo is a daily reminder that even though things have been muddy and difficult for me, something beautiful is going to emerge from that; I just need to be patient and persistent.

Things are starting to turn around now, and the flower that is my life is just about ready to bloom.

This tattoo represents my unending love for nature. It depicts a weirwood tree from George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” novel series. The weirwood trees are the conduits through which gods watch over the world.

When I look at trees, I see aspects of the human body; the crossing limbs and branches look like veins to me, and different trees seem to evoke different emotions in the way they’re shaped.

But I also see something greater than humans in trees. Humans have a lot to learn from trees, I think. Every tree was once nothing more than a seed with some organic matter inside, and grew into great, stalwart constructs.

My papa is the most influencial person in my life. Whenever my family would visit him in Virginia, he and I would watch the movie “Grandpa’s Magical Toys.” In the movie, there is a song with a line that says “And we’ll be jolly friends forever more.” We always said that to each other as we said goodbye or on the phone, it was our thing.

When I was eight, my Papa died. One of his favorite animals were cardinals. Every summer since he passed a cardinal has flown to my family’s window and watched us on the window sill, letting me know that my Papa is always watching over me.

My life was falling apart all around me last April. My husband was an alcoholic and his drinking was out of control, my daughter was trying to fight a drug addiction, and I felt like a failure. I didn’t want to live like that and didn’t know what to do. I thought I would escape it all by ending my life and I overdosed on my controlled prescriptions.

I woke up four days later in the hospital. I was told I was lucky to be alive and the doctors didn’t expect me to walk out of the hospital. Nine days later I went home. My husband and I swore we would never drink alcohol again and began attending Celebrate Recovery. While working through my step study, the tattoo design came to me in pieces and I eventually put them together. The semi-colon represents a pause in my life but not an end, the scriptures are my life verses, the infinity symbol means that we will some day live eternally with God, and the word Faith reminds me to stay strong. The placement of the tattoo is so I see it every day.

My father wasn’t really around when I was younger. My grandfather was. He was a great and amazing man who cared for his family and worked very hard to get what he had. Unfortunately he passed away when I was in 5th grade. I never really knew that he was such a great artist until I got a little bit older.

My grandmother showed me his art work when I got older and I chose this one because that is how I will always remember him. He was always a man who was very into his work but still there for all of his family’s needs. He was always trying to make others happy while still thinking about his happiness.

Ever Wonder what depression feels like? Take a backpack and fill it with bricks. Now put on a dark pair of sunglasses indoors. Leave those things on for about a week until you begin to see the world through a dark film that never gets lighter. All you want to do is cry, even if there is no actual reason that made you feel that way. It takes a very conscious effort to hold your head up.

When I was in middle school I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression.

My friends didn’t know how to act around me. One thing that kept me going was knowing other people that dealt with it as well. They knew how it felt to have a ton of bricks on your back everyday. My psychologist told me two words; the two words that stuck with me and still stick with me today. Hope and Faith. The two words that I can look at every time I’m feeling down.

Looking at these words remind me that I am not alone and all you need is hope and faith. Hope; trust and desire. Faith; to believe in something, or have confidence. When I have faith, I always have hope that everything will work out for the best. All I have to do is look down at my feet to remind myself to keep looking up and that everything will be okay.

A road leading to my childhood neighborhood was always my safe place. It was one of my main hang out spots for me and my friends. While walking one day, I saw an arrow head carved into a light post on this road. My friends and I thought it looked pretty cool. So we took a picture and drew it up when we got home.

After losing those friends a year after that, along with finding out I was moving from the one place I ever lived, I took out the drawing from an old book. I decided to turn it into something that reminds me of where I came from. The arrow reminds me to always move forward. Not to forget the past, but to understand that the past is the past. It has always been hard for me to keep moving forward. So it helps remind me that it is okay to let go of things.

Alicia Drake

passed away almost 12 years ago. As you can imagine it shook my entire family to its core. The summer after she passed away my husband, brother and niece went together and all got memorial tattoos in her honor. I wasn’t ready.

Three months before she died, for her 18th birthday, she and her dad went to get tattoos. I told her to get something small and descrete, as she wanted to be a teacher. Well, she came home with a rather large tattoo on her calf and I was not too happy and she knew it. After she had been gone several years I finally knew what I wanted, knowing that she was up in Heaven laughing as her “old” mother was getting tattooed for her. Mine is a broken heart with her name across it and a tear drop with the year she died on it -- the year my heart broke. My youngest daughter went with me and had an angel wing tattooed on her shoulder signifying her sister has always got her back. My nephew went on his own and got a beautiful koi fish on his upper arm for her.

Oh, and that tattoo she got that I was upset over, an exact copy of it is etched into her cemetary headstone.

Life is not about the destination. It’s about the journey.

Too often in life people become caught up in believing that things only make sense, only really matter, if they get you onto the right path. Get you to some better destination. They feel bound to the path they’ve laid out for themselves or a path that they feel they’ve been put on, and if something doesn’t advance them upon that steadfast path then it must be forgone. Sometimes it’s best to just close your eyes, let go of control and get caught up in the tides of life. Let them wash you ashore somewhere new.

Somewhere exciting. Somewhere familiar. Somewhere. Anywhere.

I am very blessed to have never truly felt lost in life, even when I wasn’t sure where I was headed or what was in store. I’ve thrown myself headlong into several big life changes and each experience has further convinced me that things will work themselves out as they need to, whether it’s in a manner that I intended or not. If you can find pleasure in the simple things in life, the things that bring your soul alight, and trust that at least for the moment you’re right where you are supposed to be; then you will be open to a world you could never have planned for. And that’s exactly the point.

It means the world to me.

I got my tattoo on the one year anniversary of my Aunt’s passing. My Aunt wasn’t a biological Aunt, she was my mom’s best friend, both of our families had adopted each other. She had a brief battle with ovarian cancer before passing away Thanksgiving day 2013. I wanted a way to always have her with me, so I combined two things that I will always associate and remember her by.

The background of the tattoo is African violets. She had at least two dozen plants that she had taken care of for years. The robin comes from one of the readings I read at her memorial service.

Prior to her passing, she had selected a reading from the Emily Dickinson poem VI for me to read. Both of these images, combined into one, represent small pieces of my Aunt’s life. I may not be able to pick up the phone and call her, or stop over for coffee, but I am able to know that I carry my memories of her with me forever.

“Families are..

the compass that guides us. They are the inspiration to reach great heights, and our comfort when we occasionally falter.”

-Brad Henry.

We are two of four siblings. The four of us have always been close knit and decided that we would get the same tattoo as a way to express our familial ties. We chose a compass because we are always guiding each other in the right direction and the “C” for our family name. Each point on the compass represents one of us; our birth month is in Roman Numerals and in the correct birth order. We are Italian, so we chose a phrase that means “I’ll be there for you”, something that has always been true for us. We worked together to create the design ourselves, making it even more special.

I joined the Boy Scouts the day I turned 14- the age limit for Venturing, a co-ed branch of the Boy Scouts.

Over the next decade, scouting became a major force for good in my life. Honestly, if it weren’t for scouting I probably would have gotten into far more trouble in my youth. I made lasting friendships, learned valuable skills, and worked on many great jobs and projects.I can’t even begin to count the number of experiences and friendships I had that would never have presented themselves anywhere else. I spent countless days hiking, canoeing, camping, shooting, climbing, teaching, working, and anything and everything that could be done outdoors with a fantastic group of peers and leaders. Scouting has really shaped me into the person I am today, and I will always carry with me the memories and training I received. My hope is that in a few years when she’s old enough, my daughter will follow in my footsteps and find the same family as I did.

My very first tattoo was designed to remember and celebrate what scouting has meant for me. Of course it had to be somewhere I could cover it up, and since everything I do has to have that little added touch of snark and humor, I put it somewhere very few Boy Scouts could see it! This was my very first tattoo, and it was a birthday gift from a friend- who I met through Scouts!

Matthew Wood Even though it’s filled with many wonderful things, you can’t control the challenges that await you. Sometimes it feels like you’ve climbed so high and made progress but the end seems distant and hard to reach, almost impossible.

I’ve struggled with confidence and anxiety my whole life and sometimes feel like achievement in any form is impossible. But I need to remember to always look up because I am good enough and am strong enough to handle those challenges. And I can conquer them. The climber is extremely close to the top but persevered through the pain, just like I need to do through every situation life hands me. So I’m blessed to have this work of art to remind me every day for the rest of my life to be strong and persevere.

Growing up, my family taught me to be myself. My family heritage is a mix of cultures but one I hold closely is my Italian ancestry. At the age of 20, my ancestry, upbringing and life experience inspired my first tattoo, “Sii Te Stessea”, Italian for “Be Yourself.” I learned very quickly that being yourself can make friends and enemies. I knew that I should not have to apologize for being myself, which spurred the inspiration for my second tattoo, “I am who I am.”

Shortly after getting my second tattoo my Nana passed away. A month later my Papa passed away. I lost a whole set of grandparents who had been huge inspirations in my life. During this difficult time, I was not only transitioning from a college student into an adult, but my younger brother was in and out of mental hospitals battling with Bi-Polar Disorder. This brought the inspiration for my third tattoo, about family and myself. The peace sign represents the peace I made with myself after facing these challenges at a young age. The poppies inset in the peace sign represents my grandparents and how they shaped the woman I had become. The stars represent my brother, my sister, myself, and the large one, my family. For without these pieces I would not be who I am today.

The tattoo represents a period of time in my life where I had to make a choice about my future. I was away from home going to school and enjoy my young adult life, as is what most young adults choose to do. However, things became complicated. I had gotten injured while playing sports in college and had gotten pretty sick.

I was forced to make a choice for my future. I was faced with the challenge to either try and continue my journey away from home with the challenges that were upon me, or to come home and be with my family and heal with those I knew loved me. Like a turtle, my choice was to stay safe and revert back to my home, my “shell�.

I was a senior in high school

on the night of junior prom when my mom went into the hospital. The next morning I found out she had been diagnosed with leukemia, at age 55. As she went through treatment, I had to make a decision on where I wanted to attend college. My top choice was 335 miles away, in Philadelphia. After mom had her mastectomy, she ensured me that the leukemia was just a other bump in the road. “I’m gonna beat this,” and then she’d pull out a fake Russian accent and flex her biceps and say “I’m strong like the bull”. Because of this mentality, she insisted that I go to Philadelphia. She used to have a hawk visit her in the hospital while she was receiving chemo and the mascot of my University was the hawk.

“It’s a sign that you were meant to go there.” So, reluctantly, I went.

Mom recieved her bone marrow transplant and the doctors were very positive. After Spring break, I was back in school less than a week when dad called and said the leukemia had come back and there was nothing more they could do. I went home that weekend and spent every minute I could with her. A week or so later my dad told me that I needed to come home again. This time, the woman I spent time with wasn’t my mom anymore. She was delirious, she had the mental capacity of a 4 year old and slept a lot. My heart broke. On April 10th, my mom lost the battle she faught so hard against. Our first Christmas without her was unbearable. But my brother gave me a business card for his tattoo artist and said “we have an appointment, and yours is paid for. Merry Christmas.” We got our matching tattoos; a bull wearing boxing gloves- pink for breast cancer and orange for leukemia. The blue hat is to represent her favorite hat she wore when she lost her hair during treatment.

And “Strong like the bull” underneath because that’s what she was. I miss her everyday.

My friends and family have always known that animal prints have been one of my favorite patterns for years. When I got this tattoo I was going through a difficult time, I had been hurt by people who meant a lot to me and I was confused as to why this had happened. I needed a reminder of my strength, of who the true “Jamie� was before the stress and hurt that I had been through. The roller coaster of emotions that come from growing into an adult, discovering your true friends, finding your soul mate, and uncovering your passion can take a lot out of a person!

I felt that I had earned my spots, a reminder that no matter what happens, I can make it through.

My passion is the human body. While studying to become a massage therapist and accupuncturist, I became fascinated by the structures of the forearm. The intricacies, the way we can be so strong and nimble. How all the small parts serve their own purpose but together can accomplish more than any one separate piece. This is obviously a metaphor for society as a whole.

I learned a Chinese proverb while studying for my masters in traditional Chinese medicine: “The macrocosm is a reflection of the microcosm, and the microcosm is a reflection of the macrocosm.� The universe is a reflection of our body, and our body is a reflection of the universe. My tattoo allows me to see what I am under the barrier of my skin: flesh, knowledge, passion, a piece of the universe.

I met Becca in 2015 after moving into a house with an acquaintance. When I moved in, I did not know her at all, but by the time we both moved out six months later it was like we had known each other forever. One night during our brief time as roommates, we talked about how sick we both are of constantly apologizing for who we are, what we say, what we wear, who we love and what we want. We made a promise that night to get “unapologetic” tattooed in each others handwriting on our bodies.

That June, Becca moved to San Diego, California to follow her calling for music therapy and escape a homophobic and unsupportive family. For Christmas, my parents bought me tickets to San Diego for Spring Break. There, Becca and I got our tattoos: Unapologetic in each other’s hand writing with the outline of our forever home states (New York & California).

I have always had a talent for art and it has been something that has influenced much of my life. Every time I feel sad, angry, stressed, or joyously happy I want to celebrate that through my art. Painting and drawing were coping mechanisms for me through many stages of my life. From moving away from my childhood home, to failed relationships, to my struggle with depression, and the transition in to college, art has been there for me. I got this tattoo as a reminder that art will always be there for me. I designed the tattoo to fit the natural shape of my ribs to show how art is not only something I do, but it lives within me.

Two weeks

before my wedding, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). I had to sit down and do a lot of soul searching. As I was sitting there, all of the scars from life came into my mind.

My mother passing away when I was just 25 years old, my grandmother passing away. And now I was coming to the reality that I would have to ask my fiance if she really wanted to go on with the wedding. Because with MS, every day is a different day, you never know what is going to happen.

This tattoo shows that you may be scarred but you can persevere through anything life throws at you. People may have scars that you can see, but with MS, your scars are on the inside. With this tattoo, I can show people my fight with MS. I am thankful to have my wife by my side throughout this fight, because I may be scarred but with her by my side, we can handle anything that life throws at us.

Tattoo by Marcus Osmun.

The Artist’s Perspective

by Matthew Wood

When I was approached in 2013 about

Grams has a list. The typical “What I

tattooing “Grams” for her 93rd birthday,

want to do before I die” list. She didn’t

I knew that I was right. Right about the

have and tattoos. I just gave her her

art of the tattoo.

fourth tattoo; one every birthday since her 90th. At 93, she’s planner her next

Everyone has a story. Everyone wants

piece for her 94th birthday.

to tell their story. I am very fortunate to be in a position where I can help people

Our stories are what make us. They

to express their story, their vision, their

are the bricks in our foundations. They

lives.

are the fragile tendrils, unseen but felt; reaching, feeling, looking for a place to

connect. Sometimes they connect with

of course, vanity purposes.

incredible power. Sometimes they snap

I am incredibly honored to play a role in

off and take time to heal before reaching

this history. I am honored to be given the

out again.

trust and respect by the people who ask me to help them tell their stories. I love

In this “new� rising interest in body

that gift.

art, people are reconnecting their bodies to expression, release, and their own histories. Those personal histories are also community histories. As a world community, we share an incredible timeline spanning thousands of years. Bodies exhumed from ice, preserved and protected from centuries of deterioration show markings that were injected past the first layer of skin for medical, religious, and,

How do you want to tell your story?

Than k You

I’d like to to thank each of the following for taking the time to sit with me, show thier marks, and share thier stories. They are a true inspiration to me.

Ayasha Ahmed Amanda Alfaro Tori Barnhart Jeff Berry Matthew Berry Patrick Boswell Mandi Brown Jon Carey-Grimm Rebekah Champlin Joe DiDia Alicia Drake Jamie Fery Mark Groesbeck Annie Holcomb Emma Loree-Findeis Ashley Mandrino Sabrina Martin Brenna Murphy Sarah Oleyourryk Robyn Owen-Frasca Anastasia Polashenski Brittney Shelton Kelsey Struczewski Mick Wheaton Matthew Wood Ashley Yost