LIFE B3
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2019 WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
EMMA STEELE • HERALD
Left: Jonathan Fowler tattoos Abby Schuster, a WKU alumna. Schuster first got tattooed by Fowler while attending WKU. “We drove all the way from Cincinnati to see Jonathan,” Schuster said. Right: Jonathan Fowler from Solid Gold Gallery has been tattooing for 20 years. His personal style of tattoos is anime, but he he said can work with anything a client wants. “Anime is big, and it’s only going to get bigger” Fowler said.
TATTOO
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While she used to be a Bowling Green local, she has since moved to Nashville and drives back to have Fowler work on her leg sleeve. The sleeve is a compilation of characters and scenes from Studio Ghibli, a popular Japanese animation studio. Phakhailathavong said she initially didn’t want a leg sleeve, but after seeing her first tattoo with Fowler, she wanted more. “I consider him a good friend and my main artist,” Phakhailathavong said. “He is amazing, and I can’t wait to finish my sleeve so that he can start working on other pieces for me.” From looking at Fowler’s social media, many might suspect him
DANCE
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B2 opened to the public. Seats were filled almost entirely on all sides by the time the show began. Each final dance leaned heavily on the music accompanying it, as each group reflected its song’s mood not only through movement but meaning portrayed. One performance did this especially well, depicting feelings of anxiety and internal struggle. The dance began with four people sitting with their backs to the sides of a table and bound to one of the table’s legs by an elastic band. Accompanied by the song “Four,” an ambient piece by Icelandic producer Ólafur Arnalds, the dancers moved around the table, exchanged seats and
EMPOWER
CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 policy associate Sara Hall worked with Warnecke during her internship with Planned Parenthood in Louisville. Hall said she is excited Warnecke is working to bring resources about reproductive health to WKU. Hall explained Generation Action chapters are important because they bring the voices of young adults “to the table.” “I think that it is really important for young people to be engaged and to be mobilized, and working on a campus is a great way to engage their peers and to work together to see the changes that they want, that reflect their values,” Hall said. Additionally, Hall said Generation Action chapters prioritize voter regis-
a one-trick pony, sticking primarily to anime tattoos. But his skills are put to use for more than that. Fowler said he’s open to tattooing anything, but he mentioned his appreciation for bold line work, bold colors and “representative imagery.” Aside from Fowler’s dedicated clients, he has almost 2,500 followers on Instagram, and people from several counties know him. Tattoo artist Justin Casteel works at Big Daddy’s Tattoo 2 in Elizabethtown. Through clients and social media, Casteel discovered Fowler and his work. He said in a text message he thought Fowler did “some really nice tattoos.” “My favorite tattoo is the one I’m getting paid for,” Fowler said jokingly as he sat in his squeaky office chair, his digital artist tablet
sitting on the table in front of him. His tablet is used for drawing new pieces and tracing exact lines on others. But being a tattoo artist isn’t just sitting around drawing. There are several sacrifices Fowler made and troubles he and his family faced. The most pressing issue is money. With a family to provide for, Fowler said he had to “buckle down” in the last five years to start making enough. “Really, it’s the time away. People don’t really think about that,” he said. “It’s the time my family sacrifices, it’s the time my children sacrifice. It’s not a lot of sacrifice on my end — it’s a lot of other people picking up the bill.” As a dad and husband, Fowler spends as much of his free time with family as he can. But as a tattoo artist, he said, you’re working 24/7.
All work and little play can be hard, but Fowler strives to have both. Fowler himself has struggled with anxiety and depression and took medication to keep it in check. Despite this, Fowler goes to work every day with intentions to work hard and treat customers with kindness and sincerity. Fowler noted being a tattoo artist is more than doing your job well — there’s no substitution for treating clients right and listening to their needs. “You do your job well, take pride in what you do, do it right the first time and try to do a good job every day,” Fowler said. “You’ve just got to be good to people.”
Features reporter Taylor Metcalf can be reached at 270-745-6291 and taylor.metcalf496@topper.wku. edu.
interweaved each other’s elastic bands without tangling them. The piece evoked a feeling of being trapped and ended with three of the four dancers walking from the table while one remained. Hartlage choreographed a piece she called “Friendzone,” which received backing from John Mayer’s “New Light.” She utilized the song’s upbeat and fun nature to its full potential, focusing on the harsh yet often humorous reality of experiencing unreciprocated romantic sentiments. “Kick the Clock” is scheduled to return Jan. 31 next semester, with a show set for Feb. 1. More information can be found on the organization’s Instagram and Twitter accounts @WKU_ndeo. GABI BROEKEMA • HERALD
Reporter Andrew Martel can be reached at 270-745-2655 and andrew. martel358@topper.wku.edu.
Students from multiple majors at Western Kentucky University participate in National Dance Education Organization’s biannual Kick The Clock on Friday evening, Sep. 6, 2019.
tration on their campuses during the upcoming election season. “We are definitely preparing for the fight for the upcoming legislative session, and our Generation Action chapters will be very crucial to that,” Hall said. While Empower Your Health gears up for the rest of the semester, Warnecke said the organization expects some backlash from members of the Bowling Green community due to the current political landscape. “In the work that I want to pursue and the work that we want to do right now … we face backlash all the time,” Warnecke said. “We are not scared at all.”
Top: Emma Warnecke, 20, of Detroit, is a junior at WKU. Warnecke is one of three founders of Empower Your Health, a new sexual health care service for students. “I’m so excited to get this going and out there on campus.” Bottom: Ashlyn Jones, 20, from Lafayette, LA, is a junior majoring in political science at WKU as well as a member of the WKU Forensics Team. Jones was one of three student-founders of Empower Your Health.
Reporter McKenna Mitchell can be reached at 270-745-2655 and mckenna.mitchell112@topper.wku.edu.
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