I have been on a bit of an ink kick recently and while it may or may not be your thing – it definitely has become mine for the time being. Tattoos have long been a form of self expression and many people either love them or really do not, but I am using them to visually express some of the things that are alive in me most fully at the moment. I got my first tattoo when I was 17 as a way to bring closure to a very painful event in my life but if I am honest, it was never the most attractive tattoo so I kind of decided to step away from the ink gun – for 45 years! I guess I was letting one bad experience turn me away from trying that again. I recently realized that that was true in a few areas of my life.

I had the most amazing experience at the Shamanic Kink Immersion over the summer and it really shifted some things for me. Some self limiting beliefs and other things that had been holding me back, were loosened a bit and I am learning to reprogram some of the negative beliefs that were instilled in me as a young child. As a result, I have been stepping out of some comfort zones and embracing what I hope is a lot of positive change. I started making educational videos, and have begun teaching classes again, both things that I told myself I couldn’t or shouldn’t do for fear of failure. I have started opening up to do a few types of sessions that I thought were outside my comfort zone, because I truly want to be there for people that need to explore their needs in a safe and nurturing way.

So yeah, there is some change that is easy to see – like all my beautiful new tattoos. At least I think they are beautiful and mine is the only opinion I care about at the moment. Every one of them has meaning for me or brings me some level of joy. And I am going to walk you through them if you care to read-

I started with tattooing my favorite whip on my left arm. There is a scar there that I got from a mishap during a dark phase in my life that has bothered me for over 30 years and the whip ends at the scar effectively masking it to the point you don’t really see the scar anymore. While the artist that did it was hot as fucking hell, and I thought his work was amazing (at least the stolen pics he posted on his Instagram page looked awesome) I sadly discovered he was not nearly as talented as he was attractive. I do not really regret it, but I have learned a valuable lesson, and found a new artist!

My next tattoo and almost every one since has been done by Emile of Neon Tiger in Winsted. She is an amazing artist and has designed and helped me bring all of my other ideas to life in a wonderfully collaborative way. I admit I do not always understand the intricacies of what will make a great, long lasting tattoo the way she does and I have appreciated her patience and her insight every step of the way. I highly recommend her.

She started with helping me cover another scar. The one I got from a perforated ulcer that required life saving emergency surgery but left me with a 6 inch scar up the middle of my abdomen, that negatively affected my self esteem. I presented her with my idea and she looked at the scar and came up with a much better one. I love this rose.

I also got a tattoo dedicated to my sweetheart for our 5th anniversary and he got a little misty and said, “No one ever tattooed my name on them before,.” <grin> And I thought to myself, “And no one else ever will or I will kick the bitch’s butt!”

Next we started to work on celebrating my favorite bands; Palaye Royale, Pierce the Veil, Yungblud, Mod Sun, The Goo Goo Dolls, Aerosmith, Journey, Led Zeppelin and I am about to get one each for Bad Company. Collective Soul and Rusted Root.

For my right arm I wanted to explore goddesses and some elements from my current path as well as a nod to my mom and our Celtic roots and I am possibly going to add the Fire Island Lighthouse since it is a place that is very dear to my heart. 🙂