It's tattoo time again!

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First, allow me to say I know this may seem frivolous to some people, but this is also about supporting an industry that has suffered because of Covid-19. I am quite loyal to my tattoo shop Fat Mermaid, and they shut down before the state mandate out of precaution, which means they have been closed for 3 months. That is 3 months that tattoo artists and piercers have had no work and no pay, that the owner still had to pay for the building/upkeep/utilities, that families had to survive, etc. We do not live in a metropolis with a huge art scene (though it is the best place for the arts in the area), so finding freelance/extra work as an artist is not easy. The shop literally sold all the art on its walls, display cases, t-shirts, anything artists could make, everything in the waiting room, and just stripped the place bare to keep from shutting down. I do not know how it survived, and if they had to wait until Phase 4 to open they would not have. Just before the lockdown I put a deposit down for 4 small tattoos, and now I can finally get them done next week. I was happy to purchase some artwork to help support them during the lockdown, and I am more than thrilled to get my tattoos done, not just for myself but to support my artist and shop again. I have grown up in the arts (dancer, singer, writer), and my brother is a professional visual artist in Los Angeles. I feel an attachment to the Fat Mermaid and my artist Haylie who has done 1 rework, 1 coverup, and 7 new tattoos for me. Next Thursday morning she will do 4 more, bringing me to a total of 18 (or 19) if you count the coverup as a new tattoo. I had 5 before coming to the Fat Mermaid last summer, and they changed my life as my life was changing. I freed myself from the shackles of who I thought I had to be, was supposed to be, and they helped me along that journey, giving me healing, love, and a renewed sense of self. The next time you see or think of tattoos and piercings I ask you to go deeper (if you haven't already), and think about the artist and the family behind the artist, the human canvases whose lives they are helping to transform, and the beauty they are creating. I feel honored to be a permanent canvas for these artists who have worked on me, and I am proud to support a long tradition that I hope will continue on.