Thoughts on Tattooing

I recognize the power dynamics present in tattooing and strive to create a welcoming, inclusive, and trauma informed space that gives power back to the tattoo receiver. Personally, my tattoos have served as time stamps, tools of gender performance/ discovery, embodied sanctuary, and the transformative power of voluntary pain has been an enormous teacher— I work to share this opportunity with others, and value collaboration in the creation of this shared space. 

To read more about my and others’ thoughts on tattooing, check out my research paper! Informed by 15 interviews I conducted with Queer tattoo artists working out of Berlin, Germany, my paper explores the extensive history of bodily mark making, the spiritual and transformative nature of a tattoo session, voluntary pain as an avenue to approach embodied trauma, tattoos as identity performance and confirmation, and the power of visual languages to circumvent the regulatory regimes that seek to silence marginalized voices.