Aquaman.... only waaaaay better!
Tattoo by Kellsey Mull at Lucky's Tattoo in Northampton, MA in October 2020 (Phase 2 COVID)
Where to begin.... this tattoo is pretty killer and hold a lot of deep and personal meaning. As we consider to traverse these traumatic and abusive times it feels more important, now more than ever, to hold fast to who we are. Your identity is the one thing they cannot take away from you, even if you have to hide your true self.
Kellsey was wonderful from start to finish. She created the MOST beautiful art for my body and really encapsulated the meaning of what I wanted without her even knowing. Her tattoo room was this beautiful mix of bright colorful art and horror themed images that all look like Lisa Frank and Glitter Goths went wild. I was and am living for that entire room.
On top of that Lucky's is known for being a Queer and Trans affirming space. During my whole journey I have felt safe with every artists and every space I have been in. However, being in a space that felt more Queer/Trans safe than most spaces in the world felt extra incredible.
So this notion leads to this glorious tattoo. It is based on another Greek Myth that I love, and is lesser known. Two of the "lesser" sea deities, Doris and Nereus are the parents to all water nymphs. They has 50 daughters, all water nymphs, known for being beautiful and bewitching. They also had a son, one son, also a water nymph. Water nymphs are "supposed" to be female. He was miracle, an oddity, not the norm. His name was Nerites and he was known far and wide as the most beautiful of all his siblings, with feminine features that confused and trapped men and women alike. Most of all he was both/and, he was everything, he was the entire spectrum. In other myths Aphrodite sought after Nerites as her lover, offering to bring him to Olympus. He was uninterested, his heart belonged to the ocean. In another myth Poseidon sought after him as a lover, offering him all he could. Nerites was uninterested in the power and prestige he was being offered.
As a GenderQueer person the idea that even then, we, in our bodies, and heart, existed. And we were celebrated. In our current world it doesn't feel that way often and being out is a life ling process that feels increasingly painful at times. This tattoo beautifully reminds me that my truth is beautiful, my truth is the depths of the uncharted oceans and as magical as Nerites himself.
