Filling The Gaps With Magic

February 2021, New Haven & Wallingford, Connecticut

Ocean Tattoos by Becky of Showoff Ink Artistry

Bat Tattoos By Nikki of Foxden Tattoo

I want to tell you all a deep meaningful story here and the truth is I am tapped. These tattoos were loving done 2+ weeks ago and with National Eating Disorder Awareness Week taking up this past week and the pandemic continuing to rage on the creative energy to be expressive is not as present as I’d like.

When I met Becky at Showoff Ink she was, DELIGHTFUL! Like I want to bake her cookies and remind her to rest and that she talented. It’s nice to be around personalities that bring out the best in us. I gave her free range to fill in the lower part of my ocean leg with whatever she wanted. And the jellyfish and seashell were born! I love the water. Being a pisces, going to lakes, beaches, pools, ponds, rivers, and playing in streams were a large part of my childhood. I feel most at home in and around water and something about my spiritual connection to water makes my soul sing. It was lovely to begin finishing this part of my tattoo journey.

Nikki had done a handpoke on me before and on my partner. She is so FUN! And kind, calming, generally a beautiful person to be around. Turns out we share a birthday, not surprising, we’re both pretty cool! Nikki added some bats to the open spaces on my left arm that has all the tattoos dedicated to my animal friends and spirit animals. Bats are some of my favorite animals. There are so many myths about bats, so many misconceptions and yet, if you’ve ever held a bath they really are quite fuzzy and cute! As a kid bats would sneak into our home. Living in Upstate NY meant outdoor sleepovers as a kid and I can always remember a friend mom warning us we can come in if the bats scared us. And I would wait up to see them, moving just like birds, only in the dark. We kind of kindred spirits in that way. Nikki shared a similar love of bats and that made these tattoos all the better!