In A Land Of Gods and Monsters
Tattoo with Annelise at Refuge33 in Hartford, CT April, 2021
Let’s start with this. This studio is in one of my favorite buildings in Hartford, Real Artways and the old factory buildings on Arbor Street. When I walked in I had to take a minute and breathe because their studio looks just like something I had once envisioned for myself. Massive old factory windows, incredible and diverse artwork and it was calming. It is the total opposite of the “macho dude-bro” studios of the past.
Yari and Annelise were both so calm and welcoming and relaxed. If you have anxiety about a tattoo this is definitely a place you could go and feel at peace. Next is Annelise! First off anyone who still loves My Chemical Romance is my new best friend. In High School discovering music written and preformed by these gender-bending, androgynous men changed everything for me. It confirmed all those feelings I had about my gender that I was once told to stuff deep down. Not only is there a similar love of music but ANY artist who advocated for safe spaces in tattooing, for racial justice in tattooing, for Queer and Trans friendly spaces feels monumentally important always.
I had asked her to create a merman pinup of the Greek God Oceanus. I’m a massive fan of Big Boy Pin-ups and seeing Annelises’ work, I knew she could make this happen. Oceanus was the Titan of the Ocean, Poseidons’ father.
The titans were primordial gods and birthed the world as we know. Oceanus ruled all water, not just the ocean but all waters of the earth. He was married to Tethys who gave birth to all 6000 of the ocean gods making them the grandparents of my favorite (and from a previous tattoo) Nerites. Oceanus gave us the very water our bodies are made out of, the very life that we each share. Think about that for a minute, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexuality, ability status, socioeconomics, body size/weight, immigration status…regardless of all our difference he gave us our biggest commonality, water.
As a Pisces, who spent most of my only positive childhood memories by the ocean, Water is something I have the deepest connection and respect for. It amazes me how much hate there is in the world, how much our culture and society has destroyed the beauty of being children of the sea. So this incredible tattoo, sitting with my other ocean friends, reminds me I am a child of the sea regardless of what the world says I belong here, my body belongs here.
