Creating Connection Through Skin

I’ve come to realize that tattooing is way more emotional than I expected.

Yes, memorial tattoos hit hard — especially when someone’s lost a child. Those always sit heavy in my heart. I feel honored every time someone asks me to help carry that kind of memory. It’s not just ink… it’s grief, love, and healing, all wrapped into one little piece of art.

But surprisingly, it’s the cover-ups that have really pulled on my heartstrings.

It’s wild to think about — when someone first gets a tattoo, it’s usually to mark something important. A person, a feeling, a time in their life they never want to forget. And then something changes. Love is lost. That once-happy memory now carries a weight they weren’t prepared for. What started as a forever symbol turns into a reminder they’d rather move past.

You usually don’t cover up a memorial piece. But that matching tattoo you got with someone you thought would always be there? Yeah. That one’s different.

I get emotional when people tell me the why behind their cover-up. Some stories make me tear up right there in the studio — not always because they’re sad, but because they’re real. Vulnerable. Human. But what I love most is that moment after the new tattoo is finished. The moment they look at it and see something new, something theirs.

It’s like a little weight gets lifted.

I haven’t had a full-on crying session with a client yet — but hey, I’m still early in my career. There’s time. And I’ll be ready when it happens.

Because this isn’t just about art on skin. It’s about the stories underneath.