The Tatted Chick

Currently, I'm 33 and I'm about to approach my 34th birthday. If you've been following my blog you'll know that birthdays are always a resurrection for me. I usually take the weeks prior to it to reflect and recharge. I can't help but think of my cousin who died when I was twelve years old. He died at 33 of a heart aneurysm. He had just turned 33, with two kids in tow.

Not only have I thought of him throughout the year, but the tragedy of his passing has been with me for most of my life. So much so that I tatted his initials on my arms six years ago.  Weirdly, the tattoos provided a lot of healing. Wearing the painful memory on my body for all of these years took away the anguish associated his death from my mind.

But, 33 can't be an age that represents death. As I reflect on the past year, I embrace the dynamic, exciting, and healing events that took place.

So I decided to cover up one of the wings. The pain of his passing no longer defines me. I instead got an adaptation of the artwork that I helped design for my play, There's the Moon and Then There's You. I love what Tex from Authentic Tattoo did with the cover up. I feel like I'm truly wearing art. She's done four of my five tattoos and she's created beautiful work every time.

As I look upon my tattoos, I'm truly amazed at the story that it tells about my life. On my shoulder are the Bindlestiff rings I got at 20. The rings represent the motto of my resident theater which is to, "Never Give Up." The one of my left arm is what remain's of the memorial tattoo of my cousin. It's his last initial with an angel wing attached to it. The flower piece on my wrist and forearm are the birth flowers that connect me, my brother, and parents.

Who I was in my past, who I am as an artist, who I am as a writer, and who I am in my family is all there.

The story is written.