hidden treasures

yesterday ended up being busier than I’d thought it would be.

I worked on a few regulars, doing some lettering on the sides of their feet. Ouch! They both sat really well and weren’t at all stinky.

Then I did this really nice treasure map- she and her husband were married right there on the X. Tonight I’m doing a treasure map on him, on his back. I’ll post pictures of the two of them together afterward. I like using the aged paper colors, those soft browns and dull yellows. Creamy paper colors.

At the tail end of the night I did some more work on cory’s arm, we’re a session away from being done with his anatomical man. I can’t wait! It’s one of my favorite pieces I have in progress right now.

I do a lot of “couple” or “best friend” tattoos. I really like them- it’s so much better to get an image that means something to both people, rather than getting names tattooed on you. It makes the tattoo better in the long run, too, since it’s not necessary that the image itself becomes tainted if the relationship goes sour…like a name would. The images can still mean something, and look great, for both people. Even if that relationship is not so great. Whereas a name, a name only means one thing, and that one thing could go sour…and then you’d have to get a coverup.

interesting link of the day:

If your belief system is one that says people like you are worthless for anything but breeding, then you’d probably be depressed, right? Like, say, you’re in one of the major religions. And you’re female. What does thinking of god as male do to your self-expression? What does it make you think your future will be? What options in your life does it present?
If your god tells you that you’re unclean once a month, wouldn’t that make you less likely to go to college, if your god says that you’re inferior to men, does that make you want to accomplish things, or does it tell you to just give up? And aren’t apathy and hopelessness hallmarks of depression?

this research backs up this idea quite neatly. It’s also the first non-religious, independently-funded research into young people’s reaction to church activities and beliefs. Check it out. I remember when I was young, going to church was awful. I read a lot of course and had read the Bible. I knew how it ended for people like me, and I was pretty sure the god they were talking about didn’t want me to do anything with my life- that I was pretty close to worthless, actually. I think I was not, am not, alone in being nonreligious for this reason.