The Tattoo Chronicle Pt. 2

Today was the final episode of the Tattoo Chronicle. I got there 1t 2PM and he didn't finish until 9PM - 7 hours! So, yesterday was 4 1/2 hours and today was 7 hours, which equals 11 1/2 hours all together! Eeek! Overall, it was OK. But, there were some times where I was in an intense amount of pain and trying very hard not to cry out. The lower back and the areas on the spine were brutal. I was on this strange chair contraption that forced me to be in a submissive kneeling position at all times and I had to hold my arms in front of me in a way that was kind of like praying - call me a dweeb, but it was kind of a spiritual experience. There were moments of intense pain, but in between those were moments of clarity and lucidity. I mean, people do all kinds of things to reach a spiritual place, right? Indian sweats, fasting, walkabout, long journeys, abstaining, etc. etc.

I have turned myself into art!

He told me he was going to enlarge this photo and hang it at the entrance of the shop.

He made me feel like a piece of cheese and he was the cheese-grater, but look we are still buddies!

The Tattoo Chronicle Pt. 1

So, yesterday I had my first session. I got there at 2PM and didn't leave until 6:30PM. When he first started using the needle it was brutal. I buried my face in the pillow and I couldn't focus on anything but the needle dragging across my skin. Then, I passed out. Yes - really, I passed out. So, after re-grouping for a few minutes on this little chair/bed thing I think they have in there I told him I was ready to start again. I decided that burying my head in the pillow and focusing on the needle was not the way to go about it. So, I grabbed my iPod and my Tom Robbins book and focused on them. After a few moments the pain faded and next thing I knew 4 hours had passed by and I had almost finished my book. We took a few 3 minute breaks (one he requested because his wrist hurt, one I requested because he was shading a sensitive area and I thought my skin was falling off). I left at 6:30PM and came home to a silent and tense dinner with my family. Please note that my Mom hasn't spoken to me since I told her. She thinks tattoos are an abomination and she blames my Dad for mine because he has 5. I hope they house will calm down soon, if not it's going to be a lonely Summer.

The Initial Sketch

Self-Portrait in the Studio

My Awesome Artist

End of Day 1

Tattoo

So, I met with a tattoo artist i've been wanting to work with since last Christmas today. My first sitting is tomorrow at 2PM for 4 hours, then I have another one the following day for 4 hours! That's a lot of pain and ink! I'm nervous and excited. I have been wanting to do this for awhile, but time, money, and not knowing the 'right' artist was always an issue. Now, I have plenty of time, enough money, and I have met the perfect artist, so now is the time! I told my Dad and i'm planning on telling my Mom tonight. I hope she doesn't cry. I know I don't need their permission, but out of respect I want to give them a heads up. My Mom is very anti-tattoo. C'est la vie. Not everyone is going to support you all the time, so you have to support yourself first and foremost! I'll post pictures of the torture tomorrow.

The Design:

The design will cover my whole back! Peony flower on shoulder blade, leaf at bottom on lower back just above butt.

The idea behind the tattoo is something called "Mono-no-aware," which is the awareness of beauty that leads to a melancholy perception of the transience of human life, which is why it's important to me to have a design that is soft looking and incorporates different stages of life (i.e. the bud versus the blossom). The Peony flower stands for spring, love, female beauty, good fortune, and nobility of spirit. The sparrow stands for freedom, finding true love, staying with your soul mate forever, safe journey, keeping away evil, and finally traveling far distances but always returning home.

Dashanzi Art District

Yesterday I walked over to Dashanzi Art District with my Mom. It's one of my most favorite places in the world! The district used to be factories, which were eventually abandoned when the operations were moved otherwhere. Now, these very factories have been turned into art galleries. It's unspeakably cool to see a large room filled with odd contraptions meant for producing things like shoes and buttons adorned with post-revolutionary art! To top it off, it's coffee-shop heaven! I'll be spending lots of my time there reading, writing, and geeking out on my computer.

Ricebowl Economy

Another Ricebowl Economy

Pipes Inside A Gallery

Non-Art Turned Art in My Eyes

The Painter at Work

Garbage or Art?

Another Brick in the Wall

Another Brick in the Wall Pt. 2

This was outside a cafe making everyone feel uneasy...

Anarchist Chinese Graffiti

Socialist Sculpture
(the tattoo parlor behind is where i'm getting mine this Summer)

Left: Communists Are Supposed to Blend In
Right: Individualistic Americans Stick Out

Chinese Alien Graffiti

My Lovely Mother

Eye in the Sky

Mountain Range Beside Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji

Clouds Over Japan

ORIENT-ation: The Journey

I arrived in China last night around 9PM Beijing time, which is about 3AM Honolulu time on a different day . The travel was OK. The flight was smooth, but my thoughts were stormy. I mostly wrote in my journal. At the Honolulu airport I watched part of ‘The Fountain.' It was beautiful and intriguing, but I was distracted. Dissecting slivers of conversation and trying to piece together a puzzle that’s already assembled according to someone else's design. It seemed an ideal day to leave the country.

I ended up snagging a whole row of seats on the Honolulu to Japan flight and falling asleep only to dream about rain, helmets, and crocodiles in feather boas. When I woke up, I peeked through the seats in front of me and read over a man's shoulder. He was reading a book called The Four Agreements and marking it up with a red pen. The first sentence I saw him underline was, "How many times do we pay for one mistake?" The answer that followed this question was a lot less provoking than the question. The gentleman in front must have shared my thoughts because I noticed he didn't underline any of the answer. The gist of the book seemed to be that our dreams are ruled by fear. And also that we define ourselves by our mistakes and are constantly punishing ourselves. Overall, I wouldn't buy it, but it was interesting to see what this man thought was important enough to underline and something about the question was very provoking.

On the Japan to Beijing flight I had a window seat and I saw Mt. Fuji's snow-capped peak for the first time. It was beautiful. My mind calmed and emptied a bit at this point.

Leaving is a Catalyst

I've been hanging out in Hawaii for a few days and same as every year i've gone from dying to get out of here to having a hard time prying myself away. Everything looks so good when you know you won't be seeing it for awhile. Suddenly stagnation turns to an exciting whirlwind of change and I start thinking, "I can't leave now. Things are happening!" But, this is exactly why I leave the country a few months a year - to give value back to my life, to miss it and remember why I live where I live. It's good. I look forward to my departure as well as my return.