Jessi's Musical Bird

I met Jessi at the beginning of the month, while walking up 8th Avenue.

She shared this really cool tattoo on her forearm:

Yes, it's a bird, but it is a design created entirely out of musical notations and dynamic markings. The sharp symbol (hashtag/pound sign) represent the feet. The forte marking (the f) is the wing. The crescendo (the < shape) is the beak. The head and eye are created by the symbol for fermata, or pause. Finally,  the slur, which forms the underbelly, is represented by an arc.

"I'm not a music major, I'm just a music fan," Jessi explained, adding that she saw the design online and "stole" the idea for her own tattoo.

Jessi had this done at Neptune Tattooville (@neptunetattoo), but does not recall which artist did the work.

Thanks to Jessi for sharing this cool tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is �2017 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Kathleen Szoke's Blue Jay on the Tattooed Poets Project

Our next tattooed poet is Kathleen Szoke, a Canadian poet with a stunning tattoo:

Kathleen tells us about her lovely blue jay tattoo:

"[It]  is in memory of an experience I had several years ago.  At a weekend retreat, we were asked to write a journal entry about owning our truth, and speaking out about what we wanted.  I wrote a piece about being a poet, owning that, and saying, 'I'm a poet.'  I had been ambivalent in the past about stating that, instead of just, 'Oh, I write poems sometimes, it's a hobby.'  We were taking turns reading our pieces, and the reaction I got was extremely enthusiastic, more than I expected.  The others explained that what I didn't know was that just after I started to speak, a blue jay appeared on a tree outside the window behind me.  It stayed until I finished speaking, and then flew away.  I never saw it myself, as it was behind me, over my left shoulder, which is where my blue jay sits now forever.  Unfortunately, the written piece was one of many things lost in a fire, so all I have left of that experience is the tattoo."

Kathleen credited the artist Carol at Sinkin Ink (@sinkin_ink) in Hamilton, Ontario, with this lovely blue jay.

Kathleen sent us the following poem to accompany her tattoo:

Witness

The blue jay called to me today
raucous and shrill
from the still barren lilacs
rising above the fence
outside the kitchen window.
He appears there sometimes
or on the old birch tree
perched at the very top
caws his discordant song.

He sat behind my shoulder once
beyond my sight
in the branches of another tree
outside another window
listened as I spoke truths
I only half believed.
When I finished
he flew away.

He stops by
on occasion
to remind me.

~ ~ ~

Kathleen Szoke is a poet writing in Burlington, Ontario.  She has been published in Canadian literary journals, such as The Antigonish Review,  The Dalhousie Review, and the American/Canadian journal The Great Lakes Review.  She has read her poetry at the Eden Mills Writer's Festival, the Kingston Artfest, and other local venues.  She sits on the executive of the Hamilton Poetry Centre, and is an Associate Member of the League of Canadian Poets.  She published a chapbook, Heavenly Blue, in 2011.

Thanks to Kathleen for sharing her tattoo and poem with us here on The Tattooed Poets Project!

This entry is �2017 Tattoosday. The poem and tattoo are reprinted with the poet's permission.

If you are reading this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

A Few of Chelsea's Tattoos

Back in September, I met Chelsea in the lobby of 30 Broad Street in the Financial District.

She was sporting quite a few tattoos and she was kind enough to share some of her work with me and chat about it.

Check out this lovely neck tattoo:

Chelsea explains:

"The bird itself kind of resembles a robin, with the orange belly. But holds no particular meaning to me personally. My mother always grew peonies when I was growing up, so I wanted that flower. Originally planned to be a partner piece, with a nesting bird and different color peony on my left collar, but has been delayed as I am having work done on an extensive leg sleeve."

And also from her left arm:

There's a lot going on here, from the dominating chrysanthemum, to the knuckle tattoos, to the astronaut and the small lemon near her thumb.

Thankfully, Chelsea sorted it all out for me:

"The astronaut and the lemon were already on my hand [before the flower was added]. The lemon being one of my first tattoos about 8 years ago (Jacy Skelton, Jaded Angel, Ames IA) and the astronaut was a Friday the 13th tattoo from about 3 years ago (Kati Vaughn, Magic Cobra, Williamsburg Brooklyn). I asked Jeb to draw up a rose to fit around them. When I showed up for the appointment he said 'I know you wanted a rose, but I drew up this chrysanthemum instead.' I was in love and immediately trusted him. I loved that he took the initiative to draw up something that, although I had not asked for, he knew it would be a better fit. And it was!! The tattoo is now almost 2 years old and the color is still fresh and vibrant. My knuckles were designed by a friend, but tattooed by Jeb Maykut. They spell thirsty, TH,I,RS,TY."

Jeb Maykut (@jeb_maykut) is currently part of the amazing team at Saved Tattoo (@saved_tattoo) in Brooklyn.

Thanks to Chelsea for sharing her beautiful tattoos with us here on Tattoosday!

This entry is �2017 Tattoosday.

If you are seeing this on another website other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.