Look, I’ll be honest – Japanese wave tattoos have been everywhere for decades. You’ve probably seen that Hokusai Great Wave poster in half the college dorm rooms you’ve been in (I know I stared at one in my friend’s room for hours, never thinking I’d end up helping people navigate this whole wave tattoo thing). […]
Look, traditional Japanese sleeve tattoos are basically the granddaddy of all tattoo art. This was the tradition that established the Japanese arm sleeve tattoo, in which a portion of the arm is completely covered with tattooing. I remember walking into my first tattoo consultation five years ago, completely overwhelmed by the sheer artistry and cultural […]
Japanese cloud tattoos have become really popular lately, and honestly, I get it. These traditional “kumo” designs represent transformation and life’s fleeting nature in ways that just resonate differently than other tattoo styles. While we don’t have exact numbers on Japanese cloud tattoos specifically, the broader Japanese tattoo movement has grown massively in Western culture […]
Look, we’ve all been there. You see a tattoo on Instagram or Pinterest and suddenly you NEED it. Like, you can’t stop thinking about it. You’re doodling it during meetings, saving every similar design you find, and mentally planning where it would go on your body. That’s what I’m calling the “tattoo itch” – and […]
One out of every three mouthfuls of food depends on pollinators like bees, according to Killer Ink Tattoo. That fact hit me hard when I was researching my first bee tattoo three years ago. I’d always thought bees were cute from a distance, but learning about their crucial role in keeping us fed made me […]
I remember the first time I saw a traditional Hawaiian tattoo being created using the ancient “tapping” method at Aloha Tattoo Company. The rhythmic sound of the mōlī (sharpened albatross bone tool) against skin created what master tattoo artist Keone Nunes describes as “the heartbeat of our people.” That moment completely changed how I understood […]
Moon tattoos are having a major moment right now – and honestly, I get why. There’s something about them that just clicks with people. I remember the first time I saw a photorealistic full moon tattoo on someone’s shoulder blade – the intricate crater details and luminous shading stopped me in my tracks. That moment […]
Ever wonder why you’re drawn to certain flower tattoos? There’s actually some pretty cool science behind it. Your brain has been shaped by thousands of years of evolution to react to flowers in specific ways – and you probably don’t even realize it’s happening. What I’ve found after digging into this stuff might surprise you: […]
Look, I get it – choosing a faith over fear tattoo isn’t just about picking something pretty. It’s about marking a real moment in your life when you decided to stop letting fear call the shots. I’ve spent way too many hours researching these designs, talking to tattoo artists who’ve seen it all, and connecting […]
Three years ago, I stood in a field watching the sun disappear, and I literally got goosebumps when everything went dark in the middle of the day. I’m not even kidding – I teared up a little. According to Vean Tattoo’s research, eclipse tattoo designs have surged in popularity precisely because these astronomical events create […]
