Serpent Symbolism

I've been reading Marc David's Nourishing Wisdom, and came across the following passage this weekend that pretty well sums up the Garden of Eden serpent symbolism for me:

Though their plight may seem an unfortunate one, Adam and Eve were not tempted to do something bad.  They were tempted into consciousness.  The serpent represents not some outside evil force, but the primal evolutionary impulse within each of us that lures us into awareness, literally tricking us into participation in life so we may fully experience both the imperfection of our humanity and the awesomeness of our divinity.  There was no other way because the unfolding of the self into higher states of knowing is the natural order of human development.

So great, yes?

PBS Off Book: Tattoos - Pop Portraits, Japanese Traditional, American Eclectic

PBS's Off Book has done an excellent job with this video, which features the work and philosophy of my dear friend Stephanie Tamez, with a flash of my back.  They say:

It seems that no matter how far we advance into the digital age, our bodies remain a place where we want to express ourselves.  In this episode, we talk to three tattoo artists of differing styles.  Vinny Romanelli embraces pop culture, tattooing detailed portraits of entertainment idols, Kiku works with the traditional Japanese form, and Stephanie Tamez embodies an eclectic mix of influences, with the occasional use of nice typography. 

The tattoo

Anonymous has pointed out that I have not, in fact, posted a picture of my completed backpiece.  Which is, of course, true-- unless you count these photos.  So here it is, freshly finished, courtesy of Stephanie's website... head on over there for more awesomeness.  Maybe you'll see my next piece there as well!  ;)
Thanks for the nudge, Anonymous.

Stephanie is now at Saved Tattoo!

News flash!  (Ok, it was a news flash a few months ago, but I am slow on the internets these days... )

If you're hoping to have Stephanie tattoo you, you won't find her at NY Adorned any longer.  She's now at Saved Tattoo in Brooklyn, along with former NY Adorned-ers Chris O'Donnell + Thomas Hooper.  Sounds like a magical place to be these days...  

Also check out her updated website for more info and gorgeous pics of her tattooing + paintings.  

It's ovah!

Why yes, it has been over 7 months since I've updated here!  How 'bout that.  Life has been a tad complicated over the past year, but things are starting to even out + feel really good again.

And hey - my back is finished!  My last appointment was #17 on August 5th.  The final three sessions were dedicated solely to re-outlining a great majority of the design, since my skin ate up a lot of those fine lines the first time around.  And now, 3 months later, it's holding up beautifully!  What a relief.  

What I've learned:  stress wreaks havoc in funny ways.  Yes, I am blaming my skin's healing issues on stress.  Stress + wheat + sugar.  Once I finally opened up to some big truths about myself + released an escape valve for my stress, my skin started cooperating with me again.  F'ing amazing. 

This backpiece took over 30 hours + a decent (but happily-spent) bit of my savings.  It showed me that I have an abundance of patience, strength, and love.  And the process helped me see myself more clearly + discover more of what I want from my life. 

I don't have any pictures of the finished tattoo.  That will happen when it happens.  In the meantime, I leave you with my last view of the gorgeous Brooklyn skyline outside the shop. 

Many, many thanks to Steph.  Not only is she a kick-ass tattoo artist, but an amazing human, to boot.  As anyone who knows her will attest.  And thanks also to  everyone at Adorned!  Fabulous people, every one of 'em.

Next (and last?) appt

Coming up on May 6th!  Hopefully it'll give me time to gain a little weight... give me some padding under those needles.

Nothing to do with my back

BUT my friend Diana found a little picture of me + the amazing Tamez in last month's Inked Magazine (we're in the upper right).

The photos (scanned copy courtesy of Needles and Sins) are from the September release party for Marisa Kakoulas' excellent Black Tattoo Art book. Fun!