“I call it pretty music but my father keeps on...

“I call it pretty music but my father keeps on calling it the blues.”

This tattoo is the work of Otis at Urban Art Tattoo 3 in Tempe, Arizona. He is an amazing artist and is the one that does most of the black and gray work for Urban Art 3. This was my first tattoo and I wasn’t even nervous because of how good he is and the entire environment of the shop— they’re some of the nicest and most chill people I have ever met. I spent the entire hour of getting this done on my right forearm (an incredibly visible location) laughing and talking about everything from religion to strippers.

The loosened necktie the words are in symbolizes showing who you really are. Neckties are typically worn at formal events or work, where you have to be professional and most likely hiding important parts of yourself, but this is a loosened necktie like it would be after work or the event. You have been professional and worked hard like everyone else, and now you’ve pulled off your mask and want to just be who you are and show everyone who you are without apologizing or making any excuses for it. The truth and living life for yourself are “pretty music” for me especially with the parts that most other people consider improper or bad traits/thoughts.

This is a lyric from the song “Bad News” off of Envy On The Coast’s last release (Lowcountry). I knew it had to be my first tattoo because of what it means to me and because of what Envy’s music means to me. Yes, they are my favorite band but it is so much more than that. They make me feel things that I had never felt before listening to them, they make me feel stronger and more free to be myself and to live than I have ever felt. This ties into what this tattoo means to me- that no matter what someone else thinks about something that I believe in or is a part of who I am, I have to stick to it and remain true to myself. As a kid, I always sacrificed who I was, what I wanted, what I believed in, and what was best for me to make everyone around me happy. It was a miserable existence and eventually (around the same time I started listening to Envy) I finally broke out of that and stopped living my life for other people. Things have still been difficult, but life has been a million times better now that I’m facing my own struggles and working hard for the things that matter to me instead of the things that matter to other people (especially my family). I was always the kid that took care of everyone else in the family, and when I stopped my family got very angry and I faced a lot of consequences because of it- but this is a reminder to keep living for myself anyway because they have their own lives and living for them is a waste of my time. If something is beautiful or meaningful to me, I will work hard to do something about it even if others disapprove or disagree.

Just like this tattoo. A lot of people won’t be accepting of it just because it is a tattoo, and many others told me not to get one because it’s so permanent but that’s exactly why I got it. I don’t want to waste time, money, or effort on things that are meaningless and temporary. This is incredibly meaningful and holds a positive message, while still actually looking good. This is a constant reminder of who I am and where I stand on things, and it’s a physical indication of just that for anyone questioning who I may be as a human being. I promised myself that I would never get a depressing or meaningless tattoo because I don’t want negative messages to look at every second of the day, so this is my way of starting that. Getting this tattoo was a great experience and I immediately felt more like myself afterwards, and I think that’s what tattoos should be- an indication of who you are, what your life has been, your goals and beliefs, and what matters to you. This is what I see whenever I open my eyes (because of the placement) and it reminds me not to lie to myself or others about who I am and to act on that instead of the ever-present need to see the people around me smile (though it’s best when I can do both without sacrificing my own self worth).