I think it’s been close to half a year ago that I had been interviewed for Skin Deep Tattoo Magazine. The way the awesome Maki, or Manami Okazaki (freelance journalist extraordinaire who had interviewed me…look her up, she’s the shit!) explained it to me was that it takes awhile to go to print. It’s soooo crazy to see myself in or on magazines, as they have popped up before. This was the first magazine that had notified me that I was going to be used as a profile and cover in their spread. I’ve been in various magazines in the past, but all of them came as surprise, after hearing through the grapevine (sometimes international grapevine, even) that, “Hey, did you know you’re on the cover? Did you know you’re in such and such mag?” It’s ALWAYS weird, especially when no one gave you the heads up prior to a magazine even using your photos…
Maki had contacted me awhile ago having taken notice of me on the cover of Japan’s Tattoo Burst and told me that Skin Deep wanted to use me on the cover. Little did I know was that “using me” included a spread in the magazine; something that totally caught me off guard. In my head I was like, “What? Me? Why?” She told me, “There are so many tattoo models and they all want the cover or to be in the magazine. I’m more interested in girls with tattoos that actually do stuff, like actual woman artists.” With much hesitation and hours of debating with Lucky, I decided to do it.
I look back on the stuff that I had given her for the magazine, tattoos and art included, I’m like, “Dammit, I wish I waited a little longer to build a better spread for them. I shouldn’t have rushed to put this together.” But, in another light, I’m glad to say that the period in my tattooing that the spread had shown just months ago, is a milestone for which I can compare my recent work and really see my progression, and pin point the shit that I would have and could have done better… Just makes me want to keep pushing, so, in the event that I ever get another spread, I won’t have to open the magazine a few months after the interview with a rapid beating heart on the verge of cardiac arrest and butterflies in my stomach as I anticipate what the pages will reveal (even though I probably will anyway). I am REALLY my worst critique, my biggest enemy, and usually my own defeat… I want more out of myself. And I look like a body builder in the poses they made me do… time to get that weight off, son!
I’m stoked though, and I know that the tattoos that have made it to those pages belong to people who appreciate my work, and support me and are actually friends of mine. As I kept flipping the pages, I was like, “Holy shit! Some of the tattoos I did for my closest friends awhile back are on these pages!!! They’ll be stoked!” It was pretty coincidental that she picked those to put in there. So, props to you guys, you made it possible: Karen, Val, Akihito, Reggie, Jay, Virus, Stacy, and Ryan. And to my tattoo familia: the ones who have inspired and molded me… Especially to my tattoo daddy Aisea, for pushing me, teaching me spirit, art, pride, humility amongst so many other things. And of course, to my biggest inspiration EVER, the love of my life, perhaps my greatest teacher, Lucky.
**Should be released on the Skin Deep Magazine website on Jan.12th, but sometimes it takes longer to get up there, but you can pre-order. It’s the February 2010 issue. And believe me, it will take FOREVER to get to Hawaii, so order online.
