Good day to all my elaborately embellished people, 

This weeks post I wanted to delve into the world of piercings and tattoos trying to disprove some of the taboos and explain how the artform has completely changed in the last century. 

From three months old my parents pierced my ears. I sported a simple gold stud until I was old enough to ask if I could try some other earring styles. Over the years I added to my piercings and now have three in each ear. 

When I turned 14, it was the new craze for my friends at school to get their belly buttons pierced. However this proved difficult because most piercing shops would not do it unless you were 16 or over. Luckily my mum came to the shop when I went to enquire about it and they said they would do it as long as my mum signed a waiver form. I was sooo excited when I was one of the first out of my group of friends to have it done and I wore midrif tops as often as I could.   

As I matured into a young lady I knew that I wanted to explore the art of tattooing. Even back when I was a teenager I would look in amazement at some of the designs I saw in magazines and I instantly liked the way you could express yourself and make them as unique as possible. The sky really was the limit 😊 I started off with some small ones when I was 18 after having the sketches drawn up for two years. Each day I would dig out the picture and check that I still liked it as much as the day before.   This one above I had when I was around 21. I have always had a more spiritual outlook on life rather than religious and I wholeheartedly believe in Karma. I try to be the best person I can be and I like to have a reminder with me in the case of ever showing less than the ultimate compassion when talking to people.

I then started looking into larger, more detailed pieces and decided to start looking into my Asian heritage as I wanted to show in my own way how it has moulded me as a person. My eyes welled up with tears (probably a combination of its beauty and the fact I had sat in agony for three and a half hours! Ha) when my artist allowed me to look at his creation for the first time. The detail is just incredible. I would wholeheartedly recommend the shop Cult classic tattoo in Romford. Two of the artists have done nearly all of my artwork- they can honestly turn a simple sketch or google image into a masterpiece.

  My most recent and final tattoo also holds a  special place in my heart as it is my homage to my mum’s South African ancestry and also after reading the incredibly moving book by Nelson Mandela I knew this was the best way to show how passionate I am to see Apartheid in Africa eradicated for good. 

  
I know that there is still a stigma with body art and piercing – that it shows a person is of lower social class or education, but in my view it really has evolved exponentially. I think if tattoos are done well by competent, imaginative artists they can reflect a persons individuality. Mine all tell a story and remind me of a particular time and place in my life to date. Piercings can also be a way to show your uniqueness and dependent on where it is on your body can be hidden easily for conservative office environments. 

In my view I know that tattoos and piercings are still like Marmite – you either love them or hate them but I think sometimes if you ask someone what their inspiration for that particular design is, you may be positively blown away by its personal undertones and it may even make you see it in a whole other light entirely.

Until next week, take care 

Keya x