As a 34-year-old native Austinite, I’ve seen the rise in acceptance of tattoos. I was a child who was appreciative of alternative culture. I adored the artistry of the vibrant colors and the cool designs. Growing up, it was impressed upon me that carrying a tattoo or having a piercing was somehow “bad,” or that these symbols marked a person who was untrustworthy (perhaps even criminal). This view seemed to be the overall consensus, but if you fast forward to the present— oh m

Tattoos are a manifestation of our identities; they represent our passions, life events, and communities. Librarians are trusted knowledge keepers and community experts; they connect us to information and to each other. And the rising sub-culture of tattooed librarians thrives in Galveston threatening to create connections among us, weave stories into our community, and bring a pestilence of literacy to all. Do tattoos on our librarians create confusion? Curiosity? Fear? How

I once thought it a fine act of marksmanship to fire a round down an empty bullet casing at close range. Don’t judge. I was drunk. I was rewarded with a spray of lead and powder to the face that was most embarrassing. I was able to dig the big chunk of lead out of my nose with a knife, and the shooting glasses saved my eyes. But I still have “gunpowder spots”. The name “gunpowder spots” is derived from the sailors’ practice of making shipboard tattoos with gunpowder, instead

I am in TDCJ, arguably the harshest prison system in the United States. Tattooing is most definitely against the rules here, but it is an everyday thing in every unit in every state in the country and probably the world. We work under the risk of getting caught and subsequent discipline measures such as loss of privileges, solitary confinement, parole denials, and more. Why do we do it then? Why risk tattooing or getting tattooed? For the same reason that people do the same t

My name is Adam Garrison, I’m a local artist born and raised here in Galveston Texas. I’ve always loved art of all kinds and the many diverse ways in which it can be applied. I enjoy learning about the materials used and admiring the final outcome of someone’s creativity. I started getting tattooed at the age of 18 and haven’t stopped wanting to be tattooed since. I love everything about getting a tattoo, although everyone would agree that pain is typically the only downside

“When you do a bad tattoo, people hate you for the rest of your life,” said Mel Black, a musician and tattoo artist working out of Flying Squid Ink in Houston. “But you know what? Bread and butter: fixing bad tattoos. All day. I could have an entire portfolio of just reworks and cover-ups. People don’t like spending money and so they get cheap shit they think is good and then one day they’re like ‘Oh shit, I have this garbage on my arm that’s representing me? I’m not a garba