Don't Worry

I was walking through Penn Station last week when I spotted Turner. Actually I spotted what looked like a tattoo on his wrist. So I stopped and asked him and sure enough, he had words on the inside of his wrist, still healing from a recent inking:


The tattoo reads "A: Don't worry".

Turner explained that he is a performer/author/speaker who worries a lot, so it's sage advice that is always good to follow.

The quote itself is from a segment in a one-man show that he performed called "Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps". During one part of the show, Turner answers self-posed questions in an imagined dialog with his father. One of these questions is: "Q: What's the number one thing to think about when you're a dad?" And the answer is "A: Don't worry".

What's particularly special about this tattoo is that it is based on his father's handwriting.

Turner has a book out called Two Truths and a Lie that includes the aforementioned Becoming a Man....

Turner had this tattoo done by Big Steve in Manhattan at Funcity Tattoo.

He also gave me his card, which promotes Two Truths and a Lie. You can read about Turner at his site Undergroundtransit.com. It was there that I learned that Turner is a transgender, a woman who became a man. Of course, this adds, in my opinion, a whole different layer of meaning on the tattoo, and makes the experience of meeting Turner that much more interesting. He is just another example of what I love about writing Tattoosday. I get to meet so many people in such a wide range of diversity. It's well worth exploring his site to see clips of his shows to fully appreciate Turner as a performer.

I thank Turner for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Don't Worry

I was walking through Penn Station last week when I spotted Turner. Actually I spotted what looked like a tattoo on his wrist. So I stopped and asked him and sure enough, he had words on the inside of his wrist, still healing from a recent inking:


The tattoo reads "A: Don't worry".

Turner explained that he is a performer/author/speaker who worries a lot, so it's sage advice that is always good to follow.

The quote itself is from a segment in a one-man show that he performed called "Becoming a Man in 127 EASY Steps". During one part of the show, Turner answers self-posed questions in an imagined dialog with his father. One of these questions is: "Q: What's the number one thing to think about when you're a dad?" And the answer is "A: Don't worry".

What's particularly special about this tattoo is that it is based on his father's handwriting.

Turner has a book out called Two Truths and a Lie that includes the aforementioned Becoming a Man....

Turner had this tattoo done by Big Steve in Manhattan at Funcity Tattoo.

He also gave me his card, which promotes Two Truths and a Lie. You can read about Turner at his site Undergroundtransit.com. It was there that I learned that Turner is a transgender, a woman who became a man. Of course, this adds, in my opinion, a whole different layer of meaning on the tattoo, and makes the experience of meeting Turner that much more interesting. He is just another example of what I love about writing Tattoosday. I get to meet so many people in such a wide range of diversity. It's well worth exploring his site to see clips of his shows to fully appreciate Turner as a performer.

I thank Turner for sharing his tattoo with us here on Tattoosday!

Elaina's Ink: The Mermaid and the Tarantula

Elaina has eighteen tattoos. And not to heap loads of praise on her, but her work is brilliant.

It was the mermaid on her inner right forearm that first grabbed my attention:


She told me that the drawing was indicative of her state of mind at the time it was inked. Her boyfriend had just moved out and she was feeling reflective (thus the hand mirror).


Elaina later followed up with an email, further clarifying the tattoo:

"I realized today when you asked me the significance of my mermaid tattoo that I probably would have been better quoted saying the absolute truth. The underlying universal secret wish of all girls and women alike... I've always wanted to be a mermaid."

But Elaina had more to share. Much to my delight, she lifted her skirt on her left side to reveal this wonderful tattoo:


The spider is modeled after her mother's pet tarantula, Shelob, who is named for the giant spider in The Two Towers, book two of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I asked her what Mom thought of her ink and Elaina rolled her eyes and said that her mother recently wept when she told her she was planning her nineteenth tattoo. And, Elaina added, her mom is no stranger to ink. She told me that her mom was tattooed by legendary tattooist Lyle Tuttle during the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You tour.

The mermaid was tattooed by Claire at Funcity Tattoo in Manhattan. The spider on Elaina's thigh was done by Neal Aultman at Physical Graffiti in New Jersey.

Thanks to Elaina for sharing her amazing ink with us here on Tattoosday!

Elaina's Ink: The Mermaid and the Tarantula

Elaina has eighteen tattoos. And not to heap loads of praise on her, but her work is brilliant.

It was the mermaid on her inner right forearm that first grabbed my attention:


She told me that the drawing was indicative of her state of mind at the time it was inked. Her boyfriend had just moved out and she was feeling reflective (thus the hand mirror).


Elaina later followed up with an email, further clarifying the tattoo:

"I realized today when you asked me the significance of my mermaid tattoo that I probably would have been better quoted saying the absolute truth. The underlying universal secret wish of all girls and women alike... I've always wanted to be a mermaid."

But Elaina had more to share. Much to my delight, she lifted her skirt on her left side to reveal this wonderful tattoo:


The spider is modeled after her mother's pet tarantula, Shelob, who is named for the giant spider in The Two Towers, book two of The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I asked her what Mom thought of her ink and Elaina rolled her eyes and said that her mother recently wept when she told her she was planning her nineteenth tattoo. And, Elaina added, her mom is no stranger to ink. She told me that her mom was tattooed by legendary tattooist Lyle Tuttle during the Rolling Stones' Tattoo You tour.

The mermaid was tattooed by Claire at Funcity Tattoo in Manhattan. The spider on Elaina's thigh was done by Neal Aultman at Physical Graffiti in New Jersey.

Thanks to Elaina for sharing her amazing ink with us here on Tattoosday!