Venice Beach on a Sunday

'To live and yet not try anything, then you are not really living'

05.21.2009

I had a very interestingly spontaneous weekend. It all started when we (my two friends Rene and Nat) all decided to go to Venice Beach to look at tattoos. I honestly just wanted to look and see what’s out there plus hopefully walk around and get lots of junk foods, which was my main objective. We came across a couple of tattoo parlors, but I wasn’t feeling them, so we ventured on. We walked the pedestrian strip filled with outdoor vendors, which includes henna tattoo, art and craft, bumper stickers and lots of cheesy street performers. After a while we came across this tattoo parlor called Buzzbomb. I was just looking around when Marissa (one of the tattoo artist) asked me if we needed help, so I described to her what I was looking for, which is really hard to put into words. I told her that I’m into nature, such as leaves, vines and basically the idea that every inter-twine and connect somehow. I also mentioned that I like transitions among objects. We looked through a couple of books to gather ideas. After scavenging around for ideas, she composed a sketch of what I told her and that was it, I was sold. I told her, ‘let’s do it!’ It was that spark-of-the-moment reflex that made me decides to just go for it. I have done paintings and sketches on canvas before but this time I am the canvas for another artist to carve on. The main motive that led me to even thought of having a tattoo was pretty much my friends. I mean it has always lingered in me, but I never really got around executing it. I honestly feel that most of the decisions we make in life are destine to be made sooner or later, just on special occasions when we do need that extra push by someone else to get it done, with that being said, this would be a great example of that special occasion. I have to say; I’m pretty please to have done it, for now I truly know how it really feels. I can truly say, my canvas is no longer blank, for I’ve been inked.