Name/blog name: Ari Oh (no seriously, that’s my whole name) // aryeo.tumblr.com
Age: 20
Occupation: Coffee bar manager, photographer, and graphic designer
Age of first tattoo: 18
Favorite tattoo: I don’t want to cop-out, but I don’t know that I could pick a favorite. What’s really cool is they all serve such different purposes and garner completely different reactions. I have a unique fondness for each of them.
Featured tattoo/location: Being the largest and most colorful tattoo I have, my half-sleeve gets a lot of comments and attention. It’s a girl in a row boat with the words “Bold is the heart that steers her through the night.”
Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: I got my half-sleeve done by the wonderful Dusty Neal at New Republic Tattoo in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He’s an amazing artist.
{photo of the book Word Made Flesh, where this tattoo was featured}
1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story or special meaning? Why did you choose this particular piece of art?
The inspiration for the tattoo came from a novel called “A Hero of Our Time” by Mikhail Lermontov. The main character hears “an odd tune, slow and melancholy, then quick and lively” coming from a young girl that he described as “a veritable mermaid”:
“Tall ships sail o’er the deep green ocean,
White sails set on the billowy wave.
My little boat sails there with the tall ships,
Sails has she none, just her two good oars.
Storm winds will blow and the old tall ships
Will lift their wings and fly over the sea.
Then I’ll curtsey and beg so humbly:
‘Have pity on my boat, oh wicked sea.
Precious are the goods that my boat carries,
Bold is the heart that steers her through the night.’”
She’s a mysterious girl, wild and elusive, with bright and penetrating eyes that have a magnetic power. I felt like Lermontov was describing me (or at least the girl I dare to think I am). Plus, the meaning of the passage is truly inspiring- I may not have the means that others have, the sea of life may try to drown me, but my heart is strong and it will guide me through.
2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?
My first tattoo is an Oscar Wilde line from “Lady Windermere's Fan": “We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.” For me personally, it meant that we all face hardships and challenges in life, but we can still have dreams and follow our hearts. It’s the one on my ribs. When I was at the shop, all the artists were like, “This is your first one?? Going big, huh?” I was nervous, but the worst part was when the guy with his entire skull tattooed told me I was crazy. Dude, your head is tattooed. I’m the sane one.
My mom and I went and got matching stars tattooed on our wrists together. Ever since I was little, my mom called my brother, sister, and I her sun, moon, and star. I was the star. She painted stars on my walls when I was little, drew stars on my Christmas presents, and called me “her star”.
I have a piece on my left wrist and surprisingly few people understand the reference, which is both kind of fun and also slightly depressing about my generation. It says “A New Hope” and the emblem in the center is the Jedi emblem! I love love love Star Wars (especially the old trilogy) and kind of spontaneously decided to get it done, but I don’t regret it in the least.
On the side of my right hand, I got my dog’s name, Windsor, tattooed on the day he died. I grew up with that boy. We got him when I was seven years old and he lived for thirteen wonderful years before passing away of natural causes. Growing up is hard and he loved me more every day, regardless of what changes I went through. I always say I loved him more than I like most people.
3) Do you plan on getting more?
I will definitely be getting more. I have plans for a Deftones-related tattoo, the word “Wildflower” on the side of my left hand for my mom, and I’m playing with some other ideas as well.
4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them?
My mom was a little wary of the first one, but she’s been really supportive through all of them once she got used to the idea of me permanently changing the body she gave birth to, which I think is a very valid concern. And my friends have all been really cool about it as well, which is an advantage of being a part of my generation. We tend to be more open-minded about it than older generations and view it as body art rather than this thing associated with guys who would go off to war and get their buddy to tattoo them with something vulgar or violent. Mostly people are just interested and ask me what they mean. I have been the subject of some sidelong glances and whispered conversations, but nothing outright.
5) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?
I think you should understand that you’ll get a lot of advice from a lot of different sources, but the most important thing is that you should establish your own personal beliefs about tattoos and take everything else with a grain of salt. Just decide how you feel rather than trying to feel how you think you're supposed to feel, which goes for everything else in life too. Follow your heart and be brave.
