A couple of folks wanted to know the story behind my tattoo, and I'm in a writing mood this morning so I figured now is a good time. I got this tattoo last year, at a time in my life when everything was shifting. I was working in the gift shop of a museum claiming to be celebrating the culture of the African Diaspora, but instead a message was being pushed that we are all Africans, that the culture and roots belong to everyone. It was like they took the message of life beginning in Africa and perverted it. I hope that part makes sense, I know it sounds a bit strange. Meanwhile I'm working in this shop where all these powerful and sacred objects have been imported from all over the world, pieces used in rituals and all kinds of ways, and they were just being tossed around like silly toys. Basically to sum it up, I felt like I had stepped into some kind of crazy universe where my culture was being bought and sold. It was just too much. I was also attending San Francisco State and taking classes in the Black Studies department, and learning so much about our history. We had a class called "Kemet and the Dawn of Science", which was where I was introduced to the principles of Ma'at. They were beautiful and made so much sense to me. This was a time of huge shifts in my life and identity, and the principles and concept of Ma'at helped me stay in balance.
In the midst of a particularly tough transition phase, though my fog of frustration I envisioned Ma'at's wings spread across my back, and that thought gave me so much comfort. My astrological sign is Libra, so scales, order and balance have always meant a lot to me. Ma'at represented what was within me, and also what I was searching for. I decided the tattoo would serve as a wonderful reminder of the person I was striving to be, and also a reflection of my culture, which I felt some people were trying to manipulate.
Once I knew what I wanted, something else struck me: the depictions of Ma'at and of women in ancient Kemet are quite beautiful, but I didn't want her portrayed as super thin. One of the things I always try to do in my art is celebrate a woman's beautiful curves, and I wanted the same thing for my tattoo. I wanted my interpretation to look a little more modern, and I wanted her to have some meat on her bones! So that's how I drew her. Then it was time to find an artist.
A co-worker recommended Henry Lewis at Everlasting Tattoo in San Francisco, a guy usually booked a few months in advance.
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He was kind and had a great sense of humor, so when the day finally arrived (which seemed to take forever!) I was excited and totally at ease. As he was doing the tattoo he kept chuckling and saying, "Isis got a big ol' butt!" He kept me laughing the whole time. It was kinda painful, especially the part in between my shoulder blades, and at one point I remember asking myself, "why am I paying someone to do this to me?!?" But the result afterwards was unbelievable. He took what I gave him and really ran with it. The shading, the pose, everything.
I love that piece more every day, because it serves as a reminder to live in harmony and balance. Sometimes when things aren't going well or someone angers me and I'm tempted to say or do something I shouldn't, I'm reminded of those wings on my back. It's an expression of the peace I have within, and I know it's there with me always.
Oh, and here's a link to the tattoo shop:
www.everlastingtattoo.com
And some more of Henry's amazing work!
http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewPicture&fr...