Thinking with Ink

My first self designed experience immersed me into a world that I had always admired, but knew very little about. Tattooing is an incredible art form with a rich history and worldwide cultural impact, but has carried an unfairly negative reputation in several countries for its association with poverty, criminals, and bloodborne disease. This project spanned a self designed educational course contributed to by my mentor, a tattoo artist local to Cincinnati with a background in the history and culture of tattooing. As a part of this experience, I expanded and documented my learnings by creating a zine to help other interested artists and canvases get introduced to the world of tattoo. I chose this form of documentation because zine-making also has a rich history, particularly in marginalized spaces, and is easy to print and share with others. 

 

My definition of a Global Citizen Scholar has expanded, as my experience has really opened my eyes to both unique learning environments. This project has solidified my understanding of the importance of jumping into the unknown, and focusing on really understanding and empathizing with topics rather than memorizing them to pass a test. As someone who has spent most of their college journey in workshops, this new form of learning through listening and back and forth discussion has taught me to live and learn authentically and unapologetically.

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Click HERE to download a copy of my zine "OLD SCHOOL"