I have a few tattoo’s but two in particular that I’m proud of and wouldn’t mind sharing some information on. I’ve got one Tattoo of the word “PASSION” across my entire left forearm and then a huge Birds wing on my right arm that goes from my wrist to just below my shoulder. I’ve attached pictures of both and I’ll answer all the questions for both as well.

When and where you got your tattoo…

WING: I had a very talented artist by the name of Laura Blaney do the wing for me at a shop in a suburb just outside of Toronto about 3-4 years ago. You can follow her and see her work on instagram at “lolotatts”.

PASSION: I got this one at a place called Chronic Ink here in downtown Toronto about 2 years ago. It’s a shop that’s won hundreds of awards and is world-renowned for their attention to detail.

Who was with you?

WING: It took about 16 hours divided into two 8 hours sittings so I was alone for most of the time but my ex-girlfriend who I was with at the time stopped in once and a while.

PASSION: My little sister was with me and we had tickets to see The Toronto Maple Leafs that night, so I left with a fresh tattoo and went directly to the hockey game to drink away the pain lol.

How did you go about choosing the tattoo?

WING: The inspiration behind this tattoo is actually really strange lol. I was playing the video game “Rock Band” way back when it first came out. You can make your own character in the game and place tattoo’s wherever you want on them. I found this wing that I liked inverted it in a weird orientation and stretched it across my characters arm. I ended up liking it soo much that I took a picture and knew that I wanted to get it at some point. I actually have the original picture that I took off the TV from the game as well. The wing was blue in the game and I intended to get it in blue but I was convinced by my tattoo artist that it would look sleeker in shading.

What pushed me to get it was an accident I had while on vacation in Cuba. I was riding a motorcycle on some uneven, gravel roads a little faster than I should have. I fell and scraped most of the skin off the entire bottom half of my right arm. Once I got back and it healed up I was left with a bunch of permanent scarring, and I figured that was a perfect time to get the tattoo I’ve always wanted. It ended up covering all my scars perfectly. It’s definitely the tattoo I get the most compliments on. I’m really happy with the way it turned out.

PASSION: I went about choosing it based on the meaning of the word which I’ll get into in the next question but as far ass the stylized text and logo goes, I knew I wanted it to be jagged and destroyed rather than wispy and cursive like most script tattoo’s you see on people. I wanted it to look like the word was raw and powerful, as if it were bursting at the seems and unable to be contained because of the power/meaning behind it. I didn’t want people to confuse it for the typical romantic version of the word, but more so the inspirational/motivational version.

What is the meaning about the tattoo?

WING: I’ve always wanted to be able to fly. Since I was a kid watching Superman or Peter Pan, I’ve constantly had dreams of flying that felt soo real that they stick with me to this day and I can remember exactly how fond of those dreams and memories I truly was. That wing is my first and only very large piece thus far, so I told myself that if I got it, I would be free mentally and spiritually. That I would try to live my life taking chances without worrying about the concerns, comments or opinions of others. It symbolizes freedom for me, and it reminds me who I am inside if I ever happen to lose myself at any point in my life.

PASSION: This is the most meaningful tattoo that I have. If I had to use one word to explain myself it would be Passion. It’s my biggest strength and my biggest weakness, it allows me to do beautiful and amazing things, but also some not so great things. It’s also in my opinion the key to both happiness and success in absolutely anything that you choose to do in life.

I wanted the word as large as possible in the most immediate place so that I’ll never forget what truly makes me happy, why I’m chasing it, and how hard I have to work to be successful at it. Music is my greatest passion so I wanted to incorporate one of my favorite bands of all time into it. I chose to replace the “O” with the logo for the newest Queen’s Of The Stone Age album and I’m really happy with the way it all turned out.

Thanks for the interview!