Currently.

Hello good people and citizens of the world!

It's been a minute since I've blogged and I figured I'd start off BHM with a pretty simple list of things I'm loving, working on, anticipating, etc. I used to complete these types of lists on the blog fairly consistently, so I decided, in lei of consistency being one of my words for the year, snuggled up with 'accountability', why not bring the series back? Not only is this a simple, "ice-breaker" way to get reacclimated to blogging again, it's helping me fill the void I've experienced from not writing and cultivating my need to create just for the fun of it.

♡ Aiming to: wake up every single day and do at least 3 things that contribute to my success and accomplishing my goals, an idea I adopted from one of my fave YouTubers, Erin on Demand, who - I believe - was the creator initially responsible for the concept of the Top 3 challenge, that encouraged her audience to write down just 3 goals to do daily that would ultimately help check off . So far, so good, but there's still plenty of room for improvement

♡ Thinking: that it's beyond time for me to start blogging consistently again (and later I'll discuss why 'consistency' is one of my words for the year) and this post is obviously my attempt at doing so. 

♡ Doing: the work it takes to heal and pour into myself in order to be in position to consistently show up as my best self, which includes going to therapy, something I never thought I'd be comfortable doing, but has proven to be extremely helpful

Quantity Control

17 and counting...

After several years of getting tattoos, I finally made a list on my iPhone of all the tattoos I currently have, because quite frankly, I'm exhausted from awkwardly counting them anytime someone inquires about these timeless art pieces on my skin, simply because the quantity is constantly changing. Just this year alone, I've added 1...2...3...4...5 to the collection, 6 if you're counting the one I covered up a couple months after getting it (which I'll get into later).  Never in a million years did I think I'd have as many as I do, but I do and definitely intend on getting more. Quantity control for whaaat?!?

The backstory of how this whole journey began is simple: I've always loved tattoos...more specifically, I've always loved them on women. I wrote this really dope blog post some time ago about tattoos and femininity that will likely resurface on this blog later on. It dove into my passion for the art form itself and how - contrary to popular belief - it's possible for femininity to not be lost once a woman has chosen to cover her body in art. 

Thinking about where I am now with my work is what inspired me to start this blog post; because as much as image/physical appearance shouldn't matter, it's the first thing people notice and point out, so I'm officially a "tattooed woman" now. It's what prompts conversations, both welcomed and unsolicited, in spaces occupied by strangers and friends alike. And no matter how widespread tattoos have become in this day and age, it's always at least one person who still believes visible tattoos will stop someone from getting a job.

AANNTT...WRONG!!!

...but I always politely keep my sarcastic rebuttal to myself, because at the end of the day, it's my body and I do what I want with it. 

Speaking of being (j)ust (o)ver (b)roke, allow me to take a moment to address that: what if that's not even on my radar? I think the most frustrating thing about that argument is assuming that's the path all of us are on. Even if the assumption is valid, I've never had an issue landing a job in a competitive market. Having tattoos  I could easily hide use to be a concern of mine, but as I got older that shit became less and less important to me. Granted, I'm not walking around with ridiculous face tats and an obnoxious name tattoo in block letter font wrapped around my neck, but still...that's never been my personal experience...and I've been working since I was 16. For the most part, I can still cover mine up if I so choose to.

My mindset literally went from 'damn...I need this job' to 'damn...now I have no choice BUT to make my dreams happen', which essentially pushed me out of survival mode into something much greater than that. Now here I am, a tech enthusiast/freelance web designer running her own business with #HellaTattoos and the potential to turn a small startup into a multi-million dollar empire one day and although I'm not quite there yet, a girl can dream, right?

via GIPHY

I don't mind feeding into my obsession, simply because I know I'm creating my own lane. One day it just clicked that I am my own person with a mission to create my own lane/identity and not be forced to restrict myself to societal limitations; it's never been about  trying to "being cool" or keep up with the trend of what's been deemed as millennial culture. I truly believe people who love tattoos and love being covered in tattoos has that same mindset, which I think is pretty dope. Quiet honestly, I'm deeply inspired by the pure rebellion of it all.

-Signing off as-
Chymere A. ♡