What I Learned from Tatoo Artist Kat Von D

My husband, Steve, has a few tattoos. I remember when I first saw them, I didn’t know what to think. Only my two uncles who served in the Navy had tattoos! But, as I got to know him and love him, I understood the meaning behind each tattoo and how each one adds a subtle piece to his persona. He recently got a new tattoo of a war pony as a birthday present to himself. It’s a replica of a piece of Native American artwork that hangs over our fireplace mantle. The tattoo artist did an amazing job of recreating the pony!
Last year, he introduced me to this show on TV called “LA Ink.” It’s about a girl named Kat Von D, who owns her own Tattoo Shop and it features her and her staff and the interesting people they tattoo. The stories really are incredible. Many of the people get tattoos of deceased relatives, so that aspect is really interesting to both Steve and me.
On the last show, Kat was talking about writing a book based on her journals. She has kept journals of her personal thoughts about the people she has tattooed over the ten years she has been in business. She records the story behind each tattoo and then captures her feelings about the person and the tattoo. She said it helps her “process the incredible stories I encounter, so I don’t carry all that stuff around with me.”
This really hit home with me! I have been struggling with this very topic: how to clear myself each day of the client stories that I encounter. What a great idea! Journal my personal feelings and honor those feelings every day, after each client session.
Oh, I do EFT, primarily using some of my favorite scripts and the “Self Love” script from Brad Yates. However, some of the stories stay with me and I allow those to weigh me down. Sometimes, I get this “heavy head” feeling, which reminds me of the way I have felt in the past whenever I have had strep throat.
After learning about this idea, I sat down and captured my thoughts and feelings around the clients I saw this week. This was so therapeutic and liberating!!!
Thanks, Kat Von D!