It’s a really strange time right now. The coronavirus pandemic has shut down tattoo studios here in California since mid-March, so I’m now approaching almost 6 months of dealing with this reality. In terms of my career and livelihood, I’m not denying that this isn’t difficult, scary and worrying, but I’ve also experienced many positives from this pause. I learned to adapt quickly and to re-frame situations. I realized I’m much stronger, resilient and independent than I ever imagined. Of course this feeling of positivity comes and goes. It feels very turbulent. But I was surprised and thankful for normal life being turned on it’s head and the chance to re-build a more intentional one with better boundaries and awareness. We’re all obviously always a ‘work-in-progress’ but it’s feeling not quite as terrible as what I thought it would. I feel like my creativity needed this shift because pre-pandemic I was feeling burnt-out and I normalized an overwhelming work schedule. I plan on returning to tattooing with a better balance of operating - limiting the amount of custom designs I book per-week and limiting the amount of clients I tattoo per-day to just one! I feel like I will be a happier and calmer version of myself and the quality of my work will inevitably improve if I take these measures. We’ll see.....

I wanted to share some music that I’ve been listening too this month - Private World (who are also from Wales!) released their debut album ‘Aleph’. It’s really beautiful. L.A. Witch released their new record ‘Play With Fire’ - love it. Makes me really miss going to shows and getting sweaty : ( I’ll just imagine it instead. Then finally, Mary Lattimore has been releasing some new singles - ‘Sometimes He’s In My Dreams’ is utterly otherworldly. There’s something about harps that’s so comforting and reminds me of growing up in Wales. It feels very grounding and calming to listen to her music. I’m excited for the full record!!

Here’s a collection of photos from the last month:

Me and Phoebe, Cypress Park, Los Angeles. Photo by @oshoveit

Sunset at Elyria Canyon Park, Mount Washington, Los Angeles.

A night of stargazing and karaoke, Eagle Rock, Los Angeles.

Dusk through the trees at Lake Arrowhead, California.

A perfect afternoon with friends at Lake Arrowhead, California.

AUGUST 2020