for as long as i can remember, i have always loved tattoos. i was 12 when i decided that i would get a tattoo on my 18th birthday. i told myself it was going to have to be something that i liked for a full year before inking it on my body permanently and i did just that. over the years, i added a couple more. i have gone with countless friends to their appointments and even paid for my brother’s first tattoo when he was 18 (he has since lapped me and has full sleeves). i truly believe they are an art form.

fast forward to the beginning of this year. alan (one of my best friends from undergrad at scu) is someone who not only understands the beauty of tattoos, he is someone who truly understands me. we have grown up together in so many ways, especially when you consider how much a person evolves from 18 to 30. add some bonus points in for people like us who also value working on our mental and emotional health/wellness. i had been wanting some more tattoos for quite some time and had a list of things i wanted. however, i had this vision and thought he might call me crazy – i wanted us to get matching tattoos. before even discussing what it could be, he agreed immediately.

i was amped. we tossed around countless ideas of both matching and connected tattoos. nothing was totally sticking. we made an appointment for a few months out so there would be some time to decide. one day, i asked how he felt about a skull with flowers. he was equal parts shocked and on board. we were all set for april and then covid swept through. we pushed out the appointment to june and it was the best decision we could have made.

our tattoo artist made us feel incredibly comfortable, she is ridiculously talented, has the most genuine spirit and alan and i are both counting down until our next appointment with her. you can check out ruby and her amazing work here.

alan had done so much research about ruby and we knew we trusted her. we gave very little instruction aside from wanting skulls with flowers and the general size of the tattoo. i went first and it was seamless. alan ended up getting two tattoos – it seemed like ruby could read our minds.

here is the finished product!

not only were we thrilled the finished product, we didn’t give her an exact number for the flowers but she chose three. alan and i have known one another across three decades (end of our teens, our 20s and now, our 30s), we turned 30 this year, alan is born on june 3rd and i have always loved the number 3 because both my brother and i are born on the 13th.

this photo was taken the day of so the color will settle in a bit differently once completely healed. even still, i am in love with them! i can’t wait for my next appointment with ruby.

do you have any tattoos? any questions about the process? let me know.

xoxo,

k. tap