Enlightened Art & Tattoo

06/16/2026

But somehow I ended up with the coolest career imaginable.

06/11/2026

Another favorite from Indy Tattoo Expo.

This Mac Miller portrait took about 4 hours from stencil to finish, but there were many more hours behind the scenes before we ever got there.

This carousel shows a little bit of the whole journey. The final tattoo, the stencil peel, my original hand-drawn concept, different composition ideas, and even my brother standing on stage while the piece was being judged.

Mac Miller’s music has meant a lot to a lot of people, and it was an honor to create a piece inspired by an artist whose work continues to impact so many lives.

I am incredibly grateful to my brother for trusting me with this project and for sitting through a convention tattoo so we could bring it to life.

The older I get, the more I appreciate that tattooing is not just about the final piece. It is about the story, the process, the trust, and all the little moments that happen along the way.

Swipe through to see the full journey.

06/09/2026

One of my favorite pieces from Indy Tattoo Expo.

This pomegranate was such a fun project from start to finish. Amelia trusted me with the design, made the trip to Indy, sat through a convention environment, and absolutely rocked it.

One of the coolest parts was seeing her piece make it into the Top 5 for Small Black & Grey. While we did not take home an award in that category, seeing it under the lights and on stage was a moment I was really proud of.

Funny enough, while I was drawing this design, we had Bohemian Rhapsody playing in the background, so it feels fitting that Queen ended up being the soundtrack for this post too.

I am incredibly grateful for clients who trust me with their ideas, support my growth, and come along for adventures like tattoo conventions. It means more than you know.

Swipe through for the final tattoo, competition moments, the stencil, and a little behind the scenes look at how the design came together.

06/08/2026

We spent the weekend at the Indy Tattoo Expo and had such a great time.

Good art, good food, good conversations, and a lot of laughs.

One of the biggest surprises of the weekend was taking 3rd place in the Japanese category. We entered on a whim, and I definitely did not expect a tiny little toad tattoo to do so well. I am incredibly grateful for the recognition.

Saturday and Sunday, I intentionally entered competitions, and I could not have done that without my amazing clients, Amelia and Caleb. Thank you both for making the drive, sitting for hours, and trusting me with your projects.

We made it into the Top 5 for Small Black & Grey, and while we did not place, it was an honor to make it to the final round.

Finishing Caleb’s piece was one of those moments where I stepped back and felt genuinely proud of how it came together.

Awards are exciting, but honestly, what I am most grateful for is the trust my clients place in me. Every project, every opportunity, every mile driven to support me means more than you know.

Feeling inspired, grateful, and ready to keep pushing myself and growing.

05/30/2026

First tattoos are exciting and overwhelming and nobody really prepares you.
So I’m preparing you.
Save this for yourself or send it to someone who needs it.

05/28/2026

Strength, loyalty, protection, endurance. The feeling of carrying weight quietly and continuing forward anyway.

Really loved bringing this piece to life and building the atmosphere around the arch and posture of the figure. It feels calm, heavy, and reflective all at the same time.

Projects like this always remind me why I love storytelling through tattooing so much.

05/26/2026

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about tattooing is that it starts and ends with art.

And while drawing is part of it, tattooing is also reading skin, understanding anatomy, managing energy, adapting in real time, and carrying the responsibility of permanence into every appointment.

A tattoo is not paper.

Skin changes. Bodies move. People feel pain differently. Emotions are involved. Trust is involved.

The reason great tattooing can look effortless is because there is so much happening underneath the surface that most people never see.

And honestly, that is part of what makes me love this craft so much.

05/25/2026

Signs by yours truly 🫶

Obsessed with the new farm stand signs! 😍🌿

Can’t wait til this summer when we have fresh garden goodies & flowers!!

Shout out to our cousin Caitlin for the beautiful artwork! I love it 🥰 (I’ll tag her in the comments!)

05/25/2026

Someone asked me recently if I regret any of my tattoos, and honestly I had to think about it for a second.

Because I do not really see my older tattoos as mistakes.

I see them as proof of who I was at that point in my life. What I loved, what I needed, what I was searching for, what mattered to me then.

Of course I am not the same person now.

That is kind of the point.

I think a lot of what people call “tattoo regret” is really just growth. Distance between old versions of yourself and who you are becoming.

But that older version of you still deserved to exist. Still deserved to take up space. Still deserved to leave a mark.

And honestly, I think there is something really beautiful about being able to look at your skin and see evidence that you have lived through different seasons of your life.