How I Got Here

About 6 years ago (I'm not entirely sure on that, my memory is a little fuzzy), an older male acquaintance of mine and his 19-20 year old daughter got matching tribal tattoos on the small of their back.

That was...odd...to me.

A couple years later, my brother-in-law and his brother got matching tattoos on their upper arms.  A kind of family crest that they designed.

I found that to be a pretty interesting idea.

At that point, I was pretty intrigued.  It happened around the same time that I really started getting into photography.  Those two things danced with each other in the back of my mind over the next several years.

Why would my brother-in-law, a young professional, choose to do something like that?  Weren't tattoos a niche thing?  Something that existed more on the periphery of society?

Then I started noticing, more and more, tattoos finding their way into the mainstream.  They weren't just for bikers or rock stars and groupies anymore.  They weren't just a rebellious thing for young people just coming of age.  They were appearing everywhere.

I was also getting better with my photography.

I slowly developed a framework of an idea in my mind.  I could combine the two.  I could create a photographic essay.  Something that would delve into the psychology of the mind behind the choice, and couple that with the beauty inherent in the art.

I pitched the idea among some people with some positive results.  I could do this.

As a husband, father, and professional software engineer, as often happens, routine and daily life got in the way.  The idea festered in the back of my mind.  It was refined and sharpened.

Almost a year ago now, my life took a dramatic change.  The particulars there aren't important.  But I needed, and still do, an outlet.  Something that I could point to and say "I did that".  Something that could give me a creative sense of accomplishment.

I couldn't do it all alone.  I enlisted a close personal friend with some experience in publishing and an excellent creative mind.  Together, we can bring this to fruition.  We can delve into this subject, and learn something about these interesting and amazing people and their choices.  Hopefully, I can make them feel beautiful, or handsome.  Powerful and insightful.  And maybe...we can sell a few books while doing it!

Thanks for letting me take up some of your time.  Hopefully, you'll enjoy the ride on our way to a finished project.

Jason T. Countryman