Shelley

I'm a musician, circus artist, and educator. So much of my journey in the last decade has been about growing into my body and my identity - as an artist, an aerialist, and as a non-binary person. I got my first tattoo (stick and poke of Orion) in a friend's kitchen 8 years ago. My tattoos are a colorful scrapbook of who I am and who I've been, and a reminder that it's okay to take chances and make bold decision, and to lean into the permanence and impermanence of it all.


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A figure in a leopard print dress and green hair poses dramatically against a black background in an artistic portrait.
A figure with green hair poses against a black background wearing a patterned short dress and displaying visible tattoos.
Studio portrait of someone with bright green hair wearing a black camo dress against a dark background.
Studio portrait against black background showing figure with green hair in black patterned dress with visible tattoos.
Figure wearing black and gold patterned dress with green hair poses dramatically against dark background showing tattoos.
Dancer in black and gold patterned bodysuit with green hair leaps gracefully against dark background in artistic pose.
Two cat-themed tattoos on an arm showing a simple head design at top and a full cat with heart speech bubble below.
Two tattoos on an arm showing a decorative wolf design and small red flowers with a black circular symbol below.
Minimalist black linework tattoo of a spotted wildcat above small red flowers and a circle design on someone's arm.
Black tattoo of a hand holding a delicate dandelion flower design on someone's forearm.
Simple black line tattoo of a seated figure with legs raised drawn in a minimalist style on skin.
Two turquoise tattoos on legs showing a heart design and a cartoon skull with crown design.
Small teal and red geometric heart tattoo with a smiling face and dripping liquid design on an arm.
Multiple small tattoos decorate an arm including a cat, flower, puppy, and framed artwork in blue and black ink.
Traditional style tattoo showing a profile wearing a red cap with blue flowers and leaves on an upper arm.
Small constellation tattoo design featuring star patterns arranged on bare skin against dark background.
Simple dotted line tattoo showing two minimalist stick figure silhouettes with trailing dots on skin.
A figure in a leopard print dress and green hair poses dramatically against a black background in an artistic portrait.
A figure with green hair poses against a black background wearing a patterned short dress and displaying visible tattoos.
Studio portrait of someone with bright green hair wearing a black camo dress against a dark background.
Studio portrait against black background showing figure with green hair in black patterned dress with visible tattoos.
Figure wearing black and gold patterned dress with green hair poses dramatically against dark background showing tattoos.
Dancer in black and gold patterned bodysuit with green hair leaps gracefully against dark background in artistic pose.
Two cat-themed tattoos on an arm showing a simple head design at top and a full cat with heart speech bubble below.
Two tattoos on an arm showing a decorative wolf design and small red flowers with a black circular symbol below.
Minimalist black linework tattoo of a spotted wildcat above small red flowers and a circle design on someone's arm.
Black tattoo of a hand holding a delicate dandelion flower design on someone's forearm.
Simple black line tattoo of a seated figure with legs raised drawn in a minimalist style on skin.
Two turquoise tattoos on legs showing a heart design and a cartoon skull with crown design.
Small teal and red geometric heart tattoo with a smiling face and dripping liquid design on an arm.
Multiple small tattoos decorate an arm including a cat, flower, puppy, and framed artwork in blue and black ink.
Traditional style tattoo showing a profile wearing a red cap with blue flowers and leaves on an upper arm.
Small constellation tattoo design featuring star patterns arranged on bare skin against dark background.
Simple dotted line tattoo showing two minimalist stick figure silhouettes with trailing dots on skin.

Constellation Orion

I got my first tattoo (a stick and poke of Orion) in a friend's kitchen 8 years ago - the 10 starts symbolize 10 people I'd lost in my life. It was also the one constellation I could reliably find in the night sky growing up in northern California - a comforting presence in a time that was often unsure and chaotic.

The Sparkler and Mask-Exchange

The sparkler on my leg was my 10 year sobriety present for myself.  The two people trading masks on my shoulder was a piece of flash I was drawn to, a handful of years ago. I didn't really know why, until I started to find the words for being non-binary. Now I see it as an image of shape-shifting and trying on new identities.

Halloween & skulls

The Halloween flash on my shoulders has been October birthday presents to myself. The skull and heart on my thigh are a pair - done by the same artists some months apart. Together they speak to the idea that death fuels life and life fuels death. Heavy, but also I love how joyous and whimsical they both look.  They're a lot bigger and bolder than anything I would have dared to put on my body for a long time.  

Baseball, etc

The girl with a baseball hat on my shoulder—I grew up a huge baseball fan, then drifted away from sports as I grew older.  Then when my mom's dementia started getting worse and we moved her to Chicago to be closer to me, baseball and going to Cubs games was one of the few things that she latched onto and that made her happy.  So I started going to games again and listening to games and it was like giving that weird misfit kid I was a second chance. Some of my other tattoos are just cheeky and fun—a sexy pin-up ghost, a cat wearing sunglasses, a screaming gay possum (I mean, aren't we all at this point?).

 

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