For Skin Deep, I was inspired to create a project that highlights the artistic nature of tattoos and their powerful ability to communicate deeply personal narratives. Tattoos are often misunderstood or dismissed as purely aesthetic choices, but I was drawn to their rich potential as visual storytelling tools—symbols worn on the body that can reveal private histories, memories, and emotional journeys. Rather than focusing solely on the craft of tattooing, I aimed to use its language and form as a vehicle to spark a broader conversation about identity, transformation, and the universal experiences that shape us.

My process began with researching the historical and cultural roots of tattooing. I was especially intrigued by how tattoos have long served as a form of visual communication across various cultures—marking rites of passage, personal achievements, affiliations, and even spiritual beliefs. This research offered me insight into the longstanding human impulse to inscribe meaning onto the body. From there, I turned inward, engaging in personal writing to reflect on my own lived experiences and the emotional currents that connect me to those around me. These reflections became the foundation for the work and led me to focus on two key themes: development and balance.

The concept of development relates to the evolving nature of the self—how we are constantly shaped by time, experience, and internal growth. Balance, in turn, speaks to the ongoing effort to hold both beauty and hardship, clarity and confusion, within ourselves. These themes felt especially relevant to the symbolic potential of tattoos, which often serve as permanent reminders of impermanent moments.

To convey these ideas visually, I set out to create work that was direct in subject matter yet open-ended in symbolism. I wanted the pieces to resonate on a personal level, inviting viewers to bring their own interpretations and emotional connections to the imagery. To do this, I created digital collages made from layered symbols, marks, and photographs. These collages functioned as visual sketches, allowing me to construct complex compositions that represented different emotional or psychological stages within the broader narrative. These digital drafts then became reference points for the final hand-drawn illustrations.

Each piece in Skin Deep was rendered using a ballpoint pen inserted into a tattoo machine. This unconventional technique produced a unique mark-making quality—somewhere between writing, drawing, and tattooing—that reinforced the project’s themes. The choice of medium was intentional: it echoes the way tattoos are etched into the skin, but within the context of fine art. The result is a visual texture that is both intricate and personal, capturing the layered complexity of human experience.

The use of repeated dots within the designs symbolizes the accumulation of individual experiences that form a collective whole. When viewed together, these seemingly isolated marks come to represent a shared human story—each dot a person, a moment, or a memory contributing to the vast tapestry of life. Through this process, Skin Deep becomes not just a body of artwork, but a meditation on how we grow, endure, and express who we are beneath the surface.