Alissia arnold

What inspired your most recent tattoo?

A bolt of lightning runs from my neck to my wrist, not just ink, but a current of energy I’ve always felt within. I’m drawn to the wild, the raw power of the earth. It’s chaos, it’s beauty, it’s me

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

If my ink could speak, it would tell you this: I didn’t get tattooed to decorate myself—I got tattooed to survive. Each piece replaced pain I couldn’t put into words. The lightning down my body is the storm I became. The lioness and her cub—my protection and my purpose. The vines on my wrist remind me I’m still growing. Tribal patterns trace my roots, my power, my unbreakable spirit. My ink is my truth—it doesn’t ask for permission, and it sure as hell d

What would you do with the $25,000?

I tell poetry with my hands—through ink, through touch, through creation. With $25,000, I’d give those hands the tools to speak louder. I’d build a sanctuary for healing, where my body care becomes ritual, and my massage work becomes medicine. I’d finish the canvas of my skin with symbols that saved me, and pour love into a brand that grew from survival. My hands have carried pain, held others, and built beauty—I’d finally let them build for me.