Andrew Valdez

Connect What inspired your most recent tattoo?

My latest tattoo is a tribute to resilience and faith, born from pain and transformed into purpose. I fell in love with islander culture—the strength, the symbolism, the way Polynesian tribal honors struggle, ancestry, and identity. There's beauty in the pain of getting it done, a sacred process that marks the body as a map of where you’ve been and the power of where you’re going.

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

My ink work tells of trials faced and conquered through faith. Guided by Christ, I rose through storms, each mark a testament to His grace. The patterns reflect my roots, strength in family, and divine protection. My scars are stories, my ink is praise—His light in every line, my past redeemed, my future claimed.

What would you do with the $25,000?

I’d invest in a leg sleeve that hits hard—art that speaks without words, draws people in, and lets me flip the conversation to Christ. Every piece would be a tribute to grit, grace, and the will to rise. The rest? I’d put it toward launching a movement—creating art that disrupts, heals, and proves that faith and fire can coexist in the same skin.