Elise Dowling

My most recent tattoo was a firefly on my left hand. Even though I’m overtly afraid of insects; I have always been fascinated by the way firefly’s are able to light up the night sky. What ultimately inspired me to get this creature as my first hand tattoo was because I read a book called “Where the Crawdad’s Sing”. In the book firefly’s are used as a symbol of taking power away from the male species. I read this after I was SA’d by a tattoo artist on my

My ink would say that imperfections are the inner workings of true beauty. Although I am not straight by any means, I am able to showcase a piece of artwork on a body that has been through so much adversity. My ink has transformed into new pieces over the years that show a glimpse of the person I continue to aspire to become. Overall, it makes others question by analyzing my true meaning, which gives the eye of the beholder a skepticism about the work of art.

I would use some of it to pay off my student loan debt as I’m about to graduate after a rough start to the year of 2025. I would also pay for my mother’s head stone as she just passed away on Jan. 24th, 2025 almost 5 years after losing my father back in 2020. It’s been really hard without having my parents in my corner, but I’ve been doing my best to keep pushing on in their honor everyday of my life.