A survivor of addiction and suicide attempts, my tattoos remind me I am a unique human being with a story worth telling.
Want to learn more about this competition?
Learn MoreIn a particularly bad rut, I was struggling to find anything positive. Knowing how much I love my tattoos, I decided to get one I could see all the time. A simple stemmed rose (cliche, but it’s my middle name and a connection to who I’m meant to be) that curves over the top of my hand and wrist. I also worked to design a tattoo with an artist to represent a 2022 overdose and how it eventually led to long term sobriety; a future of hope. I’m not able to get it for financial reas
If your ink could speak, what would it say?My body has taken a serious beating in its relatively short 30 years. Accidents, assaults, illness, self-harm (cutting) and destructive vices have left my skin scarred, stretched then loosened, and overall weary. I do my absolute best to give it new life through art and imagery that redefines tragedy as magic. My ink says I’m never done growing and creating, that I’m not just a statistic or a number. My ink throws a wrench in the status quo. My tattoos are honor badges and a source o
What would you do with the $25,000?You know the poverty line? Well grab a shovel because to reach me you’ll have to dig 10 miles beneath it. With 25k I’d finally be able to buy a car, pay off some debts, and OF COURSE, get all the tattoos I have dreamed up but with no funds to make them a reality. I’d also do what I can to fight for disability rights in these uncertain, horrifying political times (I’m disabled). I face losing my housing, health insurance and social security benefits. I’ll take my fea
Vote for Olivia Vetrano to be the Inked Original while supporting a great cause! Cast your daily vote below, or make a tax-deductible donation to help provide financial and emotional support to families of children with cancer.
Body art deserves to be shown off.
