Patrick Murphy

Connect What inspired your most recent tattoo?

My most recent tattoo was inspired by my journey towards redemption. As I previously stated, the theme is triumph over evil. The evil however, is my past and my redemption towards bettering myself. I am formerly incarcerated and in recovery, so it's obvious I had some really BAD tattoos with painful backstories. My tattoo artist did some big cover ups that helped me begin to heal from my past. Over the course of 100 hours, I covered my whole front and back torso with beautiful art work.

If your ink could speak, what would it say?

My ink would speak to the testament of rehabilitation and positive change. Through the difficult moments in my life, I was able to emerge better and stronger and my tattoos tell that story. They assert the potential we all have inside of us for greatness, love, and redemption. My tattoos also speak to the beauty of the world. The artistic mastery they showcase propose the power art has to inspire and demonstrate the beauty around us.

What would you do with the $25,000?

As a current re-entry 30 year old UC Berkeley student, I would use this 25k to fund my tuition. I have one year left of tuition to cover and life has been hard. I would love more tattoos as well, however it's getting truly impossible to fund them with my student loan payments, rent, and other expenses. Life is expensive, and I am able to do federal work study, which pays extremely poorly. I'm one year off from graduating, so this would be very helpful!