sedra fleming

My Koi fish tattoo reminds me every day to keep swimming upstream. It symbolizes persistence through struggle, the fight to rise no matter the current. When life tried to pull me under trauma, adversity, severe ADHD, I chose to keep going. My ink honors that choice, to survive, to grow, to transform pain into strength. Every line tells me, ‘You’ve come so far. Keep going.’

My ink would say: ‘She survived, and she stayed soft.’ Every line of my Koi tells the story of a girl who left home at 13, fought through drugs/alcohol as a teen, trauma, chaos, but never let it harden her. My peacock stands proud, bold, beautiful, not bitter. My ink speaks of grit and grace, a fight to survive, to heal, to love. It’s not just art,it’s proof I fought for my life and kept my light.

I’d use it to pay off my neurodivergence coaching cert. I’d invest in a center for neurodivergent people, so I can guide others like me, kids and adults lost in chaos, neurodivergence, pain. I had no mentor, no roadmap. Now I want to be the guide I never had. I’d also tattoo a dragon on my back to mark my journey, like the legend. when the Koi swims upstream, it transforms into a dragon.