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Maddie Keating shows her arm before and after her tattoo by Brian Finn which covered her scars. Courtesy of Brian Finn hide caption
toggle caption Courtesy of Brian Finn
A few months ago, when we were in Toledo, Ohio, we spotted a small item in the Toledo City Paper about a tattoo artist named Brian Finn.
Finn has been tattooing for nearly 20 years. These days, he does it on his days off, too — but not for just anyone. On those days, he’s creating tattoos for people with scars caused by trauma: domestic violence, human trafficking or self-inflicted.
And he’s offering these tattoos for free.
“Otherwise, you know, they wouldn’t be able to get that done. Maybe they don’t have the money for it,” Finn says. “The cost of equipment isn’t that much. It just takes up my time, so if I can make somebody’s day better — or life better — just covering up a scar from a bad experience, I sleep a little better.”
Maddie Keating read the article in the paper, too. The 20-year-old had scars on her arms — from self-inflicted wounds — that she wanted to cover up.
“I started cutting when I was about 12,” Keating says. “I entered into a really deep depression, so for about six or seven years, I was pretty heavily self-harming.”
One of the places Keating cut herself the most was on her left forearm. Now, having come out on the other side of her depression, she says she doesn’t “want it quite that visible all the time.”
Keating hasn’t cut herself in years, and while she’s not ashamed of the scars on her arms, they are a reminder “of a really dark, hard time.”
She couldn’t afford the design she wanted — an ornate, stylized black-and-white rose — so she emailed Finn, asking “what’s the catch?” There wasn’t one. The two emailed back and forth for a few weeks, then set a date for the appointment.
The tattoo itself took about an hour and a half.
“It’s gorgeous,” Keating says. “And to think that I used to look at my arm and think ‘Wow, that’s so sad that I was so sad,’ and now I get to have this beautiful rose that Brian drew for me.”
As she watched Finn tattoo over her scars, she thought about how far she’s come.
“It felt almost like coming full circle. Out of emotional pain, I brought myself physical pain. And now, I took a little bit of physical pain for something really beautiful,” Keating says. “And it’s really nice to think that anybody that I meet will see something so beautiful and be able to appreciate it with me.”
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New York’s hottest jewellery designer and piercer is popping up in London for just 10 days.
Maria Tash, piercer to the stars and beauty industry elite, is launching in Liberty from February 19-29 to mark London Fashion Week.
Her celebrity fans include Gwyneth Paltrow, FKA Twigs, Beyonce and Miley Cyrus, all won over by her cutting-edge, innovative designs.
“I feel so privileged to be able to pierce and retail Venus by Maria Tash collection in such a historic yet contemporary department store alongside the most innovative and exciting names in designer jewellery, fashion and beauty. I’m proud to call Liberty my home during my time in London,” said Maria Tash.
A selection of Maria Tash’s new arrivals
This is the second time she has brought her skills to our fair capital, with a sell-out pop-up with Josh Wood Atelier last year.
This time round, you will be able to catch the launch of Maria’s latest collection ‘The London Edit’ and book in for ear and nose piercings in one of two pop-up rooms at the London department store.
Is it time to get your tragus done?
Follow Maria Tash on Instagram @venusbymariatash for piercing inspiration.
Piercings from £15 (minus cost of earring) at Liberty, from Feb 19-28. Call 0207 573 9858 or email mariatashbookings@liberty.co.uk for appointments, Walk-ins welcome.
Follow Kate on Twitter @kate_lough
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Coachella Fest and Stagecoach goers!
Want to commemorate your amazing weekend with a tattoo? Maybe you want to get a piercing before the festival to show off? Heatstroke Tattoo in North Indio will be doing specials both weekends for both events. We will be doing flash specials starting at $40 going to $100. Our piercing prices will range from $30-$45. Piercings on special will be lips, nostrils, septums, ears (industrial piercings not included), and belly buttons. Find us on Facebook or Instagram @heatstroke_tattoo to see some of our work. We have an artist to meet all your needs. Come by and say hello!
