A symbol. A quote. A face. A name. The inked lines peek out from under sleeves and pant legs, boldly adorn the wrists, shoulders, and calves of the bodies walking the streets. Tattoos may represent their bearers’ innermost truths turned outwards, begging the question: What story behind the symbol was so important that someone would render it a permanent fixture of their skin?

It takes courage and vulnerability to tattoo oneself—once done, there’s no hiding it from the public’s judgment or a lover’s eyes. Some serve as reminders to live up to one’s convictions, others pay homage to lost loved ones. Still others are survivors’  ways of transforming scars into new ones of their own design. A tattoo’s story begins long before its bearer lays down on the seran-wrapped bench, listening as the artist prepares the ink, closing their eyes as the needle first pricks the skin.