Tattoo's

I love getting tattoo’s! That being said, I have strict rules that govern why I get a tattoo. I know, and am related to, many people who get tattoo’s for no real reason. They walk into a shop and pick some random character off the wall, or they feel as if they are making a social statement by getting something tattooed on their bodies.

I am not a person that marks their body up without thinking it through. All of my tattoo’s are mantra’s that I want to remember in life. One of my mental and artistic breakthroughs happened while living and writing in Paris.

I was working on a new play. The writing was going pretty good and I was really enjoying the experience. When writing, I typically go walking and carry along a lap top, my iPAD these days. I find any place that inspires me and I sit down and allow the area around to inspire me. I remember walking in the sun and being a bit lost in my thoughts. Then it occurred to me, my head was absolutely clear! I was not angry or sad or frustrated or…well anything other than completely clear headed. That’s when the idea was dropped into my head that “Life Creates Art & Art Creates Life”. That one short line was signaling a paradigm shift happening in my life. Suddenly, I understood how to create and what I had to do to create…LIVE!

Since that time, “Life Creates Art & Art Creates Life”, has become a cornerstone in my life. It also became the line that defined my play “Creating Life”. When I get creatively jammed or if life just gets a bit blurry, I go for a walk and live. I know that somewhere along the walk, a combination of breathing, seeing, tasting, smelling, experiencing will clear my head and the creative inspiration will return!

So that’s the mantra I have tattooed on the inside of each forearm! No dragons, no lost pined over lovers name, no social statement meant to define me to strangers. A simple idea that has served me well to remember!

Cheers,
McKendree