Photo and story by Steve Barnum / Contributing photographer
Agriculture Business major Luke Blackburn laughingly says his historic tattoo of a snake with the saying “Don’t tread on me,” is “badass.”
“That’s what I always grew up with, it was like my parent’s slogan,” says the junior. “I wanted the saying but I didn’t want the flag. I kind of wanted something different.”
Luke explained that he isn’t picky when it comes to his tattoos and gets whatever he likes. When it comes to his “don’t tread on me” tattoo, he gives full credit to his artist Ian White at Safe House Tattoo in Nashville.
Photo and story by Steve Barnum / Contributing photographer
Allyson Golden is a senior majoring in Art Practices. She has a tattoo of a Great Auk that she got on her 23rd birthday.
“It represents an ex-boyfriend. When I met him I had a Dodo tattoo already, which is an extinct bird, and his business card had a Great Auk on it, which is also an extinct bird, and I was like ‘Oh my God this is meant to be,’” Golden says with a smile.
However, the same night she got the Great Auk tattoo things took a turn for the worse.
Allyson said later that day — still her birthday, mind you — they went out to celebrate at a bar, and her ex-boyfriend ended up cheating on her, hitting on her friends and kissing another girl.
Golden says, “I don’t really think of him when I see it, but it reminds me to trust your gut and if you think somebody is a scumbag, they’re probably a scumbag. And you can let your past define you, but in a positive way.”
Photo and story by Steve Barnum / Contributing photographer
Matt Zumwalt is a PHD Student in his second term majoring in Film Studies. Zumwalt describes his tattoo as a “’Mad Max’-looking guy riding a bicycle.”
“I was working as a dog walker and a bike messenger and spent 10 to 12 hours a day on a bike.”
The tattoo represents the in-between time of his life when he had graduated with a Masters degree, but had not yet decided to go back to school for his PHD.
“It’s funny, whenever people ask me to explain my tattoos I feel like I don’t ever have much to say. I just kind of get things that I like and have always sought out artists (whose artwork I enjoy),” explains Zumwalt.
Zumwalt’s tattoo was done by his friend, Kevin Leary, of Great Lakes Tattoo, and he stated that it’s probably one of his favorite tattoos.
Photo and story by Steve Barnum / Contributing photographer
Senior Journalism major Altima Sisavad proclaims to be obsessed with the band One Direction. The tattoos on her inner arm are some of her favorite song titles by One Direction.
“Around 2012 my younger cousin was like, ‘You need to listen to One Direction,’ and I said ‘Yeah, OK I’ll listen to them with you.’ Then it just went further than what I really wanted it to,” Sisavad recalls.
“In 2013 I went to my first One Direction concert, and it was their ‘Take Me Home’ tour and these are the songs that they performed.”
The titles on her arm are “What Makes You Beautiful,” “Up All Night,” “Little Things” and “Live While We’re Young.”
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