Inking Ideologies

One piece of advice you remind yourself of often:
Good things come to those who wait. Everything requires a lot of patience and in a world that moves very fast, people have lost the concept of patience and the art of working towards an identifiable goal.

What’s something that a lot of people don’t know about you?
A lot of my tattoos act as moral compasses. My dad was a man of principles—he believed that in order to live life meaningfully, you need a set of values set in place. So my tattoos are related to that, either with regards to life or personal values. The one on my hand is based on the Ensō from Zen—a closed circle represents perfection, but an open circle indicates that there is room to grow.

A personal belief you hold dear:
I really believe in minimalism. Not the Marie Kondo type but in terms of reducing yourself and letting the world influence you. There’s the saying that the cup is not half-empty, it’s half-full. So it’s just the notion of letting everything around you shape you.

How do you think we can apply minimalism to different aspects of our lives?
I’ve been trying to reduce waste, and I try to practise sustainability by being very conscious about the amount of plastic I use. It’s very hard to influence the industry from a personal level, but I do what I can to influence other people. I feel that it’s the companies’ responsibility to instil this mindfulness and its impact on the environment.

Any artists you admire?
I follow a lot of tattoo artists—@wen_phandy_wanramen and @dzo_lama are some of them.

What’s the most memorable trip you’ve been on?
My trip to Peru in 2016. I fell in love with the Spanish culture, so I picked up the language. Language break s down barriers, and helps in understanding a bit more about the people and the location. Inevitably, when you learn a language, it changes the way your mind views the place. You learn a lot about culture through the history and etymology of a language.