Tattoo Story: Maegan

“My first tattoo was the lotus on the back of my neck. I got it for my mom. She passed away when I was really young - because it represents rebirth and growth.

I wanted to scrub it off as soon as I was done, I completely regretted it. I want to get rid of it because my body was unclean now. I probably felt that way for six months, until it finally healed and settled in. After that it took me two years to get my next one. The second one was representative of my fall from faith, after she passed away. And that one says Broken Hallelujah, in her handwriting because of the song.

It is a good song. It’s traveled with me throughout my life, and meant different things along the way. It has brought me through breakups, and I don't think that it's necessarily a religious song. It gives connotation to the Bible and everything, but it's just that we're broken human beings and we fall. There's a line in the original song, that says "Whether you hear it broken or you hear a holy, it's Hallelujah," meaning it's like a cry for help. So it doesn't have to be to God. It can be something bigger than yourself. So that's why I got that, in memory of her. But I stopped believing in God after my mom died.

I got a lot of American traditional tattoos because it stemmed from my best friend. He has a lot of American traditional tattoos and was a big influence on me starting to get more. He helped me find out how to evaluate tattoos and tattoo artists - That made me look at tattoos in a whole different way, because, at first, I just looked at it as an entire piece of art. And now I look at the artistry of making that tattoo itself.

I found a phenomenal artist. His name's Ishmael, at Lucky Devil. Since then, I've only gone to him, because I love his style. We're really good friends now so I feel comfortable telling him the stories behind my tattoos.

Tattoos are a timestamp of your life and the way that you think. It's fun to look back at them and see the way that you change your views on things, and the way that your mind expands, and how different of a person you can be, from getting one piece to the next.” - Maegan

Photos and stories created by Gray Warrior - Colorado Photographer. You can find more of his work on Instagram @Gray_Filter