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Everyone remembers theirfirst tattoo.
Tann Parker
they recall to me on the phone.
The rest are submissions from other tattoo collectors or artists.
Typically, each post will include the tattooist’s name or Instagram handle.
Tann Parker’s body tattoos
Sometimes the submitted posts include a few words from the submitter about their relationship with tattoos and tattooing.
Some of these events center around exclusion within the tattoo industry.
All this conversation and tattoo activism wasn’t the initial plan for Ink the Diaspora, Parker says.
The first design that Parker tattooed on themself.
It was actually much simpler.
To Parker, the experience of getting tattooed is nothing short of euphoric.
However, it could be difficult to find artists who worked on darker skin tones.
The first tattoo Parker did on another person.
“I wondered, wait, where are all the other tatted-up people [with] my skin color?
I don’t see that,” they recall.
(Spooner has tattooed Parker a few times, including a cover-up of their first tattoo.)
Parker’s work on another client
The first design that Parker tattooed on themself.
The first tattoo Parker did on another person.
Parker adds that many of these portfolios also tend to feature mostly slimmer bodies.
Photographed by Joe Lingeman
“Community has a purpose, whether it’s protecting one another or coming together in terms of nourishment.
It always serves others and not just ourselves,” they say.
Even the name for the account came from a friend.
It was that same community that inspired Parker to learn how to tattoo.
Moving forward, they want to have more varied conversations around tattoos and invest in archival storytelling.
As an expert in curation, it’s no surprise Parker has some excellent product recommendations, too.
Don’t let the [compact] size fool you."
“I got a water bottle at the beginning of quarantine in 2020.
I couldn’t do anything, but Icouldstay hydrated.
Switching to aYetiwith a [reusable] straw lid was the best decision because I do enjoy a straw.
I’m sorry, turtles!”
“I’m a sucker for strawberry-flavored things like ice cream and candies.
So these feel like more of a gem.
I’m salivating just talking about this.”
