Angelina has several tattoo stories!
Story 1:
This was a piece I’d seen graffitied around Austin for years, and it always spoke to me. I loved spotting it in random places—it became one of those small joys you look for when you’re out walking or hiking. After a couple of years, I realized I wanted it as a tattoo. Since it wasn’t mine, I reached out to the original artist, Jason Eatherly, to ask permission. He was incredibly kind and gave me the go-ahead. A friend then introduced me to Andrew at Art Realm Tattoo, who ended up doing the piece.
Originally, I thought I’d get it at half the size, but Andrew was honest and said shrinking it down would lose too much of the detail and wouldn’t do the original artwork justice. I really appreciated that. He made sure the piece stayed true to what it was meant to be. It turned out to be such a lovely experience—thoughtful, connected, and full of good energy from start to finish.
Art by: Art Realm Tattoo – @artrealmtattoo, Tattoo by Andrew Matela at Art Realm in Austin, TX , Andrew Matela @andrewmatela
Story 2:
These two tattoos—the Grinch and the cactus ghost—are special to me not just for what they are, but for who I got them with. The Grinch is a matching tattoo I have with my brother and my aunt. It was totally spontaneous, which is part of what made it so fun. The cactus ghost came from what’s become a bit of a tradition: an annual tattoo outing with a close friend. We’ve gotten a few together over the years—not all matching, but always side by side.
Even though both of these tattoos were pretty impulsive, they still hold a lot of meaning. They remind me that while tattoos are permanent, the choice to get one doesn’t always have to be heavy. Sometimes it’s about the joy of the moment, the people you’re with, and having a silly or sweet story to look back on. Not every decision has to be monumental to be meaningful.
Tattoo art by: ____________________
Story 3:
This tattoo is a stick and poke done by Jason Eatherly—the same artist behind the Queen Elizabeth graffiti piece I had tattooed earlier. He’s one of those artists who’s constantly shifting mediums, always exploring and evolving. For a short time, he started offering hand-poked tattoos, and I just happened to catch it and snag a spot. He sent out a small sheet of flash designs, and one of them immediately stood out to me. We made a few tweaks in person to make it more personal—changing up some of the elements so it really felt like mine.
It meant a lot to get tattooed directly by someone whose work I’ve admired for years, especially after he’d already given me permission to carry one of his pieces on my body. I know I’ll end up getting another from him someday now that he’s tattooing in shops, and I’m genuinely looking forward to that next chapter.
Design by Jason Eatherly – @jasoneatherly, Website: www.jasoneatherly.com
Story 4:
While traveling through Europe, a close friend and I had planned to get tattoos along the way. We ended up overlapping with another friend in her hometown of Brescia, Italy, and she told us one of her childhood best friends—Bruno—is a tattoo artist there. We looked up his work and were immediately blown away. Bruno and his team at Manifesto welcomed us like family. The studio was beautiful and calm, the kind of place you instantly feel lucky to be in. Bruno created the designs from scratch and adjusted every detail to make sure they fit us perfectly. His hand was incredibly light, and his care showed in every part of the process.
The tattoo I got that day—a delicate piece we learned together was wisteria—felt like it found me. I hadn’t known much about the plant, but once we looked it up, I realized how much I saw myself in it. That felt like a sweet parallel, because Bruno didn’t know me either, and yet he captured something so personal. Despite the language barrier, it was one of the kindest, most connected experiences I’ve ever had—an unexpected highlight of the whole trip.
Manifesto Tattoo – @manifesto_tattoo_collective, Bruno Soci – @bruno__soci