Connection – the art of it all

Connection is the invisible thread that turns experience into meaning. It’s what brings the lessons of patience, purpose, and meaning together — the point where everything starts to feel alive.

Today’s Artist Hour subject was the American swallow. In traditional tattooing, the swallow represents loyalty, trust, and homecoming. Sailors used to wear it as a promise — that no matter how far they drifted, a part of them would always find their way home. That symbolism hits close to me. After decades in the service and multiple trips around the globe, I know what it feels like to be far from home — not just physically, but emotionally. To carry duty and distance in equal measure. Now, art has become my compass. Each tattoo, each story shared across the chair, feels like another way of finding my way back — not just to others, but to myself.

The Inktober prompt for today was “shredded.” I could’ve gone literal with it — torn fabric, broken metal — but I saw something more human. I drew a woman walking it off, her jeans ripped and her knees bloodied, but still moving forward. That’s connection too — the quiet bond we feel with others who’ve been through their own version of the fall and kept going anyway.

The thing about connection is, it isn’t built in perfection. It’s found in the cracks, in the shared scars, in the moments when we let others see the raw edges. Just like the swallow’s wings, we earn our way back home through endurance and trust.

The swallow and the woman both tell the same story — one of resilience and belonging. One finds its way home through instinct. The other keeps walking forward through grit. Both remind me that connection isn’t something you chase — it’s something you build through honesty, effort, and presence.

Connection is where the pieces of purpose and meaning start to weave together. It’s the heartbeat of creation and the soul of service. It’s how our stories — and our scars — find their place in something larger than ourselves.

And that, to me, is the real art of it all.

Once we find real connection — to our craft, to others, and to ourselves — something shifts. The work stops being just practice and starts becoming part of who we are. Each piece, each story shared across the chair, leaves a mark that is carried by both.

Connection gives us roots, but it also gives us wings. It grounds us in purpose while pushing us to reach higher — to create with more intention, to put others first and give more of ourselves in every line. That’s when the work begins to outlive the moment. Each tattoo becomes part of both stories — theirs and mine — woven into something that lasts beyond the session.

When we understand what ties us together, we’re finally ready to carry it forward. That’s where legacy begins. This is what I will add to our blog sleeve next.