Closing out 2025

As this year closes out—one that hasn’t been easy—I find myself drawn to quieter, older things.

The smell of good pipe tobacco.

Timeless jazz—voices like Ella and Louis, carrying joy and weight in the same breath.

Small rituals that remind me to slow down and pay attention.

I don’t romanticize the past. It wasn’t simpler—just more deliberate. Craft mattered. Intent mattered. What people made had to stand on its own.

That’s the headspace I’m working from right now.  Lately, I’ve been reminded that slowing down isn’t stepping away—it’s returning to the fundamentals, and choosing to show up with intention.

This week, I’m letting classic tattoo designs guide my hand. Bold lines. Clear symbolism. No excess. Those designs endured because they were built on fundamentals—clarity, purpose, and respect for the craft.

That same foundation is at the heart of Honor and Ink™.

Every tattoo I do is guided by three things:

Integrity. Respect. Purpose.

Integrity means I won’t put something on your skin I wouldn’t stand behind for life.

Respect means your story matters, whether it’s spoken or carried quietly.

Purpose means every line earns its place.

“Honor in Every Line” isn’t a slogan—it’s a standard. What we create should mean something now, and still hold its ground years from today.

There are plenty of modern comforts worth appreciating, and someday they’ll be someone else’s nostalgia. But the values that last don’t change.

Craft. Honesty. Doing the work the right way.

That’s where I’m planted. Looking back just enough to stay anchored in what endures—honor in every line.