Meaning: The Depth Beneath the Surface
Meaning isn’t something you can force. It’s not a single moment of clarity or some grand revelation — it’s something you build through time, repetition, and perspective. It’s found in the layers, the same way shading and color give depth to a tattoo.
Today’s Artist Hour subject was the chrysanthemum. At first glance, it felt almost as complicated to sketch as it is to spell — a mess of overlapping petals and tight curves that seemed impossible to control. But once I broke it down into its simplest shapes, it wasn’t so bad.
That’s how meaning works too. From a distance, life looks chaotic — full of twists, layers, and details we can’t make sense of. But when you slow down and focus on one piece at a time, the beauty reveals itself. Meaning doesn’t live in the noise; it’s in the pattern we uncover through patience and perspective.
The Inktober prompt for today was “sweep.” It took me a while to land on an idea, but then the image hit me — that iconic scene from The Karate Kid, when Johnny’s coach yells, “Sweep the leg!” It’s a moment charged with meaning. Not because of the move itself, but because of what it represents: choice, pressure, pride, and integrity. These all resonate deeply with me.
I drew that scene — the two of them squared off in the ring — not as a moment of violence, but as a moment of decision. Meaning isn’t always clean or pretty. Sometimes it’s about how we respond when we’re pushed — when our principles are tested.
Meaning lives in the tension between what we can do and what we should do.
In art, it’s the difference between a tattoo that just looks cool and one that says something real. In life, it’s the difference between reacting and responding.
The chrysanthemum reminded me that complexity can be beautiful once you understand its rhythm. The “sweep” scene reminded me that meaning comes from intention — from the values behind our actions that truly define us. Both are lessons in awareness: know what you’re creating, and why.
Meaning gives weight to what we do. It connects purpose to feeling, and action to understanding. It’s what makes the work — and the life — worth the time it takes to create.
I used to find my meaning in service — as a medic, a first responder, and a Soldier. When those chapters closed, I had to redefine what meaning looked like for me. I feel blessed that I found art and tattooing to fill that space.
I truly hope I get the opportunity to share this blessing and connect with others.
Purpose gives us direction. Meaning gives us depth.
Next, I’ll be exploring Connection — how all these ideas, drawings, and stories begin to intertwine, and how the people we meet along the way help our art, and our lives, come fully alive. I don’t believe any of this is by chance, and I look forward to what lies ahead.