ReWild Nature Tattoo Campaign: Heal Our Earth

My name is Tricia and I am the owner of Figure 8 Ink Studios, a bustling artisan Tattoo Studio & Art School in historic Fredericksburg, VA (an hour south of DC). My team of artists and instructors enjoy creating a safe place to create art in multiple mediums, for all demographics to enjoy, with a focus on the ancient art of inking the human body to show one’s passions and soulful expression of self. Before I started Figure 8, along with being a tattoo artist, I was a high school Art teacher for 8 years, and I am privileged to have a role as a community leader and mentor to many. I care deeply about education, professionalism, family, kindness, equality, community, artistic expression, validation of personal identify through art: especially body embellishment, and respecting all life on our beautiful planet. I recently watched David Attenborough’s life culmination film: A Life on Our Planet, on Netflix, and was deeply moved. I knew the situation with humanity’s impact on the environment was critical, but it really brought it into focus for me that NOW is the time for each of us to change/renew our mindset, to save ourselves, along with the balance of all life on this Earth. That “rewilding” our earth will heal us, solving so many interlocking problems, making us all more by abundant in the long term. That we MUST find balance, we must stop waste, we must learn, educate, become more sustainable, and take immediate action to address climate change. I began to think what I could do with my artistic voice and position in my community, to help. I have come up with a tangible plan of how I can use my business, my education, my art skills, my energy, and my time to aid in this fight. Rewild the World Tattoo Campaign to Heal Earth is a project I will be hosting: I have designed 4 custom tattoos from scratch, that anyone can book with me. The imagery is inspired by the situation, the beauty of nature, and the messages from Attenborough’s film. In it, he shows finding ammonite fossils as a boy, and how it made him ponder the balance of life and the time line of the world. I have been collecting ammonites for years, I find them visually stunning, and have always been fascinated by their adherence to the Golden Mean, a mathematical ratio expressed in nature and reflected in the visual appeal of countless famous artworks throughout history. I started the tattoo designs with the venerable ammonite, in my signature delicate expressionist style, and created several versions that would appeal to the greatest variety of people. One design focuses on animal life, one on plant life, both spiraling out of the ammonite base, and two designs are simply the ammonite with text. As owner and lead artist at Figure 8, I am offering to execute any of these four designs on any person able to be safely tattooed. My books are currently closed/fully booked but I will be fitting these pieces in around my other appointments and on my days off. I am asking for $100-400 minimum for each piece, depending on which design chosen, location on the body, and size of the tattoo. The tattoos will be done in my signature style which will include line weight variety, black and grey shading, expressive accents as shown in the designs, and stipple texture shading. I will give you a suggested price/number that your tattoo would usually cost before you get tattooed, and will expect you to give at least that minimum amount upon completion, in lieu of normal payment.  I will be DONATING ONE HUNDRED PERCENT of the funds from these tattoos to the following organizations : Sierra Club, World Wildlife Federation, The Rewilding Institute, National Geographic, and the Global Wildlife Conservation. I am not sure what percentage of the total raised will go to each, but I pledge to research and donate the funds to the most pressing and useful avenues of these 5 organizations possible, all of which are widely respected for their conservation and active efforts globally. I also am asking for each person that receives one of these tattoos to pledge to be aware and make an effort to become more sustainable and less wasteful. I understand this could mean little changes or big ones depending on the resources and inclination of the person, but anything helps and will be celebrated. I also am asking that to receive this tattoo you have watched the film A Life on Our Planet, or will be willing to watch it while you get tattooed. I also ask that you try to tell others about the film, help spread the word about everything and try to inspire others to care. I will also be giving you a short suggested follow list of conservation organizations and global leaders, for example @unitednations, @leonardodicaprio, @wwf_uk, @cnnclimate, @nationalparkservice, that are posting current events and pertinent ideas in this constantly evolving worldly situation. I will also be creating custom merch featuring the same Rewild design, such as t-shirts and prints that will be available for sale at the Studio or by mail order through our website at www.figure8ink.com. On our site you can also read my full bio, see my tattoo and fine arts portfolio, and see lots more about Figure 8 and all of the community projects we have been involved in in the past. To book your Rewild Tattoo please email our Studio through our website or give us a call, you can make your appropriate donation  of $100-400 minimum directly to this gofundme account upon completion of your tattoo. Anyone can also donate randomly if they so choose without getting a tattoo. I have made a $500 personal donation to begin this fundraiser. Thank you for your time and energy joining in my Rewild tattoo campaign! Let’s make this big, spread the word! We CAN and WILL make a difference in Rewilding/healing our earth! ✌