As children, we were mostly sheltered from all the oppressions and injustices which are characteristic of this world. We could have been a superhero for all we cared with no one telling us that this field isn’t as respectable a profession as medicine. Childhood, for many of us denotes a time when the future possibilities were endless. Those bittersweet memories act as a solace in times of loneliness which help us to believe in the perceived connectedness with others. For us, nostalgia reflects a yearning for simpler times sans the worry and complexities which abound adulthood. Many of us conjure the past as this rosy, ideal time when everything worked just fine. Why do we fall on back on the childhood nostalgia? In effect, it combines the heroic act of returning home with hurt the inability to go back to one’s roots and the ache that this longing causes. While ‘Nostos’ is a common theme in Greek literature, depicting an epic hero returning home, as in the case of the Odyssey, ‘Algos’ means ‘pain’. The word ‘Nostalgia’ has its roots in the Greek language. Nostalgia is one of the most evocative emotions felt by humans. A chance glimpse of a tv commercial from our childhood, or a packet of ‘Fatafat’, and our mind inevitably takes us on a stroll down the memory lane. “At the end of the day, all tattoos are gonna look kind of bad when you’re 80, so enjoy it now and just get what you want.We’ve all felt it. “Don’t think too hard about the future of the tattoo,” Nalle said. Overall, Nalle said the biggest piece of advice they can give to anyone planning on getting tattoos is to have fun with the process. “I’m hoping to do more patchwork style, so they’re not touching but pretty close together.” “I definitely want more (tattoos), I’m just super cautious about filling up too much space because I already have a lot,” Nalle said. While Nalle amassed 12 tattoos within two years, they said they plan to collect even more pieces in the future. “(Haku’s pose is) from the movie, but (my artist) added in the clouds and the little sprites (also from) the movie.” “You never want to get the same (tattoo) someone else has, so I sent (my artist) all my reference photos, and (he) made it into his own design,” Nalle said. They said they scrolled endlessly on Pinterest and Google, searching for inspiration in similar tattoos. Nalle said the process of getting their Haku tattoo lasted about six months, from the inception of the idea to the actual finished product. I feel like ‘Spirited Away’ is a movie that teaches you to appreciate your family, and that’s how (the tattoos are) connected.” “It was the media I consumed that really affected (me). “I was like, ‘What was something that really had an impact on me as a kid?’” Nalle said. Nalle said their Haku tattoo served as a continuation of their desire to reflect their family and upbringing in their tattoo designs. They received the tattoo in January 2021, with the piece taking 2 1/2 hours to complete - an honorable feat for their second tattoo, Nalle said.įrom the very beginning of their tattoo journey, Nalle said they drew inspiration from their early childhood memories - including a forget-me-not flower inspired by the floral landscape of their family’s vacation home in Maine. Through that video, Nalle said they discovered Jason Thomas, an artist specializing in anime tattoos. Nalle said they found the perfect shop for their idea on TikTok: Moon Tattoo on Anderson Lane. “I really loved the fantastical elements of (those) movies.” “I watched a lot of (Studio Ghibli) movies when I was a kid, more so than Disney,” the psychology junior said. One of their largest pieces, a depiction of the dragon Haku from “Spirited Away,” holds special importance to them, Nalle said, as do many other Studio Ghibli movies. Katie Nalle said they draw most of their inspiration from childhood memories and nostalgia when planning their tattoos. Mimi Calzada, Senior Life & Arts Reporter
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