Prologue
Benjamin Naiser
Today's special for me, it marks my 26th birthday and is the only time in my life when my birthdate date will read the same front to back. This is significant for me because recently I've been looking a lot at my past, and thinking a lot about my future.
Three short years ago I was a college graduate without much direction, now I sit in a position that seemed like it could only be a dream. Yet, a dream is always more desirable than reality. I feel like this new seating arrangement has pushed me from what I was, and made me eager to become what I will be.
My past has been a lot for me to process. I've been broken, lost, and bound; now I'm fixed, found, and free. The great conflicts in my life have been resolved. I spent over half a decade searching for a place to belong. Within the last year that long search ended, I settled in a beautiful city and hold a position at a reputable tattoo shop. These new factors have created a boundless amount of new opportunity, almost overwhelming at times. Though I often can't help but feel like something's missing. This is a void of my own creation, and I think it's healthy. I want to be a better artist, a better tattooer, and a better person.
When I come home after tattooing/ anything, I critique everything: myself, my art. It's rare I am as good as I want to be. The struggle is that I need to understand that these things will come with time and patience. The only reason I am where I am is because I wanted it, and that's the only way I'm going to get where I want to be. So I carry on, down the rabbit hole. Wise from my past, this is the prologue to my future.