InkSpired Magazine Issue No. 64

On the Cover + Interview:

Tasha Nicole

Project X MASTER OF

ILLUSION: JOEL MEYERS

TATTOO ARTIST:

DANIELA DEGTIAR

TATTOOED MODEL:

NICILISCHES

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Tattoo Artist: Daniela Degtiar

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Tattooed Model: Nicilisches

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Art: The Voice of the Aztecs Through the Lens of Wes Billingslea

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Interview: Tasha Nicole 44 Piercing: Michael Christopher

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Project X 60 Master of Illusion 66 InkSpired Travels: Europe + Egypt

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High-Tech Redneck 86 InkSpiredMagazine.com

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Editor-in-Chief - Candies Deezy Liu Creative Director - Sean Hartgrove Art Director - David Rossa Features Writer: Simone Jane European Editor - Ákos Bánfalvi Staff Photographers - Radek Photography & Billy Ward

Tattoo Artist: Daniela Degtiar Interview: Ákos Bánfalvi Tattooed Model: Nicilisches Interview: Ákos Bánfalvi Photos: Brennpunkte Photography

Art: The Voice of the Aztecs Through the Lens of Wes Billingslea Words: Simone Jane Photos courtesy of: Wes Billingslea

Master of Illusion: Joel Meyers Words: Simon Jane Photos: Chris Ruggiero & Hawraa Aziz of Sweet Charms Photography InkSpired Travels: Europe + Egypt Words & Photos: Lauren Lindsey High-Tech Redneck Words: Scott O’Sullivan, The O’Sullivan Law Firm --------------------------------------------------

Interview: Tasha Nicole Photos: Radek Hruby Piercing with Michael Christopher Words: Simone Jane Photos: Jimmy Crook (@sincity_crook)

Who’s on the cover: Model: Tasha Nicole Photo: Radek Hruby

Project X Words: Simone Jane Photography: Elia Meschi, Luca Gaetano Pira, Tony Lamanna & Francesca Truddaiu

Advertising info: info@InkSpiredMagazine.com

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This month, in conjunction to the release of the new issue, InkSpired Magazine presents a brand new website for our readers, fans, and community.

We have been incredibly excited about announcing the news of this upgrade.

This means a new look and feel, as well as lots of fresh new content.

In Issue No. 64, we feature tattoo artist, Daniela Degtiar from Israel. Though she resists confining herself to one style, her tattoos can be identified as bold, creative, and original. Her interview reveals her trials and tribulations in her journey of becoming the tattoo artist today and what it’s like being a female tattooer at her skill level in a maledominated industry.

Tattooed model, Tasha Nicole boldly poses with a snake with photography

by Radek Hruby to claim the cover of InkSpired this month. Our Q&A with her reveals her history with modeling and her relationship with the tattoos on her body.

“Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” -Roald Dahl It’s one of my favorite quotes of all time and I live my life by it. I believe magic is all around us. All day, every day. You just need to look for it. Master of Illusion, Joel Meyers believes that magic allows you to experience the impossible, kind of like Roald Dahl’s quote. Joel’s job and passion is to make you see the magic.

Up close and personal. As a magician and entertainer, Joel has appeared on FakeOff on TruTV, Fool Us and Masters of Illusion on The CW, America’s Got Talent, SyFy, FOX, E, MTV, and NBC. The magic of summer is upon us, and our August issue is full of surprises.

Signed, Candies Deezy Liu, Editor-in-Chief

Positive Spin features Project X: a unique and extreme twist on how one man leverages tattooing to make a statement for a cause he is determined will save the planet. 40,000 Xs adorn this man’s body. Read why he has dedicated his physical body and spiritual self to animal rights activism.

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InkSpot - What “InkSpires” You? “Art and music are major sources of ‘InkSpiration’ for me.” -Evan Taylor “My tattoos make me stand out in a crowd. [They] make people stop and look. Some have meaning, yes, but others are just beautiful art work… They say your body is a temple, might as well paint the walls.” -@KirbyC01 “To me, tattoos represent standing up for what you believe in.” -Jessie Martinez “Tattoos are not about conforming or being a nonconformist. Tattoos should not be concerned with social stigmas or status, who you are, aren’t, or should be. Tattoos are a matter of self-expression. An expression of our sense of humor, our dark side, our pride, and our fears. They relay a need to be seen or a desire to remain hidden. They are hieroglyphs from our past to our present selves that transcend into the future. To me, tattoos are all of this… Well, this and the necessity for symmetry and distaste of blank space.” -@awarewoolph “Every time I see my tattoos, I am reminded of the obstacles I have overcome. Many days, this reminder keeps me going and is a constant source of inspiration.” -Britney Anderson

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DANIELA DEGTIAR Interview: Ákos Bánfalvi 32-year-old Daniela Degtiar was born in Israel. She lived in a small town near Tel Aviv and since she can remember, she was always painting, sketching and interested in all art forms. In Israel during that time, there were no age limit laws for tattoos or piercings. Anyone with parent approval could get work done.

Daniela’s first memory of a tattoo shop was at the age of 13. It was then that she knew she wanted to do it herself one day for a living.

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“I DON’T WANT TO LIMIT MYSELF BY SAYING THAT MY WORK BELONGS TO A CERTAIN STYLE OF TATTOOING…” InkSpiredMagazine.com

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What made you want to become a tattoo artist and how long have you been tattooing?

When I got to junior high school, I started hanging out after school in a local tattoo shop with friends and it used to be the highlight of my day. I never fitted in the school system and in general to the Israeli culture. Most of the time I felt like an outsider and I always dreamed of a way out of that country. I never wanted to work in an office or to conform, I was always attracted to body modification and to the alternative way of living.

To be able to live as an artist in Israel is difficult. Due to the political situation, most of the country resources go to the military and there is no government 8

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support for young students like in Europe. The ability to make a real living from art in Israel belongs to people who can afford it. Tattooing became my goal at a very young age. I somehow knew that if I would work hard and master the art of tattooing I would be able to travel, work, and live wherever I choose to and be a successful artist.

I dropped out of school and I’ve been living on my own since I was 16.

Maintaining an apartment and all the daily necessities was hard, I saved money working long hours in cleaning and every possible work I could do because I had my vision, I wanted to be a tattoo artist and to live in Europe.

Hanging out so much at the local tattoo

shop in my hometown since I was 15 taught me a lot. I was always asking the tattooist questions about his work and after a long day of work, I used to go back home and sketch for hours so I could ask for his opinion and for tips about how to get better. Thinking back I was really lucky that he allowed me to hang around at his shop because I learned enough to be able to work clean and to do very simple tattoos. I saved enough money and I bought my first machines and tattoo equipment when I was 18. I moved to Tel Aviv and started tattooing at home.

What was the first tattoo you ever did? Can you tell us about it?

The first tattoo I did was A.C.A.B. on the belly of a friend. It was just 15 cm

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big and it took me about 4 hours to make. It was funny and exciting and he is still happy with it to this day.

I had a lot of work tattooing my friends and people from the punk scene. It was a great time in my life with a lot of good memories.

Soon enough I had a respectable portfolio and the courage to go with it to tattoo shops in Tel Aviv and ask for a full-time job as a tattooist, and it was a success. For the next four years, I worked in three different tattoo shops, collected every bit of information I could get from my colleges, worked 10 hours a day for a very shitty salary, but it was worth it because I was doing every day what I loved the most!

What was it like being a female artist in a male-dominated industry during that time?

It was hard to be a young girl in a male working environment, I wasn’t taken seriously, no matter how good I was. I had to prove myself constantly to my boss, colleagues, and to the customers. The working environment was chauvinistic, hostile, and competitive and I was bullied a lot.

My colleagues were very stingy about sharing their information, but I didn’t care. I grew a thick skin and an attitude. I knew I was good and that I wouldn’t get fired so I didn’t give a fuck as long as I was tattooing every day and saving money to get out of Israel to have a better and safe future.

For a while it was bearable, but due to the stress, long working hours, and bad company, I started to be tired and sick all the time. I knew I needed a change. I was 22 and unhappy, so I decided that I want to move to Germany. One day, I just had enough and I decided to leave Israel for good and I bought a oneway ticket to Germany.

What did your family and friends think about you getting into the business?

My friends were of course very sad about me leaving for Germany to pursue my dreams, but they were extremely supportive. They told me it was a great idea and that I should do it!

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My family and I didn’t really have a close relationship. They always disapproved of me, my way of life, and my dreams. To be honest, I didn’t care so much about their opinions about anything. I was really looking forward to getting away and having a fresh start somewhere else. Moving to Germany was the best decision I made in my life. Two months later, I moved to Berlin and found a shop called Classic Tattoo where I worked for four years. We were like a family from the beginning and we are still very close to this day. It was so different from the Israeli working environment, everyone was so supportive, encouraging, and always complimenting me on my work and asking to get tattooed by me. The customers were so open-minded and asking for big projects, telling me to feel free to be creative with the design. They didn’t even care about me being young or a girl, they just appreciated my work. I was getting paid 4 times more than what I was earning in Israel, so I was in Heaven!

I fell in love with the German people, the language, and the culture. I felt more at home than I ever did in Israel.

After four fun years in Berlin, I needed a change. I moved to Hamburg where I still live today. For three years, I worked in different shops and I even worked for a whole year just doing guest spots, traveling all over Germany by car. It was a great experience and I learned a lot from so many different artists.

After a while, I found myself being tired again from the work overload, unsatisfied with not having the time and energy to create something new, and I was on the edge of a burnout.

By then, I was in my 30s and in the lowest point of my career. In desperation for an uplifting change, I made the decision to take all my savings and to open my own space. I knew I had so much more to offer my clients and I couldn’t give them that in the typical busy and overloaded street shops. I wanted to have the time to paint and sketch again, to be able to choose my clients and to work only with open-minded people who are interested in art and not just in getting a standard tattoo. That is exactly what my own studio, Black Pepper Atelier is. It took me a while 12

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to adjust, but day by day, selecting my projects very carefully, I have developed my own signature. I started experimenting, mixing sketch style and graphic techniques, deconstructing forms, trying to generate the illusion of movement and vibrations with a lot of energetic lines and colors. I started being excited again about going to work like I used to 10 years ago when I just started tattooing.

What’s your tattoo style of choice and why?

I want to continue developing, I don’t want to limit myself by saying that my work belongs to a certain style of tattooing. It’s been almost three years since I’ve opened my shop, I get clients from all over Germany and Europe.

When I get a request I find interesting, I book a consultation appointment via phone or Skye as my shop is private.

It is a street shop but it’s closed to the public. I don’t even have a sign on the door and sometimes even my own clients have difficulty finding it. I don’t like walk-ins and to be disturbed while I’m working.

Describe how you go about creating a tattoo from concept to finished design, as well as how you try to put your own unique touch on your tattoos.

I do only one appointment a day, it’s usually a very long session. I always do a sketch, but I almost never stick to it, after applying the stencil on the skin it takes me about an hour or two to do some freehand lines on the body to fit it perfectly on the specific part I’m working on. That is the time I get to be most creative, always looking for the best way to make my work outstanding and my clients are always amazed by that. That to me is definitely the most rewarding part of the work.

What is the hardest part about being a tattoo artist?

The hard part about my work is when my clients suffer. After so many years of tattooing I’m good at blocking it and continuing with my work but in a long session after a few hours it becomes exhausting and I feel a bit sorry for them. Of course, it all goes away at the moment when they look in the mirror completely overwhelmed with joy and a strong sense of achievement.

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How would you describe the current status of tattooing by the general public in Germany?

I’m very lucky to be working in Germany. The tattoo scene here is just insane. The variety of great artists and the amount of cool customers is incredible. I feel the young generation is actually competing on who will get the craziest and most eccentric tattoo.

There are so many TV shows about tattooing in Germany that the older generation is starting to open and accept tattoos as an art form and not as a criminal status. For example, my neighbors, a couple living above my shop, they are over 80 and they are so sweet. Whenever they see me they are always so curious about what I did today asking me questions about my work and always telling me about the tattoo show they’ve watched on TV and how interesting that is for them. I personally dislike those shows but they obviously have some kind of a positive impact on the general public regarding stigmas tattooed people have.

Have you noticed a change in the tattoo industry over the years you’ve been tattooing?

Over the last decade, I have witnessed a lot of changes and progress in the tattoo industry and I believe it to be because of public demands online, like improving machines, equipment, color quality, and making it easy to access good tattoo supply shops abroad. I’m really looking forward to seeing how it will continue growing and developing to make it easier for us to create more amazing art on skin.

Blackpepperatelier.de www.facebook.com/danieladegtiar2 Instagram: @danieladegtiar

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NICILISCHES Interview: ร kos Bรกnfalvi Photography: Brennpunkte Photography Nicole Stephan, aka Nicilisches was born in 1986 in Dresden, Germany. She has been a model since she was approached in 2013 by a Stuttgart fashion label.

After her shoot with the fashion company, Nicole signed up on a model platform and her career as a model started.

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“TO BE HONEST I DO NOT LIKE IT WHEN PEOPLE LOOK AT ME BECAUSE OF MY TATTOOS…”

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How would you describe your personal style, and where do you pull your inspiration from?

My style is casual, fashionable, and especially different. I get inspired by shopping and social networks. When I see something I like, I buy it in my head. Then I mentally combine clothes and create my look before I buy something.

What’s the best thing about being a model?

Getting to keep all the clothes after a shoot.

Walk us through how you go about choosing your tattoos. What messages do they have, if any?

The more extraordinary, the better.

I love animals and comics and showing that on my skin. I see my tattoos as a total art work. They do not have any special meaning.

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"MY STYLE IS CASUAL, FASHIONABLE, AND ESPECIALLY DIFFERENT."

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Is there anywhere on your body you wouldn’t get tattooed?

I would never tattoo my head and the intimate area.

How do you stay in shape?

I eat quite a bit of candy.

What are some key staple pieces a woman should own in her wardrobe?

A pair of white sneakers, jogging pants, sweatshirt, and a leather jacket.

What tips would you advise girls wanting to come into modeling at your level. What struggles have you encountered in modeling and how have you handled them?

I recommend that you remain faithful to yourself and make the necessary bite for this industry.

It is very difficult to earn a lot of money in this business to live on.

Start small, try to expand yourself on as many platforms as possible, and stay strong.

Five things you can’t live without?

Easy - sweets, my dogs, iPhone, friends, and my car.

Something people don’t know about you?

I’m afraid of thunderstorms. www.Facebook.com/ NiciStephanNicilisches Instagram: @Nicilisches

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"I WOULD NEVER TATTOO MY HEAD AND THE INTIMATE AREA."

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WES BILLINGSLEA Interview: Simone Jane American schools, scholars and books didn’t always have their facts straight when it came to their own history. Photographer Wes Billingslea came to that realization from an early age. “I was in 8th grade,” Wes recalled, “learning about how Christopher Columbus ‘discovered’ America and the Indians, so I asked the teacher because I was confused. How could Columbus ‘discover’ this land and the Indians if they were already there?” It wasn’t a blind challenge or a smart ass comment. It was an intelligent challenge. As Wes continued to grow, he understood that Native American blood ran through his family. “My father was Choctaw (in the Choctaw language, Chahta) Indian so I became interested in Indigenous people and ancient cultures,” Wes explained, “though my father refused to acknowledge it, it made me determined to learn more.” This was enough to spark the passion into flame that fueled his photography and art.

to know more about these ancient cultures and societies, what a perfect blend. So that set me off to become a photographer.” Wes was fortunate enough to meet Don Cameron who was a master darkroom printer. “He not only taught me how to photograph but he taught me to print with antique toning processes. Some of the prints in the book took three full days because it is a very complicated process. It’s an old recipe from the 1800’s to the early 1900’s. You can print 10 of the same images and none of them will be the same. It really got me interested in the type of photography I do,” Wes, explains. In 1999, the journey continued on to San Jose, California.

It was here that Wes befriended Huitzilin, an Aztec descendent. He invited Wes to Mexico City to meet the Mexicas. That is what they call themselves; the world knows them as Aztecs. In order to gain the trust of the leaders

“I LOVE PHOTOGRAPHY, I LOVE ART,” The journey that resulted in the book, The Aztecs: The Truth about Sacrifices & Other Customs began on a company trip out of Cancun to a Mayan city called Chichen Itza.

Wes was fascinated by the structures and the people. “I just wish I knew how to photograph it all,” Wes remembers, “I wondered about the people and I had all these questions.” Years later in the late 90s, Wes stumbled upon a touristy shop in New Mexico that had some shots by a photographer by the name of Edward S. Curtis from the late 1800s. He tried to capture the transition of the West and the Native Americans from their traditional lives to their reservation lives. He would live amongst the people for three to four months. That piqued Wes’ interest. “I love photography, I love art,” Wes claimed, “I want

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(Maestros) of the Mexicas, Wes had dinner with seven of them. “It was a process of questions,” Wes explains. “They were very curious about why I wanted to learn about them and what my motivation was. There was one guy; his name was Ocelocoatl who was very quiet until the end of the dinner. He then started asking his own questions for about thirty minutes.” When the dinner ended Wes had a good feeling about it, almost like he had passed a test. Less than an hour later he received a phone call at his hotel from Huitzilin telling him to pack only a small bag. They were going on an overnight trip.

Wes’ destination along with about 100 other Mexicas was a small village called Ixcateopan de Cuauhtémoc located in the isolated, rugged mountains in the northern part of Guerrero,

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Mexico. According to tradition, it is the birthplace and final resting place of Aztec Emperor, Cuauhtémoc who was tortured and executed by the Spaniard conquistadors, and whose alleged remains were found under the parish church there in the mid-20th century.

The church has been converted into a museum with displays of a number of pre-Hispanic artifacts. Offerings left in honor of the last emperor and the alleged remains of Cuauhtémoc himself. “I was allowed to photograph this ceremony called, “Ixcateopan de Cuauhtémoc,” Wes expressed. “It was pretty remarkable. It was intense to witness. I did most of my photos in black and white but I took some in color. I was set up on a pillar above the Danzantes (dancers) and shooting downward.

The scene was very hypnotic with the drumming, the fires, the Zahumadora (women who are the keepers of the flame), the dancers, the smell of the incense and the smoke.” To Wes, this was a life changing experience. It wasn’t until long after Wes had developed the 32

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photos and was down in Mexico sifting through hundreds of them when one of the Maestros started laughing while pointing to one color photo. “There were shapes and faces in the smoke above the dancers,” Wes revealed. “It was so surreal. I promised I would never publish or share those photos. It was then I really knew I was accepted by them.

They even gave me a Nahuatl name (their language) – Tlacuilocamitl. When I look through the lens, something happens to me,” Wes explains. “I see with a very different eye. I think there is a real connection. It is almost at the soul level. When I look through the lens, I see the world through their eyes.”

Wes sees how strong and beautiful many of these people are. He believes in the strength of their spirit and how their fight continues into the modern times. “I saw in myself a reflection of their struggle and perseverance in life, and by collaborating and building bonds amongst us, that allows us to overcome anything. I don’t want to repeat the

mistakes of other photographers who show up, take photos, and then leave.

They will proclaim how they are ‘helping to preserve their culture’ and I cannot tell you how strongly I disagree with this approach. There is nothing sustainable about it. I wanted this to be a shared experience and where the people tell their own truth, their own version of their history plus their challenges today. Their struggle against racism and economic disadvantages are real in modern times,” he declares. Wes acknowledges, “I have pretty strong spiritual beliefs; notice how I do not say religious? I believe very much in an organic process. You may start down one path and you see it how it unfolds and sometimes it kind of twists and turns. It’s a reminder to me to be true to yourself in whatever your passion is and whatever you want to do. I am not fixated on the end result. I am focused on the journey and the lessons learned.

If I can help some of these people a little bit then I have done something right,” he finishes.

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INTERVIEW TASHA NICOLE Photography: Radek Hruby

"TATTOOS ALLOW ME TO TELL A STORY ABOUT MY LIFE."

InkSpired Magazine: How and when did your modeling career begin?

Tasha Nicole: I started modeling when I was about 18 and have been doing it ever since. I really enjoy being in front of the camera.

InkSpired Magazine: Do you have any advice for aspiring models?

Tasha Nicole: If I had a piece of advice for other models, I’d say to never give up on your dreams, no matter what. Regardless of what anyone might have to say about what’s “acceptable” with modeling.

InkSpired Magazine: What else do you do?

Tasha Nicole: I’m also a cosmetologist. I am really passionate about cosmetology and I enjoy getting the opportunity to make people feel beautiful about themselves.

InkSpired Magazine: What inspired you to start getting tattooed?

Tasha Nicole: I started to get tattooed because I love art and felt like there is no better way to express yourself or who you are than you can with tattoos.

In a sense, your body is your very own canvas that can tell many stories.

I AM REALLY PASSIONATE ABOUT COSMETOLOGY AND I ENJOY GETTING THE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL BEAUTIFUL ABOUT THEMSELVES.

InkSpired Magazine: Tell us about your favorite tattoo.

Tasha Nicole: Every tattoo I have is my favorite because it expresses what I’ve been through in my life at that time, what I’ve overcome, people I love, turmoils I’ve experienced and overcome; they all represent some good times and bad times in my life.

InkSpired Magazine: Who are your tattoo artists?

Tasha Nicole: My tattoo artists are Michael Martinez (Thick as Thieves Tattoo), Jerry Paz (shop is unknown), and Evan Kovinchick.

InkSpired Magazine: What role do tattoos play in your life?

Tasha Nicole: Tattoos allow me to tell a story about my life. They allow me to express some things I can’t say, certain events I want to remember forever, people, and situations I want to cherish forever.

"I REALLY ENJOY BEING IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA."

InkSpired Magazine: What inspires you?

Tasha Nicole: Constantly overcoming struggles and continually succeeding at things that people have doubted me in. The feelings those situations bring continually inspires me to be great.

InkSpired Magazine: Do you have any people that you are inspired by?

Tasha Nicole: My grandparents inspire me, Bettie Page, my old boss, Jake McBride because of how amazing he is at doing hair and building his craft.

InkSpired Magazine: What is something that not many people know about you?

Tasha Nicole: I raised money for Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital as my senior thesis project. I’ve always wanted to be a Marine Biologist, and I watch animal documentaries as my favorite pastime.

I’m really a nerd at heart, and I also skateboard.

"I RAISED MONEY FOR SAINT JUDE’S CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL AS MY SENIOR THESIS PROJECT."

MICHAEL CHRISTOPHER Words: Simone Jane Photography: Jimmy Cook

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Michael Christopher didn’t end up with the type of career he had ever dreamed of. Instead, he got himself an even better one by accident. It was 2012; he was 18 and looking for a job at the mall. It was difficult despite his willingness and motivation, for Michael had already stretched his earlobes substantially. “I came across this jewelry kiosk and the lady there said that they were expanding to a piercing/tattoo studio called Rockabilly Tattoo and they needed counter staff,” Michael explains, “I applied for it and got hired the next day.” Michael worked behind the counter for 3 months, 6 days a week and was barely making ends meet. He felt he needed a change so he took a chance and asked his mentor, Chris Martakis,

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if he would teach him how to pierce. “I took on a formal apprenticeship for two years,” Michael stated, “I have now been piercing for six years and I love it.” The choice of being a piercer was a stroke of fate.

Although it may seem like piercing is as simple as sticking a needle through a person’s skin, anyone who’s been doing it for a while can tell you exactly how much of an art form that it is. The piercer is taking a piece of jewelry someone has created, a piece of art and installing it on the body. It takes a good eye. There are hundreds of different types of piercings, and hundreds of sites to place the jewelry on the body. “I have pierced every

viable part of the body I can,” Michael expresses, “If I doubt the success rate of the piercing site I will refuse to do it.

I am very confident in the diversity of my portfolio. I have touched everything there is to be pierced at this point in my career." Out of the many choices of piercings, one must stand out to the artist." I am such a fan of the Daith,” Michael admitted, “When it exploded in popularity I took it head on, that really helped me build a portfolio almost exclusively of Daiths. I also love the fact that it is such a simple piercing.”

It’s the connection with his clients and his peers within the industry that keep Michael busy week after week.

“I HAVE PIERCED EVERY VIABLE PART OF THE BODY I CAN, IF I DOUBT THE SUCCESS RATE OF THE PIERCING SITE I WILL REFUSE TO DO IT." InkSpiredMagazine.com

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“A LOT OF PIERCINGS CAN SEEM INSIGNIFICANT,” MICHAEL RELATES, “BUT I HAVE SOME OLDER LADIES COME IN THAT HAVE BEEN WAITING YEARS TO GET THEIR NOSE PIERCED. THE PIERCING IS SIGNIFICANT TO THEM SO IT BECOMES SIGNIFICANT TO ME.” 56

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Michael finds it important to be proactive in socializing with other piercers. He has gained a lot of respect from his peers.

“Many people come up to me at conferences,” Michael relates, “and it really blew my mind that people say, ‘I look up to you.’ I feel I have a lot of connections with other piercers in the industry and that has been just as important to my success as anything else.

They view me as a respected peer so they feel confident sending clientele to me.” Michael also has people he looks up to and respects. He thinks his boss, Sean Dowdell, at Club Tattoo Las Vegas and former head piercer at the same location, Chris Jennell, are both great in their own right.

“Sean is a magnificent pioneer in the industry; he did a lot of stuff that other people had not touched yet like corset piercing,” Michael explains, “He put that into the mainstream. Sean has success in separating piercing from the tattoo world and making piercing just as viable a career as tattooing.

I learned a lot from Chris when I first arrived at Club Tattoo, he was a great teacher.” Having admiration and respect from both sides is the best an artist can have.

MICHAEL’S PERSONALITY AND GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE MAKE HIM POPULAR WITH NEW AND RETURNING CLIENTS.

Michael’s personality and great customer service make him popular with new and returning clients. He enjoys the interaction and contact with the people that he pierces. “A lot of piercings can seem insignificant,” Michael relates, “but I have some older ladies come in that have been waiting years to get their nose pierced. The piercing is significant to them so it becomes significant to me.” Club Tattoo provides a safe and aesthetic environment which helps calm nerves during the piercing experience. Michael also helps first time clients feel at ease. “I get to hear stories from all walks of life,” Michael reveals, “I had this older gentleman in his 70’s and was set on having his ears pierced for the past 50 years.

He had been in the service and met his wife when he was 18 and she was against it. She had recently passed away, and although he was extremely sad about it, he was ecstatic that he could finally get his ears pierced.”

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PROJECT X Words: Simone Jane

Photography: Elia Meschi, Luca Gaetano Pira, Tony Lamanna & Francesca Truddaiu Alfredo Meschi is an Italian animal rights activist, but that is putting it too simply. In his own words, he is an “anti-speciesist artivist.”

Alfredo took on the battle for animal liberation by utilizing his body as a piece of art. The symbolism of the 40,000 X’s tattooed on his body and the way Alfredo displays them is something he calls Project X. For every person that asks about his tattoos is an opportunity to further his cause.

Photo: Elia Meschi

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MY MAIN WISH IS THAT WE, HUMAN ANIMALS, CAN HAVE THE CHANCE TO DISCOVER WHAT OUR SPECIES PECULIARITY IS. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WE EVOLVED TO DESTROY THE WHOLE PLANET... I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. InkSpiredMagazine.com

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Simone Jane: Your father was a hunter. Was it here when you first began having feelings of non-violence against animals?

Alfredo Meschi: Unfortunately, my feelings at that time (I was 5 years old the first time we went hunting together) were ambivalent. I surely felt some compassion, but my father’s imprinting was so strong…

SJ: When did you decide to become vegetarian, and then vegan?

AM: Too late, really too late. First, I followed my family’s mistakes, becoming a hunter and fisherman myself. Only a few years ago could I free myself from this imprinting. One night, I felt that I could not ignore my inner feelings any further, and from that moment, I became vegan. And some months later, I became an “anti-speciesist” artivist.

ALFREDO TOOK ON THE BATTLE FOR ANIMAL LIBERATION BY UTILIZING HIS BODY AS A PIECE OF ART.

SJ: You first had a successful career in information technology. What made you decide to switch to social “artivism” on the theory of anti-species (which states that man has no more rights than any other animal), not only as a teacher, but as a writer and an artist?

AM: A long time before becoming vegan, mainly thanks to my grandfather’s teachings, I was involved in several social fights. I realized soon that information technology and the capitalist ideology was not my world and I became a social theater teacher. When I discovered the anti speciesism movement, I immediately recognized it as the piece that was missing. I wanted to fight for equality, justice, and freedom in a 360° perspective.

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Photos: Luca Gaetano Pira

SJ: What do you enjoy doing the most?

Teaching, writing, being an artist, or performing?

AM: At present, my main focus is performance art. It’s been ten years now that I have been experimenting with non-verbal languages (like my Image Theatre) and I do believe that after many years of writing and giving speeches, my stronger contribution to the animal liberation cause can come from a different form of communication. A way of talking from skin to skin…

SJ: When did you decide to begin Project X? Explain the creative reasoning and process for those that do not know what that is.

AM: A few months after my decision to become vegan, I discovered an “animal kill counter” and I was so shocked that I decided to do something. We live in a society that causes us several episodes of amnesia. Our consciousness of injustice, compassion, and empathy doesn’t flow as smoothly as it should. That’s why I was looking for a way to keep my consciousness flowing, to not forget, not even for a second. Every second counts because in this short amount of time, 40,000 non-human souls are killed to satisfy our appetite. My aim was to freeze this

"AT PRESENT, MY MAIN FOCUS IS PERFORMANCE ART."

Photo: Tony Lamanna

Photos: Luca Gaetano Pira

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Photos: Francesca Truddaiu

MY MAIN WISH IS THAT WE, HUMAN ANIMALS, CAN HAVE THE CHANCE TO DISCOVER WHAT OUR SPECIES PECULIARITY IS. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT WE EVOLVED TO DESTROY THE WHOLE PLANET...

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT. 64

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second or, even better, “keep it pulsing on my skin” to be always aware. “X” is a plain sign, a plain mark, and a neutral letter. It’s the sign that we use on our to-do list when we finish accomplishing something, to count something, to kill “something...”

SJ: How do you come up with the ideas for your creative performances and your artivism?

AM: The Xs tattooed on my body are always talking to me. And every time I perform, they talk louder and louder to

me and I hope to many other people.

And “my” Xs now are no longer only mine. There are hundreds of artivists worldwide that decided to join Project X and got one, ten, thousands of Xs tattooed on their skin. This is something amazing and so empowering (here you can find some portraits of this collective artivists community: http://www. massimogiovannini.com/in-the-blink-ofan-eye/).

SJ: Are any of your publications in other languages besides Italian?

AM: Not yet, but I’m working on a new book in English... Stay tuned!

SJ: What is one wish you would have in this world regarding the relationship between man and animal?

AM: My main wish is that we, human animals, can have the chance to discover what our species peculiarity is. I do not believe that we evolved to destroy the whole planet... I cannot believe it.

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MASTER OF ILLUSION Words: Simone Jane

Photography: Chris Ruggiero & Hawraa Aziz

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Magic allows you to experience the impossible. It creates a clash between the things you think can happen and the things that you experience. When you think of a magic show, what do you imagine? Are you expecting huge theatrics, lights, smoke and a big box with a woman being sawed in half? If this is what you think is the reality, you will not find it with Joel Meyers. He prefers up close and personal everyday objects such as nails, spray paint and playing cards to create his magic and illusions. “I want the audience to remember me,” Joel explains, “not the magic or if they had the prop that they think that they can do the trick.” His experience of magical wonder began early.

Joel started with magic at the age of 6. His father crumpled up a dollar bill and made it float in front of him. “Of course I wanted to know how to do it!” Joel exclaims. “I mastered that illusion, and my dad gifted me with a book on magic.” By the time he was 8, Joel was putting together routines, and by the age of 10, he was tagging along with his father, who was a traveling salesman. “We would go to very touristy places like Santa Monica Blvd, or Estes Park in Colorado, Key West, and Times Square, and he would drop me off. He was kind of a progressive father, I suppose,” Joel laughs, “I wasn’t great at it, but here I was a little kid and I would perform. “I had my hat and people would put money in it. It was the novelty of it.” As Joel grew older his father helped him with booking shows as he honed his skills and developed into the magician illusionist he has become today.

If you have seen one of Joel’s performances, you will know why he is at such a high level in his field. By the end of the show, he has made the audience, every single person his friend. They all feel like they know him. This is a gift. “It’s a blast to be able to do what you love,” Joel expressed. “I really do feel so fortunate to meet so many amazing people, from the ones who help out at the venue, to the audience themselves. They are so sweet and we get this relationship going throughout the show. It really is beyond the shock and awe of the magic, by the end of the show I feel very close to the audience, where it’s like I feel that they know me

“I REALLY DO FEEL SO FORTUNATE TO MEET SO MANY AMAZING PEOPLE, FROM THE ONES WHO HELP OUT AT THE VENUE, TO THE AUDIENCE THEMSELVES.

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Photo: Hawraa Aziz

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because my show is so infused with my personality.” Joel put his entire being into the performance and you can see it. “I love creating relationships and I love showing people the idea that you can do anything. I can illustrate with the aspects of my show and the magic that in life that I believe literally virtually nothing is impossible,” Joel explains, “People tend to think that life is solid all the way through, and if you can pierce through that a little bit and show them some light, that is my goal.” Joel performs for diverse crowds, from the college circuit, and theatres to benefit shows and on the vacationing cruises.

The dedication to his craft is significant, to say the least. Joel is immersed in it.

“The creative process with what I do is just constantly being in it, continually thinking about stuff, always watching videos, it’s relentlessly studying, it’s all I ever think about, it’s all I am ever working on, it’s what I eat, sleep, and breathe,” Joel stated.

“Young magicians come to me and ask me how to get to my level and I tell them the only way to get to where I am at is to be obsessed with magic. The creative process lies in that. I will take an old trick and put a new spin on it, make it my own, with my signature.” Joel’s goal in the future is to tour on a larger scale. He envisions arena shows, as well as producing and starring in a television series. You can see Joel star on Masters of Illusion on the CW June 29th. www.MeyersMagic.com www.Facebook.com/JoelMeyersMagic Twitter & Instagram: @JoelMeyersMagic

“THE CREATIVE PROCESS WITH WHAT I DO IS JUST CONSTANTLY BEING IN IT, CONTINUALLY THINKING ABOUT STUFF, ALWAYS WATCHING VIDEOS, IT’S RELENTLESSLY STUDYING, IT’S ALL I EVER THINK ABOUT, IT’S ALL I AM EVER WORKING ON, IT’S WHAT I EAT, SLEEP, AND BREATHE,”

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InkSpired Travels: Europe + Egypt

Words & Photography: Lauren Lindsey

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July, while working as a performer at a small theatre, I decided to apply for several English teaching jobs, and sure enough, I got hired by one in Egypt! My plan was to leave right after the theatre season was over in August. But instead, I was fired and things went downhill from there. I became depressed about being fired and quite anxious about the impending move. But I got some help, and even though I wasn’t feeling quite ready, I had already signed a contract and purchased plane tickets. I also felt that traveling would help cure what I was going through.

When I originally researched flights, I realized that instead of paying upwards of a grand for a direct flight from the U.S., I could purchase a series of less expensive flights to Europe and then to Egypt, and along the way have myself a tiny vacation before I began working.

I had only been to Europe once as a teenager and got into big trouble for wandering off and flirting with a much older Frenchman. Now I was able to wander off and flirt all I wanted, so I decided to hit as many countries as possible.

If you are a regular reader of InkSpired, you may remember me. I wrote about my crazy, incredible trip to India and Nepal in 2015 in Issue #43. Well, I’m back again and with another adventure, this time to Europe and Egypt. While I didn’t have quite the experience I did in India and Nepal, I did almost get stranded three times and got the police called on me.

You may be thinking, “this chick is lucky and kinda nuts.” In order to be truthful and love myself, I make no qualms about who I am. The reality is, I have been diagnosed with mental and neurological illnesses that do impact my decision making. They also make me really cool. I actually had a nervous breakdown before I went abroad this last time, and my original intent of leaving was to move to Egypt to be an English teacher. That ended up not working out, but I don’t regret the trip in and of itself. My motto is, “life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”

I know now that I wasn’t yet ready to be a teacher in a foreign country, but I am ever so grateful that I went. And I proved that even through disabling psychological conditions, you can still see the world, even by yourself!

Despite the residual anxiety I suffered, I managed to get on about six different planes and see Iceland, Sweden, Denmark, The Netherlands, France, Italy, Greece, and Egypt.

After surviving the breakdown I had, I took the plunge and got my first tattoo.

My last name, Lindsey is Scottish, and I got a tattoo of our clan emblem and motto, which is “Endure Fort,” meaning, Endure With Strength. I find it fitting.

Ever since I got back from my trip in 2015, I have been restless and eager to travel again. But since I had no money, I knew I had to work and save up or find a job abroad. A few years prior, I was certified as an English teacher as a potential way to travel. In

Europe itself is a vast array of cultures and finds itself on nearly every traveler’s bucket list. World-renowned historical monuments, magnificent castles, cathedrals, museums, and cuisines abound, I ended up seeing a whole bunch of them. It is relatively cheap to fly from country to country in Europe and to stay in hostels, so that’s exactly what I did. It can be difficult to plan a route as there is so much to see and so many directions to go in. I knew a girl I went to high school with who lived in Denmark and she invited me to stay with her, which ended up being perfect as flights from the U.S. to Denmark are cheaper than say, Italy. So I made Denmark my first destination. I also found out the cheapest way to get to Egypt from Europe was through Greece, so I made it the last destination.

My flight from the U.S. to Denmark included a stop in Iceland. I was hoping I could find one with a long layover so I could explore the country a bit, but that didn’t work out. I am however grateful to say I have at least been in the airport!

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and that translated into fear of the plane crashing. On route to Iceland, I managed to keep it under control and chatted up an interesting woman journalist who was seated next to me. It was a night flight, and about halfway through, the pilot pointed out a hazy green glow that was, in fact, the Northern Lights! Seeing them eased my anxiety.

Upon arrival in Iceland, I tried some Icelandic coffee and said goodbye to my journalist friend, then boarded the plane to Copenhagen. For whatever reason, this was a tough flight with turbulence.

I was trembling in fear for a lot of the time and hoping that we would get there safe. The woman next to me turned out to be a nurse and was very kind. She held my hand during take off when she saw that I was nervous, and we ended up having a great conversation. She helped me through the Copenhagen airport so I could get on the right bus to my friend’s house. I found the Icelandic people in my brief experience with them to be very affable. My first impression of Copenhagen is that it has great architecture and is incredibly diverse.

The Danes are also quite friendly, helpful, and most speak English. When I get off at the bus stop where my friend lives, an older Danish gentleman helps me get to her address.

My friend is a very intelligent and accomplished artist who lives with her husband in a small flat. The bathrooms in Danish apartments are quite different from American ones in that they are much smaller and there is no actual shower, just a shower head, thus there is very little room and everything gets wet when you shower. It was quite a claustrophobic experience. My friend joked about how the first time she showered she knocked about everything over, and I almost did too.

I end up staying in Denmark for about four days. I attended a very interesting art and philosophy group that my friend is a part of and met some intriguing people. One of them is an artist, musician, and improviser with red hair who tells me he has schizophrenia. He reminds me of Van Gogh if he lived in the present day. I visited the cemetery where Hans Christian Andersen is buried and it is magical.

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Copenhagen, Denmark into Sweden. I am part Swedish, and visiting Sweden has always been a goal of mine. So one day I take the train to Lund, Sweden and have a small walk around and brief shopping spree. From my brief jaunt, I find the country to be beautiful with its own unique architecture and the people are quite attractive as well.

From Denmark, I decided to travel to the Netherlands next, and I find a cheap plane ticket to Eindhoven. My plan is to take a bus from Eindhoven airport to Amsterdam where my hostel is. I figure my plan is all good, and I make good

time getting the bus from my friend’s place to the train which will get me to the Copenhagen airport. However, on the way to the airport, the train stops and doesn’t move for quite some time.

It is announced that there is a problem with one of the doors and a mechanic shows up and messes with it. Soon after, another announcement is made that everyone must get off the train as it won’t be moving due to the problem with the door. I am now late and very worried about making my flight. On the elevator ride up to the street from the train platform, I run into a Norwegian girl who is also on her way to the airport

and we agree to get a cab together.

While waiting outside, we band with yet another stranded Norwegian girl who is also trying to get to the airport! I make my flight and wind up safe and sound in Amsterdam, where I think everything will be just fine.

I had made reservations for an allfemale hostel in Amsterdam before I even left for Europe, and I was very much looking forward to it. I figured that when I get to Eindhoven, I will just get on the bus that I had researched would be running and head to Amsterdam. But when I arrive, I discover not only has the bus stopped running an hour ago, but there are no airport workers even around, just a few other passengers like myself getting off the last flights to the airport. It is almost midnight, and I swore I thought I had read that the bus would still be running. I wait around, unsure of what to do, panicking that I may be stranded. But for whatever reason, whenever I travel, it’s like there is this guardian angel over my shoulder, or who knows maybe it’s a leprechaun, as there seems to be this barrel of luck that never runs out and I always end up getting help (knock on wood). While waiting outside with a befuddled look on my face, I run into an American guy and French girl who also have equally befuddled looks on their faces.

It turns out they are in the exact same situation as me! We all need to get to Amsterdam, so we split a cab, and I am the last to get dropped off as my hostel is the farthest.

It turns out the location of the hostel is a bit skeevy. It is smack dab in an industrial parking lot, and you have to walk down a flight of stairs from the parking lot to get into it. Maybe this is a European thing? I’m a bit wary, but once I get into the hostel, which is the very first one I have ever stayed in, everything is great. I meet other solo female travelers like me, one of whom has just embarked on her first solo trip.

My plans for the Netherlands are to visit a friend and to see Amsterdam and Leiden, which is home to the historic Leiden University that I have thought about applying to.

I really like Amsterdam and while walking around, I meet a lady in an outdoor cafe with really great tattoos.

As far as what Amsterdam is home to, we all know that. I’m happy to say I didn’t get involved in anything illicit.

Okay, yeah I did. And I paid for it, literally and figuratively. The red light district is of course renown for drugs and prostitution. While I don’t support legal prostitution, I admit my curiosity, like most others, got the best of me and I went to have a look (no, I didn’t pay for a prostitute, I actually walked by and told a couple, “you don’t have to do this”). But I did pay for some good ol’ marijuana. And I should’ve known better really, after having had panic attacks on it before. But I have smoked off and on for almost ten years, and still craved the many great experiences I had while high, including increased motivation and creativity. I was also hoping that it would help me relax. I mean, it wasn’t like it was acid or some of those nasty mushrooms that were advertised everywhere. Actually, it might have been worse.

Not only did I smoke a huge blunt, I also ate a weed muffin and a lollipop. I got so stoned I became incredibly paranoid and panicked. I started to worry there might be a terrorist attack and that on my way back to the hostel the train station would blow up and my body would become airborne and go flying into a river somewhere. Not only that,

but I also started getting concerned that at any moment I was going to blurt out something inappropriate and awful. I’ve never heard of sudden-onset Tourette’s syndrome, but all it took was some Amsterdam weed to convince me that I was going to get on the train back to the hostel and scream out at the top of my lungs, “THERE’S A BOMB ON THE TRAIN!” I managed to walk it off and slept out in the lobby where I was by myself. Moral of the story: Amsterdam weed is intense stuff and there’s no telling how you’ll react.

My next plan of action was to visit the Hague, also a city in The Netherlands, where Leiden University is, and where my friend, I’ll call her T, lives. T and I met in a radical feminist group on Facebook. While she is two decades older than me and the epitome of European sophistication, she is approachable and hip. A writer like myself, she has published a novel and several columns. She and her physicist partner live in a three-story home with an impressive art collection and her award-winning perfume cabinet, all of which she shows me. She is who I want to be when I am her age.

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After meeting up with T, I end up overestimating how long it will take to get to the Eindhoven Airport from Amsterdam, where my next flight is to France. I overestimate it so much so that when I get to Eindhoven, I miss my flight. I wander around the airport crying, trying to figure out what to do.

An older woman sees me and asks me what is going on. When I tell her, amazingly, she offers to take me in for a night. While I didn’t know her from Adam, it’s just an example of how hospitable people can be in foreign countries. Fortunately or unfortunately, who knows, her husband does not approve and I am left alone again in the airport. I sit down at the Starbucks (yes, they’re taking over) and try to figure out what to do. Thanks to the dutiful help of a Starbucks employee and their WiFi, I manage to find a cheap flight to the island of Corsica from Amsterdam, so I have to get back to the Amsterdam airport where I just came from and wait for five hours. But everything else after that is gravy.

I find Corsica to be a charming little island, and the next day I hop on a ferry that is right near my hotel, to Nice, France, a city I have always wanted to return to. Upon disembarking from the ferry, I spot a really cool, hippy looking musician, and I automatically think, this guy is one of my tribe. I also realize that I have no idea where my hotel is or how to get to it from the ferry station. The hippy musician and I end up right next to each other in the line to get off the ferry, and we strike up a conversation. It turns out he is a Cuban musician in France heading to some kind of music festival. While I speak relatively fluent French, I still find it difficult to communicate with natives and other French speakers as the dialects differ and they often speak so fast. But this dude and I managed to communicate well enough so that we could understand each other. I explain to him my dilemma, and he tells me he has a friend whose apartment is right nearby and I can use her computer to find the hotel. While this dude is hot, and I always seem to run into luck on my trips, I hesitate as this could be that one time when I am not so lucky and end up in the middle of some crazy shit like a wild BDSM sex party where I am forced to be a participant or something.

But he tells me that his friend is a she, so I’m a little more reassured (not that she couldn’t be a crazy French sex-fiend 80

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hell-bent on finding naive American sex slaves, but at least it’s just her and not five other dudes or something). Anyhow, I get to her apartment and it turns out she is a very beautiful and kind fellow Cuban ex-pat who not only lets me use her iPad but also gives me a glass of water! I never imagined I would stumble upon the type of hospitality in Europe that I did in Asia. But it just goes to show you that most people in the world are good. They both join me in going to my hotel and the sexy Cuban musician even helps me with my luggage. We are now friends on Facebook!

Even though I missed the soiree, I did end up going to the beach that night.

One of my goals upon returning to Nice was to visit the rocky beach where I sat upon as a 15-year-old and experienced an absolutely magical evening. Well, I did return to that beach, but it ended up being magical in a whole different way: while attempting to dip my toes into the water I break my flip-flop in the current and have to limp back to the hotel looking like a wet crazy lady.

Next, I venture to Italy. I hop aboard a train from Nice to Florence and along the way, I am treated to fantastic views

of Tuscany (I really recommend doing train travel in Europe, by the way). I also get hit on by a creepy Moroccan guy, but I get rescued when the Italian woman and her mother sitting across from me invite me to sit with them.

When I arrive in Florence, a young Italian girl helps direct me to where my hotel is. And that’s when things get a little crazy. While waiting for a bus to get to there, I witness a police car park nearby and a young woman file a report of what I believe may have been a violent crime. Then, while getting off the bus and turning past a corner to get to my hotel, I stumble upon two men engaged in what appears to be a sex act. One of the men is older and appears to be possibly senile. I’m not exactly sure what is happening, but whatever it is it causes quite a stir, and several motorists stop and get involved.

As I am attempting to walk past, the old man starts following me, cursing out loud in Italian with his pants halfway falling down.

That same night, upon venturing out to get something to eat, I see a guy screaming and crying on the roof of a car (I thought Italians being emotional

was just a stereotype). I have an extremely hard time trying to get a pizza due to the language barrier and what I believe are nuances of Italian culture I don’t understand. While I speak a little Italian, I am far from conversational.

But after that, everything else in Italy is gelato (get it? Not gravy, but gelato?

And I seriously ate waaaaay too much of it). I visit the renown Basilica of Saint Mary and the Uffizi Gallery, and one evening decide to sing an impromptu aria that is met with clapping. Don’t worry, I’m a professional singer, so I wasn’t just making an ass of myself!

I am in awe of everything and how relatively simple it is to get around and experience some of the greatest things the country, and the world has to offer.

While in Rome, I stay at another cheap hostel and visit such magnificent highlights as the Colosseum, and Vatican city. I end up managing to snap a forbidden photo of the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. While it’s incredibly amazing, I can’t help but feeling that Jesus, who was born in a barn, would feel a little overwhelmed in all its glory. And apparently, it is its own country or something? I’m just a bit peeved because I didn’t get the pope’s

autograph.

The day after I say goodbye to Italy and hopped on a plane to Athens, Greece.

When I get there I discover that my hostel is far, far away from the airport.

Everything is of course in Greek, and while I can read a little of the Cyrillic alphabet, it in no way is going to help me get to my hotel. So I consult Google for directions. It ends up being rather complicated, involving several different transfers between trains and buses, and it will take about two hours. I don’t really think I have enough money to pay for a cab and I am absolutely exhausted.

But I know there isn’t any other way, so I head up to the second floor of the airport to find the tram that supposedly takes you out of the airport. When I get there, I see a girl with a backpack walking next to another guy with some luggage, and I assume they have to be fellow travelers. It turns out that I am partially correct: the girl is a solo traveler from Australia, but the guy is actually a Greek Olympic table tennis player that is on his way back from a meet. He offers to give both of us a ride out of the airport to a subway station! At first, I am a bit hesitant, but I figure that if he tries anything there are two of us. While

I do know that what I did was risky, it turned out great! He was a really nice guy, and I and the Australian girl were treated to a free ride through the Greek countryside and got to hear all about his career as an athlete. We’re also now friends on Facebook!

Greece is awesome. I stumble upon some amazing Orthodox churches and enjoy the friendly people and food. I manage to figure out the subway system which is quite convenient in that it takes you right to the Acropolis! But when I get there I have to drop 30 euros to see it as well as the surrounding sites, which I feel is a bit steep. I keep the ticket and the receipt, or so I think. The acropolis turns out to be stunning! The rocky hill where it is located has a giant Greek flag and overlooks all of Athens. It is quite an incredible view, and you feel like you are right at the center of what was once one of the most monumental civilizations of all time. However, upon attempting to get to the next historical sites, I can’t find my ticket. I rummage through my purse but still can’t produce it, yet I have the receipt that shows that I paid.

I go and ask one of the workers if I can get in without my ticket. He tells me, no, and after a few minutes of going back and forth with him I start to get annoyed; I have proof that I paid for the ticket to see the Acropolis as well as the other historical sites, I just don’t have the ticket. In the U.S. this would be no big deal; not to the Greeks apparently. He tells me to go talk to other workers, who InkSpiredMagazine.com

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I am warned against taking buses as a foreigner because I may get ripped off and harassed. The only way to get around is via Uber. And it turns out that Uber is actually ILLEGAL, so if you get caught it is possible that you will get in trouble with the police, which is pretty much the last thing I want to do in Egypt.

Even though I become increasingly worried and hesitant, my fellow teachers and everyone at the school are great. The Egyptian people, from my experience, are some of the wisest, sincere, welcoming, and generous people you could hope to meet. I chose Egypt in part because I was inspired by a former friend, who is Egyptian and an amazingly wonderful person and one of the best friends I’ve ever had. He is a Coptic Christian originally from Giza, the home of the are equally unreasonable with equally poor English. I end up making a small scene as I am incredibly pissed. This may be the only time I get to go to Greece, and I clearly paid to see everything and now I am not getting to. Well, it turns out the Greek workers at the Acropolis had enough of my complaining (I may have been the stereotypical loud, American tourist in this situation), so they called the Greek police on me. By this point, I am crying and panicking and people are staring and I have lost my glasses. No, I didn’t get arrested and forced to eat spoiled baklava while being interrogated.

It turns out the police spoke worse English than any of the workers and thus couldn’t communicate with me for jack. I also think the workers were partly worried as I told them I was a journalist and would write about this and how unfair it was. Well, here I am. Moral of the storydon’t lose tickets in Greece and expect a lousy receipt to cover your ass.

Even after the fiasco, and the fact that the hostel I stayed in Greece was a dunghole, I arrive in Egypt in one piece.

The housing the school has provided for me is sprawling and luxurious, but some things are not as I expect: Egypt has a barren desert landscape, and while you’re reading this going, “duh! You knew that before you came!” The fact of the matter is I didn’t think of how it would potentially affect me. It is a bit depressing.

Where I am housed there is literally no greenery, and in Egypt, there is constant construction, so wherever you go it feels like you are in the midst of one giant industrial site. There is no subway, and

Pyramids. And as a Coptic Christian, he experienced discrimination growing up.

In Egypt, Copts are known to experience regular discrimination as well as violence among the majority Muslim population.

Shortly after I left Egypt, a terrorist bombed a beautiful Coptic Church, murdering dozens. It was horrific, and my thoughts are with the victims’ families.

My friend told me before I left that I, as a Western Christian, wouldn’t face what he faced in Egypt. This saddened me. I can admit that I had some hesitancy about taking a job in a majority Muslim country, but I also know that traveling is the best way to dispel prejudice. While some of my preconceived notions were shattered, there are some stark differences between the Arab world and the West. Being gay in Egypt is taboo, even according to one

of the students I had, and I have read it can even be punished by law. There is also widespread harassment towards women, which I had the fortune of not experiencing. While I feel I was treated very well during my brief time in Egypt and experienced hospitality, I have no way of knowing if this was just because I was a white Westerner.

And if you’re asking, yes I did visit the pyramids and the Sphinx, but not during the daytime. I happen to have sleep issues including sleep apnea, and while it wasn’t diagnosed until after the trip, it has affected me for my entire life. This basically means I don’t get enough sleep at night and am drowsy during the daytime. To make a long story short, I ended up sleeping way too late on the day I wanted to get up and see the pyramids, and when you add a major Cairene traffic jam in there, wham! You have me not getting to the Pyramids until the evening. But it turned out to be not so bad because there is actually a cool laser show that takes place at night and the Pyramids get lit up in different colored lights to a musical soundtrack, as well as what I swore was Vincent Price’s voice talking. It was pretty eerie and incredible at the same time. It was also a bit frightening, as the only way to get in that night, or so I was told, was via donkey and through what I believe was the “back way.” I swore a couple different times that I was being kidnapped as my “guide” didn’t speak any English except for the word “yaaaaaas” (which he answered to just about every question I asked). I also swore that I heard him say the word “mafia.” It was near pitch dark and we traversed through several different rundown neighborhoods that looked like they were straight out of the Old Testament. I was told that it is quite dangerous near the Pyramids but at least I got some straight outta Cairo ‘cred! The whole ride I was bumped around like crazy and kept asking him not to hit the donkey with the stick that he had. (Being an animal lover, I deeply regret riding the donkey, but I wasn’t allowed in any other way).

Besides the possibility that I was being kidnapped and the donkey abuse, it was quite amazing to go in the way that I did, into the sandy backyard of the Pyramids where I saw them in all their glory, lit up in red and green. I am so grateful to have seen them and if and when I go next time I will definitely go during the daytime.

Needless to say, I survived that night.

Shortly after though, a car bomb goes

off a few kilometers from my apartment. I start to feel like this whole thing has been a mistake, that I am not cut out to be a teacher and I am not even sure I want to live in Egypt. I decide to quit the job and leave. On the way back, I am one of the only passengers on the plane that isn’t wearing a burka or niqab, yet I feel totally unafraid. I like to think, as I said earlier, that I questioned my previous prejudices.

Upon returning, I end up missing Egypt and slightly regretting leaving so soon without giving the job a chance. But then again, my life is not over and I can always go back.

HIGH-TECH REDNECK

By Scott O’Sullivan, The O’Sullivan Law Firm Motorcycle riding season is upon us and I’m trying to raise awareness about motorcycle safety. Of course, I’m spreading the “Look Twice, Save a Life” mantra. But one of the best ways to protect bikers, I believe, is to smash the stereotypes that many people hold about bikers and biker culture. When you see a real human being under the helmet – someone with a family, a job, a cause he or she supports, a kind heart – then you’re more likely to “see” that biker on the road. Last month, I shared a story about Dallas Hageman, biker-slash-podcaster host of “Wild Ride Radio.” This month, I want to share the special story of Ryan Urlacher, biker-slash-podcaster of “Law Abiding Biker.” Check out this story and then check out his podcast and website!

“I started out in 2013 with nothing more than a microphone and an iPad, sitting in my daughter’s closet to muffle outside noise,” says Ryan, whose initial goal was inspired by his own experience.

“I got into Harleys in my 30s and people made them so mysterious!” he recalls. “You’re told you have to take them to a dealership for any maintenance and that they require special tools. But I grew up working on cars and I started looking over my new Harley and I thought, ‘You’ve gotta be freaking kidding me! People are paying how much for an oil change?’ I decided to help bike owners through a podcast.”

“High-Tech Redneck” Turns Motorcycle Podcast into Life’s Mission Google “Ryan Urlacher motorcycle” and your entire first page of results will be filled with videos, podcasts, articles and images of a Harley-riding, backwards-ballcap-wearing dude with tattoos up his arms and a singular mission on his mind.

Ryan is founder of Law Abiding Biker, a website/podcast/ video/blogging empire designed to demystify motorcycles for both prospective bikers and hard-core bikers alike. Yet his story had quite humble beginnings…

Ryan, who admits his first podcasts and videos were “horrible” but also calls himself a “high-tech redneck,” continuously upped his production game as more and more bikers started listening. Today he has a professional studio in his home, produces multiple podcasts and how-to videos on a weekly basis and can boast one of the biggest podcast audiences in the world.

“Our podcast host tells us that we consistently have among the highest number of downloads and we are in the top 10% of podcasts in the world,” says Ryan. His YouTube channel has 48,000 subscribers and his videos frequently show thousands of hits and watches.

While it may seem like a glamorous way to live (streaming your face and your voice to a worldwide audience of eager listeners), Ryan admits that his life is anything but glamorous.

In fact, in addition to the full-time job running Law Abiding Biker, Ryan is a 23-year law enforcement veteran in his hometown, where he rides a Harley as a motorcycle officer.

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That career is one reason he named his company Law Abiding Biker. But there are other reasons, as well. Many of the folks who help Ryan put the blogs and videos together (as volunteers and paid employees) are law officers, as well.

Additionally, Ryan hopes that all of his broadcast efforts help to dispel the stereotypes that many people have of bikers.

“Especially in the 70s, 80s and 90s, and then with shows like ‘Sons of Anarchy,’ there has been a stereotype presented of what it means to be a biker,” says Ryan. “The so-called one-percenters such as the Hells Angels and Bandidos – the criminal element – their reputation overwhelms the biker stereotype, but the rest of us, the 99-percenters, are average guys who go to work every day, raise a family, are friendly, will give you a hug and we raise money for tons of good causes.”

Those are the people Ryan wants to reach, and while many of his broadcasts include Harley-Davidsons, he says he doesn’t care what people ride; he just wants to reach bikers.

premium videos and documentaries that share one-of-a-kind maintenance and gear information, or tell stories that are particularly important for the biker community.

“People join because I’m saving them so much money and they want to give back,” explains Ryan.

Additionally, the motorcycle store only sells gear that Ryan and his team have personally tested and used, often in the videos they produce. Proceeds from sales support the company; Ryan pours all income back into the company, relying on his job as a law enforcement officer to pay his personal bills.

Membership Has its Privileges As Law Abiding Biker has grown, so has its offerings, which now include: - Weekly podcasts - Weekly videos - Online motorcycle store - Membership benefits (such as a private Facebook group where members share tips and tricks, and premium videos with exclusive bike maintenance and gear insights) The membership component of Law Abiding Biker grew out of a need for the company to sustain itself. While 95% of its content is free for anybody to use, Ryan now also creates

Sadly, in December 2017, just before Christmas, Ryan and his team faced a terrible tragedy: the garage where they were storing all of the gear for sale in the motorcycle store was destroyed in a fire. None of the gear was insured and it was a total loss for the company. Yet, within 12 hours of the fire, Ryan was on his camera, telling his audience that he would rebuild.

“I am a man of faith and I know that things happen for a reason,” he says. “We are and have always been a bootstrap company. Being man of faith, I just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Our community has been incredible. They backed us immediately and many asked how they could help us rebuild. Even vendors reached out to us and are helping us to rebuild our inventory. We are slowly bringing the store back online.”

Additionally, the feedback that Ryan gets from listeners on a daily basis sustains his passion for the cause.

“Just today, I received an email from a guy in the military stationed overseas. He was just thanking me for the work we’re doing,” says Ryan. “That makes it all worth it. If bikers love something, they’d never let it fail.”

If you have any questions about this article, don’t hesitate to contact The O’Sullivan Law Firm. www.OSullivan-Law-Firm. com www.Facebook.com/ OSullivanLawFirm

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