our bodies are our stories.

you know when i look at my body the first thing i see is not skin. it is not the imperfect bloat to my stomach. it is not the pimple on my nose or the pink in my hair created from a boredom i could not overcome. the first thing i see is a clean slate. the first thing i see is a story. i see 365 pages waiting to be written on + read. i see an infinite amount of possibilities. i see opportunities. i see mistakes. i see triumphs. i see good. i see bad. i see happiness. i see sadness. i see souls in many forms. i see the soul of myself. i see the soul of others. i see experiences. i see memories. i see war + love. i see tears. i see smiles. i see lyrics + melodies. i see imperfections. i see stories. i see periods at the end of good sentences + i see run-ons for the never ending stories. i see band aids. i see bruises + scars. i see trophies + success. i see honest lies. i see lieing truths. i see suitcases. i see locked doors. i see clocks. i see love. i see hate. i see winning. i see losing. i see footprints + fingerprints. i see thoughts. i see the 'too lates'+ i see the 'just in times.' i see best friends. i see enemies. i see bitter + sweet. i see obstacles. i see peace. i see naked feelings. i see dreams. i see serene chaos. i see walls. i see blackouts. i see risks. i see comfort. i see walking away. i see staying. i see spontaneity creeping up. i see choices. i see stubbornness. i see humbled moments.

but mostly, i see a timeline. i see a canvas. i see a canvas where if you are having a bad day you can look + remember back to a good day. you can look + see a time in your life where you were a certain emotion. where you were a certain being. where you were a certain you. i see the ability to have the world at your finger tips. where not only can you look back at a certain instance in time but you can endeavor into another. i see blank pages where future moments can be scribed for a reader to read. i see the ability to cherish a moment you never want to forget. that's what life is right? it's all experience. it is all in the moments that only happen once in life. the moments that happen once but trigger a ripple affect + cause the rest of the moments that occur in your life. we, as people, pick up tangible books + utilize them to expand out mind + gain knowledge. well why aren't we using our intangibles? why aren't we using each other to do the same. if anything we all have much more of a story to tell than a book. i mean a book can at most have a couple lessons to teach while us humans have a million. we are all unique + we all have our own significant timeline that we call life. some choose to hide their timeline but i choose to reveal mine. i choose to utilize my body as art. i choose to look in the mirror + wear my heart on my sleeve, literally. i choose to never hide who i am. i choose to allow the souls around me to engage in my life just as much as i have. i choose to let other souls embark on putting their handwriting on my soul. i choose to allow other souls to leave a part of them on me every time they look at me. i choose to let other souls write on me, tangibly + intangibly. emotionally + physically.

there has been such an uproar in our society. one in which i choose to negate in my mind. one in regards to this idea of tattoos. an uproar that negatively points out that they are permanent + that it is 'dumb' to forever get something engraved into your skin. to me this is naive. to me that is hypocritical for someone not only to say but think. how can someone believe it is a bad decision to utilize their body as an art form? how can someone be so naive as to think tattoos are a negative addition to your life? that is like saying anything you post on the internet is dumb + pointless-because if you have all forgotten, once you put anything on the world wide web it is permanently there in the space of dot coms and htmls. people lose jobs because of moments in their lives when they put a picture or sentence up somewhere in the internet world. well ... now society turns our freedom of free speech + our freedom to express ourselves the way we want into a cynical act. society from generations before us are used to a norm + they can not seem to open their eyes external of that 'norm.' they can not seem to see our 'norm' now is not actually normal at all. our 'norm' now is to actually not be part of the 'norm' at all. our 'norm' now is to not only be the story but it is to be the page the story is written on. our 'norm' now is to be the ink + the page. our norm now is to be unique + different. i mean who are we, as beings, to negate our freedoms by subduing to stereotypes that were conceptualized in past generations. who are we to take ten steps back from all that we have worked for to get to the free nation we are now.

our bodies are our stories. our bodies are our templates. our bodies are our vote. they are our change + our choice. who wants a job that won't hire them because they view life a different way. who wants friends who measure them on the amount of stories they have written on their body as opposed to the amount of knowledge they have in their head. haven't we learned since we were children to never judge a book by it's cover. well hell, this is THAT cliche staring us in the face.

each person is their own story + how they choose to portray that is their freedom. each person has a timeline to show. i find the most vulnerable + amazing form of art is that of which we choose to reveal to the world on our skin. if a moment is so important to you that you would tattoo it onto your body then hell yea- get it . that moment is one for the blank page of life. that moment is going to turn into your life's story. that moment is going to be shared with your family, friends, children, peers, and even strangers. that moment is you. that moment is your story. your life lessons. your inspiration. your addition to this world. be proud of wearing your heart on your sleeve. be proud of being who you are and be proud of being an american where this is all an option. life is about the good + bad.

one of the best things i have ever heard was said by jason mraz not too long ago. he said, 'remember tattoos are temporary just like the life that has been given to us.' it is so true right? life is temporary so therefore tattoos are temporary-not permanent. take life as a chance to be your own artist. take life as the opportunity to make a difference + publish your own book. take life as the opportunity to help those to come after you, with life lessons you have learned through the beauty of your skin.

let life write on you, because soon you will forget moments of your life that once were significant. let life write on you, because when you look back you will be able to say, 'damn that was a hard time in my life but it made me who i am.'

we are who we are because of the choices we make. + every choice you make is a good one even if it does not seem like it initially.

i choose to let life write on me + i am damn proud of it. i am damn proud to be an artist. i am damn proud to be a walking story. if you want to judge my book by its cover that is your loss. i choose to tell my story in the process of learning other's stories. i capture my moments + engage in others. i indulge in the ink + i read each page.

you only get 365 days a year to tell a story. what are you doing to remember those days?

a lot to conceptualize isn't it? really think about it + think about if you are writing your life's story the way you want to. if you are not-do something about it, because ultimately everyday we are faced with adversity + the best way to deal with that is not to look in the other direction + pretend it is not there. it is to open your arms to it + really accept it. be it. live it.

whelp that is all for now.

much love,

xoxo
perfectly imperfect
crystal kimberly