Becoming A Woman (Aurora Oz)
By Tsering Tenzing Ghale @ Story Of My Tattoo
Emotions aside. On my third round, I lost control of the ground. A beautiful girl with an amazing full neck tattoo appeared at the stall before I passed by it. She wore her tattoo like a necklace. It truly was an ornament on her. Her eyes were mesmerizing one. And so was her smile. She did not had to smile big, just a small one did lighten up the whole room. I stepped back without anyone knowing it. I looked around the stall for an excuse. The artist at the stall was busy. A friend of the girl sat next to her on her left. There were about 4-5 participants who had been at the stall before. I could tell it from their conversation. They flipped the portfolios on and on till the last page flew by. They left and I stood there still. My body did not make even a slight move. But my eyes did and so my head. And among all, my heart.
I spoke a word finally. ¨Excuse me, are these stickers for free distribution?¨, I asked in the most polite manner I could think of in a shaken voice.
¨Yes, please! You can choose your own design and have them. It is all for free.¨
¨Thank you! But I would be happy if you can give me the pieces that you wish to. I am so confused because every designs are so beautiful…….¨. As I stopped she picked a piece from every pile of different designs and handed them over to me. There were about 6 pieces. I spoke again. This time my voice cracked and had shaken more.
¨Lovely tattoo you have Miss. It is very beautiful honestly.¨, I said with the biggest smile I had worn.
¨Aww...thank you! That’s so nice of you.¨ She did not speak much. Only replies came from her side. I had no any expectation. I knew she would not be speaking to me right away as I am just an audience who passed by her stall like everybody else, is it not???? Everything takes time and energy, right? I had to pushed myself to speak to her and get a story. Maybe this time, I had pushed myself further. Maybe…
¨By the way, I am Tse-ring. I write about tattoos that are published on the blogs. It has been about a month and half I have been doing it. Have written more than 30 stories so far...the main theme is tattoo in the story…..¨.
¨Cool. I am Aurora. Nice to meet you.¨ When she stopped we shook hands. It was the warmest greetings of the day. Our handshake was a very friendly one filled with appreciation. Sometimes, you can tell the feelings of the person through a handshake.
¨Aurora! It is a wonderland name, is it not?¨
¨Yes. It is. That´s my name.¨ We smiled at each other and laughed. I do not know why I smiled or laughed about. It is a beautiful name. I wish I could be named Alexander or after any great legends who had lived. Sadly, I got a different one. I will keep up with it.
¨What is your last name?¨, I asked. This time my face had brighten and I still had the smile.
¨Oz.¨
¨You are not kidding with me, right?¨
¨Nope. It is Oz, Aurora Oz just like in the fairytale stories.¨
¨Ahuh. I must be honest that you are the first person I have met with a fairy tale story name. And it is beautiful no doubt on it…..¨
¨Thank you! That’s really nice of you.¨, she said and turned towards the artist. I felt little nervous because I had taken some of her valuable time. That could be the reason why she was called by the artist. The artist did not say a word but made some gestures. So I spoke for the last time, ¨Aurora, would you mind if I could write about you and your tattoo? I am certain that you have beautiful stories to tell…..¨
¨Sure. But right now I am little busy. Maybe an hour later or during tea break. Is that alright with you?¨, she said warmly. I could not say ´No´.
¨Yes. Thank you! I really appreciate your support. I will come back later.... Have a good day.¨ And I moved on to the next stall with my laptop. By this time, my hands had produced sweats. I do not know how and when.
I came back two hours later at Form 8 Tattoo, San Francisco stall. Aurora was not there. I did not ask any one. I just wondered around. I did not leave the stall immediately. I spent some more time in other stalls around it. But she did not turn up. And so I moved to the next part of the venue. The other side of the venue is on the outside of the building. I had a short meeting with the artist from India, France, Switzerland, Brazil, Nepal and as I turned my head towards the corner side she was there. I did not waste much time. I walked straight to her.
I did not speak to her immediately. I waited for her tattoo to finish. 20 minutes later, it was all done. I told her about my presence at the stall. She responded to it in her own way. It is adorable the way she did it.
She was in the middle of the session. She got her first moon. ¨I constantly want tattoos from so many artists which is not possible. It takes time to know the artist well so I mostly get inked from the artist that I connect with immediately especially at conventions. It’s a funny thing because sometimes you just click with people immediately. His work is awesome. It represents my sister, Venus.¨, she said when I asked about the latest tattoo. I also learnt that some artist can be highly skilled and a total dick.
After the tattoo information, I came to know Aurora is the shop manager of Form 8 Tattoo Studio, San Francisco. Previously, she had worked for a jewelry company called Maya Jewelry doing social media. She had completed her fine arts degree in London.
Aurora first came to know about tattoos when she was 11 years old. It was in Thailand. Right away, she wanted to get one back then. She did not get one until fourteen. She had inked her first tattoo herself which she calls unprofessional. It is related to her friend (Ryan) who passed away on her birthday. ¨I wanted a tattoo that is simple, small and concise for myself. I wanted something that is straight to the point. And that´s what my first tattoo is.¨, Aurora shared.
¨Where did you get the OM tattoo?¨
¨This tattoo will soon be covered up. I got it when I was 18. Later when I traveled around I came to know that it is religious/cultural appropriation. It is not a good idea to have it on the left hand because it is such a sacred symbol. As a woman you aren’t supposed to carry religious symbols on your body like that and it’s disrespectful to the culture and religion. It was inked by artist Ian Harper. But it is my first professional tattoo and sadly it will be covered soon.¨, she replied.
¨How many tattoos do you have?¨
As I questioned marked she began to count her tattoos. She went one, two, three and so on. The tattoos on her arms were easy to count and so the ones on her leg. After several counts she stopped at 22. She has 22 tattoos in total. And the most important one is the one I saw. It is full neck, chest and back piece that not only changed her life but also the artist too. It was inked by artist Raph Cemo the same artist who had inked the abstract tattoo on artist Akshay Gurung from Pokhara.
¨What is the tattoo? I am sorry I have very little knowledge about tattoos. And the knowledge I have is from the stories I had written…..¨, I asked in curiosity.
¨It is a geometric and dot work. It symbolizes of me owning my womanhood. This tattoo changed me into a completely different person. It not only changed me, it gave me friends and good job. It also represents my relationship with my spiritual brother, Raph Cemo. I got it in London, England about 3 years ago….¨
¨How young were you at the time because it is big piece and painful one?¨
¨Well,... I think I was 20 or 21. It was a very long session. The most painful tattoo I ever got and the most important tattoo of my life…..¨
¨You said it symbolizes you owning your womanhood, I did not get you completely?¨
¨I had a crazy English boyfriend who moved with me to San Francisco after living in London for a year. I met him in London during my studies. It took me too long to get over him. It was a one sided relationship. He took away my independence. At that age I know I wasn’t a great partner either. It was the most painful thing I had experienced. He was abusive and discouraged me in chasing my dream of being tattooed. It took me two years to come out of the tragedy. Tattooing was the healing process. It was physical pain that took away my mental pain…..So all in all this tattoo healed me and transformed me into a better person……...¨
The masterpiece also states the growing relationship between a spiritual brother and a sister. A relationship between a man and a woman does not always have to be a sexual relationship, does it? ¨My tattoo defines a young girl becoming a woman. I couldn’t have done it without Raph. Not everything has to be sexual in a relationship.¨, Aurora shared.
¨How did you meet Raph Cemo?¨
¨I moved to London when I was 19 or 20. I saw his work on Instagram. I assumed I would not be able get a tattoo from him. I messaged him when I was in London. I came to know he wanted a large canvas for a big piece. And I wanted a tattoo from him. We clicked immediately from meeting. After this big piece, more people came to him for big pieces. So I guess this tattoo changed everything for both of us. And it connected us as brother and sister…..¨, she said.
¨Are you in relationship now?¨
¨No, I am not. It has been 3 years that I have been enjoying my independence. I am learning new things every day, do things in a balanced way, I feel secured and passionate more by myself. I travel on a simple budget. I have traveled more countries than I can think of. Traveling is the best way to learn what you want and what you are capable of. It is very educative and productive….¨ Aurora replied happily.
¨Have you dated anyone from the tattoo industry?¨, I asked flatteringly.
¨This is a surprising thing. No, I haven't dated anyone from the industry. It is weird, right? My exs are non artists and none of them were involved in the tattoo industry in anyway. Maybe it is also because the industry is full of independent people who are very busy doing their thing…..¨
¨What is your opinion on being in a relationship?¨
¨I will tell you when I get in a relationship (laughing out loud)....Well being in a relationship is experiencing love and passion. I’m Colombian/Chilean and we are a passionate people. There must be an understanding and respect with each other. It must not only be physical but mental. I think it’s important to be patient for this. Both physical and mental aspect must be carried out in balance by the two people in love….and love must be passionate….what about you? Did you have any crazy or awesome relationship?¨
¨Aye, I totally agree with you. No comment on it….well...it took me a month to settle after I broke up with my girlfriend of 3 years relationship. I did not break up with her. She did. We were very good together. We did almost everything together. But the long distance took us even far. And soon we could not handle it and we chose our own ways. And funnily, I think our relationship was just intimate and intimacy kept us together for 3 years. We were like Pitt and Jolie when it comes for intimate moments (laughing but in a weird way).....¨, I shared my side of the story.
Before we parted our ways I asked Aurora a weird question. It sounded kinky more. I thought she would be upset or annoyed about it. So I asked politely and in a funny way.
¨Do you have a tattoo on the V-area?¨ The reason I asked is because Aurora has 22 tattoos that made me curious if she had one there.
¨Nope. Not yet. But I do want to get one on my V-area. I wish to get it from someone I am attached to, maybe my life partner could be husband or wife, maybe boyfriend or girlfriend. I think that is the place where I would get inked. I am sure it will be the most intense part……..¨
¨That is very affectionate. If I have been an annoying person in anyway I am really sorry Aurora…..¨
¨No, it is okay. Not a problem. Okay, it has been quite long I have been away I need to get to my shop. Have a good day. See you around...¨
¨Yes. Sure...good day Aurora. See you around. I will find you on Facebook and will send you the draft. If possible you can also work on the draft to make it better. And thank you for wonderful time, honesty and amazing story…..¨
Within few minutes Aurora disappeared. I checked my notes if I had missed anything. I double checked Aurora's full name on Facebook. And so I begin to type Aurora's full name on the Facebook search box. There were number of Aurora on Facebook. But I found the right Aurora because she had given me the hint to find her.
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