Illustration of Derek Powazek by Adam Ellis

Self-Portrait with Squid

About a month after I started the process, and a couple weeks since Jason at Cyclops did the shading (less painful getting, more painful healing), my first tattoo is done. I’m still startled when I see him in the mirror first thing in the morning, but I think we’re gonna be friends.

Additions to my ever-growing list of answers to the “Why a squid?” questions:

  • Because the chicken was too expensive.
  • Because I’m a multi-tentacled creature of the deep.
  • Because squid are smarter than dolphins.

In other squid-related news, I saw a nature documentary the other day that featured a little squid with a brown bottle on the ocean floor. He carried it around in his tentacles wherever he went. And when he was tired, he crawled inside. It was a tiny cephalopod mobile home.

There’s a metaphor in there somewhere that I really like.


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Hi, I’m Derek. I used to make websites. Now I grow flowers and know things. I’m mostly harmless. More.