Under the Needle - The Swan Queen

A few months ago, I went into the tattoo shop to start a new project on the side of my rib cage (which, by the way, was a little more uncomfortable than I had anticipated). A couple of weeks ago, I finally got it finished up! Today on The Stares, I am sharing the completed project with you all. Here is the final work: 

The inspiration behind this piece came from 2010's psychological thriller The Black Swan, directed by Darren Aronofsky. If you're not familiar with the plot line, I'll give you a brief synopsis:

The story follows a young woman, Nina (Natalie Portman), who was finally able to land her dream role as the lead in her ballet company's production of the classical ballet Swan Lake. The role requires her to dance two parts: the part of the elegant White swan as well as her evil twin sister, the Black swan. While her pure nature makes dancing the White swan an easy task, Nina's struggle to grasp the dark entity in the Black swan causes her to lose grips with herself, as well as reality. In dancing polar opposite roles, this battle to be the "perfect" ballerina will cause Nina to ultimately meet her demise. 

By Tough Tink

The Black Swan by Kitty-Grimm

by Hannes Beer

Now. I know you're probably thinking "Huh. That's some pretty dark stuff" (especially if you've seen the movie). So what was it that I found so inspirational about this movie that led me to get a tattoo in the name of such a dark plot?

Well for one, I love psychological thrillers. They really get me thinking about the human condition and all the different facets of human nature. This movie in particular really had me thinking about the concept of spiritual warfare, and how within each of us there lives a test as old as time: the power for the upper hand of good and evil. Now what I mean by this is that as people, we are born with both the energy of light and darkness inside ourselves. It is the circumstances and experiences that surround our individual lives that causes either one of these energies to expand or dissipate, but never completely disappear. This dance that Nina must master and perform is the "dance" between light and darkness within herself.

by Ktshy

Alter Ego by Sayuri MV Romei

In order for Nina to develop a complete understanding of the black swan's dark force, she herself had to become a dark force. By not only tapping into her hidden lusts and desires, but fears and aggressions, she was able to become the perfect Black swan. However, in becoming the Black swan, its' dark nature succeeded in drowning every last pure fiber of her being. Allowing this evil to fester inside of her ultimately cost her her sanity.

For me personally, I took this message into another direction. Yes, I do believe playing tit for tat with your demons is a catalyst for self-destruction. However, while we may have these strong"dark impulses" that work into our dark energy at times, we also have the choice to not let it overtake us, overpower us, or become us. We have the ability to find the strength within ourselves to let this light we have be our driving force in life. Note that sometimes these dark impulses can sometimes be overwhelming depending on every individual. But all it really takes is seeing the good within ourselves in order for the light to get through. The only person standing your way, after all, is you.

Photography by Jazmyn Wormely & Kayla Johnson

Artwork by Kylie Greene (Walk the Line Tattoo - Athens, GA)