Cai pointed out that I am going through an unfolding process, and that’s why I’ve been keeping encountering different huge areas. But there should be a balance between unfolding and pre-structured research method.
Cai gave me a really useful practice today to help me connecting my research elements. By keep asking “why” about the critical components related to my actions, finally, I understood what I had been researching.
The key elements:
1. Documentary Research:
to understand and framing my approaches
2. Social Media Platforms:
this is where everything started
the only way to approach people in the pandemic
Those who need help might not necessarily aware of, but they might be interested in tattoos as a way to express themselves
3. Wellbeing:
I was empowered by the stories from the tattooed community, and I want to duplicate my experience to benefit more people.
The tattooed community is super diverse. Those who need help might never talk to the mature and thoughtful part in their real life. But they might read their stories when they are looking for tattoo inspirations on social media. In this way, they can help each other through the tattooed story collection.
4. Community Building
It would be a safe environment for people to support each other.
We forget things and a community can constantly stimulate our positive memories.
A sustainable way to make a positive impact on people.
So, the change I want to see is the tattoo collectors aware of the potential of tattoos being a tool to reflect, to heal, to grow and to belong.
Going back to my research question, the problem I observed is the majority of the society are judging tattoos on how they look like, as a graphic. But it’s not a sticker on the skin. People need to aware of the connection between their heart and the design. Otherwise, they will regret it someday and going through a long and painful process to laser it off.
So, my “how can” question should be, and always have been:
How can the practitioners encourage conscious tattoo?