Symbolizing unity
Tattoo designed in Kings County gaining momentum
Two years ago, Everlasting Ink employees Terrie Leblanc and Amanda Clarke were asked to put their thinking hats on.
Owner Jason Mahar wanted to put their skills to the test and asked them to create a new tattoo – something that would appeal to a wide variety of people or might even become a trend.
“The assignment was to come up with a new tattoo or style that would become trendy or something people would want,” Leblanc said. “Neither of us are into trendy tattoos, Amanda and I, so we had a hard time coming up with something. We see all these people coming in with the semicolon tattoo, birds, dandelion seeds or the infinity symbol, and we thought: why is there not one tattoo that symbolizes everybody is one?”
Added Clarke, “Every religion had a symbol, every race had a symbol, everything had a symbol, but there was not one symbol anywhere that we could find that represented all of us as humans.”
The duo brought the idea to Mahar, and with his guidance, the tattoo was born.
‘Unique and original’
“When they came back with the idea, I thought it was really unique and original,” Mahar said. “It touched a big topic I find important in the world, because we’re getting lost in creating things and having things and acquiring things that really aren’t important and everyone’s getting lost in the shuffle and everyone’s working and we don’t have time for our kids and our family and everyone’s using electronics all the time and no one’s paying attention. But in the end, we are all animals, we are all humans.”
The two employees worked tirelessly to create a design that would mean something to the public. That’s when it happened - an idea was sparked between them.
Leblanc and Clarke expertly comprised the brand new We Are All Human tattoo. Featuring a circle – representing humans being whole and one – with a little person inside, representing all humans.
“I think we’re both hoping for the same reaction came from the semi colon tattoo,” Clarke said. “I found that the semi colon tattoo raised so much awareness for depression that now it’s openly talked about, whereas our tattoo is about sharing this meaning of peace. I feel like if it is spread it will do the same thing the semi colon tattoo did, it will get people talking and raise more awareness of how skewed our system is.”
Good response
The tattoo comes in all sizes and colours and customers already getting tattoos at Everlasting Ink already could add on the humanity tattoo for free.
Creators Leblanc and Clarke immediately got the tattoo themselves – and they weren’t alone. Almost everyone in the Kentville business has the tattoo now, as well as many people in the wider community.