As Above, So Below- Brian Decker.

Josh lifted me up- literally and figuratively, when I needed him the most. His compassion fits his stature.
I ran into him at Troy’s Philadelphia Tattoo Convention a few months ago, and over the space of an hour or two watched Brian Decker realize Josh’s dream cuttings.

I’ll give the floor to Josh….

as above, so below

“i had a dream a while back. in it, i met myself. the me that i met greeted the dream me in a way that i often greet people, with hands raised together as if in prayer, a sign of coming in peace. in this dream, the other me had scars shaped like arrows on the heels of his hands. one pointing up, one pointing down. i woke from the dream with this image burned into my mind. over time, the symbolism became clear to me, and i decided that it was time for a new scarification project.

as above, so below. the sacred and the profane. heaven and earth. good and evil. black and white. brain and body. what goes up, must come down. there are a million examples and ways to describe the idea, but it all comes back to balance. none of these things would exist without the other. they may occupy opposite ends of a spectrum, but they are inextricably linked to each other. my goal is to maintain that balance in my life. to have one foot in each world. these scars will remind me of that.

(more after the break- including healing progression)

i was searching for the right person to perform this procedure for me, and the right technique. i pored through hundreds and hundreds of pictures in portfolios online, and had it narrowed down to a couple of choices. i was online one day a couple of months ago, flipping back and forth between a couple of artists, and i got an IM from Brian Decker announcing that he would be taking appointments for the Philly tattoo convention. he was one of the artists that i was debating between. his work is beautiful, and i remember meeting him at Keith’s memorial service and that connection just struck a chord in me. this was the sign that i needed, and i made up my mind. i scheduled an appointment, and we decided that skin removal was the way to achieve the best possible results. now all i had to do was wait a few weeks.

the day of the convention came. i drove up with my friend Dave, and we got there right as the convention was getting started. i found Brian’s booth, and we talked a bit about what was going to happen, then he measured and drew and prepared while i chatted with Rachel and the others at the BME booth.

the procedure took about an hour and a half. Brian was very skilled with the scalpel, and very concerned with my well being the entire time. i stuck with my breathing exercises and refused any other pain control, which surprised just about everyone there. for me, the process is just as important as the result, and i want to experience every second of it unencumbered by anything. Brian cut out the outlines, then began to peel and cut the skin away. i have been cut, branded several different ways, pierced, stretched, tattooed, and any number of other things, but this was certainly a new experience. i could feel the tension of him pulling the skin back and each small cut to free it from my hand. i truly felt every little cut. it was intense, but didn’t really push my limits too much, save for a couple of spots. there was blood, but not an inordinate amount.

i could not be happier with the results. i covered the wounds with some tegaderm like substance for a few hours, then cleaned them with soap and warm water. since then, they have been exposed to the air. no bleeding or oozing or seeping so far. the cold air on them is a bit of a shock to the system, and i’m already tired of explaining why i can’t shake hands with people (in my line of work, it comes up a lot), but other than that everything is great.
my friend Dave (13th hour photography) shot all of the pics”- Josh

At one week.

At three weeks.

Special thanks to Dave at 13th Hour Photography for taking the pics!