Black Garden Tattoo + weiwitch moon


I just saw on Instagram that Black Garden Tattoo was closing after ten years, and, as they explained, it wasn't really because of the pandemic, although that speeded things up a bit. Opening the shop was a ten-year project and, as with all things good, the project has simply come to an end. 

Black Garden Tattoo will always be a special place for me as this was where I finally got my tattoo, after years of wondering if I should get one.


Getting inked in London was an idea germinating in my mind for about a couple of days before my scheduled business trip last year, and before I can talk myself out of it, I searched online for the best tattoo places near the hotel where I was going to stay in, found Black Garden Tattoo, set an appointment via email, and sent them some design ideas. My officemate, F, and I arrived in London on a blustery Saturday morning for a weeklong client work, dropped by the hotel to leave our luggage, had breakfast, walked to Drury Lane, and by 1pm I was inked!


I was pretty proud of myself doing this haha. Celebrating small victories, yeah. No matter how trivial and pointless really.

But you see, this wasn't pointless for me. It was similar to staying all by myself for a week more in London two months earlier and exploring the city alone. I had (and still have) to constantly prove to myself that in spite of my anxiety, my depression, my agoraphobia for that matter, I was (and still am) the same brave and fearless me who can do things alone. Who can do things, full stop.

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