Dan Bowens gets a tattoo at the famous Inked NYC, a shop that raises funds for Ukraine

The image will last a lifetime and the meaning is deep. My bicep was a canvas recently inside Inked NYC.

Beyond the pain of the ink tattooed on my skin, it’s a personal connection to this moment, shared with tattoo artist Koral Ladna.

I asked him about the personal connection many people have when they spend time and effort thinking about their own ink.

“There are a lot of factors in a tattoo,” Koral said. “It’s an emotional connection. It’s very important that it’s something that flows with your anatomy. It’s not just about putting something on that you put on once and that’s it. It’s a process creative – from start to finish.”

Good Day Wake Up host Dan Bowens got a tattoo at Chelsea’s famed boutique, Inked NYC, as part of a fundraiser for Razom, a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian aid relief to Ukrainian refugees. (FOX 5NY)

She is one of the artists at Inked NYC, the boutique on West 22nd Street in Chelsea. This is where customers go from celebrities like Post Malone and 50 Cent to those just looking for that perfect image.

It also focuses on the aspect of collaboration between the artist and the client.

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“You try to get into their way of thinking. What they might find aesthetically beautiful. You have to understand who they are, try to get into their mind and the way they see the world,” she said. declared.

Inked NYC is an extension of InkedMag which is perhaps the best known publication in the industry.

The notoriety has lent weight to a recent fundraising campaign for war refugees in Ukraine.

It’s something that has a special meaning for Koral. It is her country of origin where she still has family.

“I, like most other people in my community, have family friends and people we care about there. It’s very hard to be away,” she said. .

Koral and the shop held a raffle to benefit Ukrainian refugees with tattoos as prizes. They raised $70,000 in just a few days.

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“People are trying to help in any way they can,” he said.

This spring, Inked NYC is also emphasizing a floral theme and bright colors to brighten up these messy times – which brings us back to my arm.

A splash of spring and renewed life, which attracts me, with the birth of my daughter who is my fourth child.

In general, I try to keep a positive attitude these days.

After talking with Koral for a long time, she created a strikingly beautiful lotus flower. A symbol of purity, enlightenment, self-regeneration and rebirth.

Once described by Binghamton University this way: Its characteristics are a perfect analogy to the human condition: even when its roots are in the dirtiest waters, the Lotus produces the most beautiful flower.

I love it. (Full disclosure: This was a free tattoo from Inked NYC.)

I tipped Koral, but she didn’t take it. Instead, she donated to that same organization as the raffle. The group is called Razom, a non-profit organization that provides emergency humanitarian aid to people directly affected by war.

If you want to help, go to razomforukraine.org

Laura J. Boyer