Author: Sara Embrey

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National Tattoo Day: Can A Tattoo Artist Have Morals?

 

Today is National Tattoo Day and we have decided to explore the world of tattooing via our series Skin Deep sold in our World Wide Motion Pictures website theindiemoviestore.com. The mini series Skin Deep  features the works and styles of prominent tattooers such as Greg James, who tattooed rock Gods like the members Motley Crew or legendary rapper Snoop Dogg. The series details the individual tattooer’s progression into the world of tattooing, their experiences, and, most importantly, their art.

Episode 1 of the series featuring tattooers Greg James and Billy Brown who tattoo in the parlor the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, Ca. This episode brought about an interesting question from the world of tattooing. Can an tattoo artist be moral while being in the business of tattooing? The artists at the Sunset Strip were adamantly against doing any racial tattoos, any tattoos on overly emotional clients, and they did not want to do risky tattoos on new clients. For instance, Brown describes how he turns down customers who come to him, without tattoos, and ask for their first tattoo to be on their hand.

“If an individual comes in here with no tattoos on his arms and wants to tattoo his hands. I really don’t recommend it and I won’t do it. Anything on your face, I won’t tattoo.” says Brown.

He explains that tattooing is fun for him but some decisions his client makes are those he is unable to abide by because of his morals. However, tattooing is solely a customer service oriented business. The whole process of tattooing depends on customers coming into a tattoo parlor asking to be tattooed. It’s a tattoo artist’s job to draw from their clients wants and needs in order to create a good tattoo. Tattooing is art but it’s art that survives on its customer service.

For instance, the popular show Tattoo Nightmare features a story about a woman whose parents paid a tattoo artist double to give her a painful, ugly tattoo to dissuade her from getting tattoos in the future. Where were the morals of that tattoo artist? Was he in it for the money? Did he believe her parents were doing the right thing? Or did he just not care? If a patron is paying, should the tattooer care about the subject he is being asked to ink on someone? The Sunset Tattooers believe tattooers should care. They believe their jobs have profound effects on their clients and their consciouses.

“You have to go home at night and you have to say ‘I did a good job today’ and you gotta live with yourself.” Brown muses.

The tattooers at Sunset believe their conscious should be involved in their art. They describe how they turn away clients and also, how they  bond with their clients during their sessions. How they absorb their clients good days or bad days, how they treasure their clients momentous experiences and occasions. They explain how they realize how much their job impacts their clients lives. How their client’s tattoos impact their lives.

“You have to know how you’re changing your life,” Brown explains. “It does affect the way you live.”

Remember to check out our series Skin Deep on our website theindiemoviestore.com. It is on sale as of  July 15th through the 19th at 10 percent off when using the promo code Deep10.
Happy tattooing!

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Happy Global Forgiveness Day

 

globalforgivenessHappy Global Forgiveness day! Today, July 7th 2016, is Global Forgiveness Day, a holiday which was started by the Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors (CECA). The theme of today is, of course, forgiveness. Today is focused on the different ways to forgive others and ourselves.

There are many types of forgiveness. There’s mutual forgiveness, where both you and the other person apologize and forgive one another. There’s one sided forgiveness, where only one person apologizes and the other forgives. There’s open forgiveness, where someone else accepts an apology and forgives someone who did not ask for forgiveness in the first place. There’s inner forgiveness, where you look deep into yourself, accept, and forgive yourself. There’s begrudging forgiveness, where you forgive the person but keep your eye out because you don’t trust them anymore. Lastly, there’s fake forgiveness, where you accept someone’s apology but don’t forgive them at all.

The movie Pop Kowboy features main characters who have a lot to forgive and be forgiven for. Frankie, a down-on-her-luck drag queen, struggles with forgiving her mother. Frankie’s mother couldn’t handle her son living as a woman and kicked her out, shutting her out of both her inheritance and her family home. After years of being alienated, Frankie’s mother was still unable to forgive Frankie for not being the son she wanted and ends up pushing Frankie away again. Because of this, Frankie has to learn to forgive and accept her mother’s viewpoint while still accepting herself and her own choices.

Another person who needs forgiveness in the movie in Pony, the main character in Pop Kowboy. Pony is unable to forgive himself because he feels like he is a nuisance and unwanted. Pony tries to kill himself numerous times throughout the movie and almost succeeds. He feels alienated and alone, but throughout the movie, with a little tough love, he begins to accept himself the way he is. He forgives himself for being different and forgives others for not understanding him.

This movie teaches the viewers about suicide, self-love, self-acceptance, bonds, and forgiveness. Sometimes we cannot be what we want or what other people want us to be. Sometimes, we cannot be the best. We have limitations on what we can actually accomplish. In spite of this, we have to forgive others and, most importantly, we have to forgive ourselves. Watching Pop Kowboy teaches our audience that they do not have to be what other expect them to be in order to be loved, accepted, and most importantly, forgiven.

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Happy Red Roses Day

 

Roses are red,

Violets are blue,

it’s time to debate

which rose is for you.

Red roses are one of the most popular flowers in the United States, and that’s why we celebrate National Red Rose Day on June 12 each year. This honor is also given, in part, because June is the most popular month to get married in. Different colored roses each have their own symbolic meaning. The origin of the rose is difficult to pin down, but they have been written about and depicted in Chinese literature and art for almost 5,000 years. Over 90 species of rose and 144 varieties can trace their origins to China. During that time they a symbolized luxury, and wealth, and were available to royalty or very wealthy citizens only. Roses were also used in medical and religious ceremonies. With the popularity of Christianity rising in Europe their popularity declined, and they were seen as a symbol of depravity, and decadence. Roses have also been a way to communicate for centuries and the most recent incarnation of their meanings includes the following. A red rose symbolizes romantic love, beauty, courage and sometimes even congratulations. Giving someone a red roses is like saying “I love you” to the recipient. A pink rose is perfect for a friend, it shows appreciation, grace, gentleness, and perfect happiness, as well as admiration for the someone. It’s like saying “ Thank you.” Yellow roses symbolize joy, gladness, remembrance, and new beginnings, like saying “I care about you.” A white rose is a great way to say “ I’m the one for you,” it means true love, purity, innocence, humility and charm. Orange roses symbolize desire, enthusiasm and fascination as if you’re saying “I want you” in an intimate fashion. There are other color combinations that mean different thing like a yellow rose with red tips means that you’re falling in love with someone and Red and white roses mean that you’re a great match for eachother. So today find out what you want to say and say it with a rose or better still plant roses in your garden.

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Appreciation of Friends & Siblings on National Brother’s Day

 

Do you have a brother? Or are you, yourself, a brother? Well, today’s the day to treat your brother or get spoiled by a sibling because it’s National Brother’s Day! Don’t have a brother? Why not take a friend out that you see as a brother? Brotherhood goes beyond just being siblings or sharing a parent or parents. No, brotherhood extends to those you consider close to you, the guys that support you even through your dumbest ideas. Brotherhood is about being there for one another through thick and thin and showing that you care.

Sam (Robbie Kay) and Felix (Alex Etel) have a bond that goes deeper than anything than they had in the film Ways to Live Forever, where the two saw each other beyond their illnesses. They saw each other as friends - even best friends - to the point where they were brothers to one another. Sam and Felix found brotherhood through their illnesses and together they tackled on a to-do list before death. That kind of bond is rare to come by. So today on National Brother’s Day, celebrate your own bond with your brother, whether they are related to you or not, and show them that you appreciate them!

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Celebrating International Nurses Day!

 

Join us in celebrating nurses all over the world for their contributions and the important roles they play in your healthcare on International Nurses Day.

Often times we forget to show appreciation towards the people who choose to make helping others their career. Because of this, every year on May 12, people come together to say “thanks” for all the care and attention nurses all over the world have given.

The International Council of Nurses has celebrated Nurses’ Day since 1965. The date May 12 was chosen to celebrate the anniversary birth date of Florence Nightingale.

Florence Nightingale is one of the most influential nurses from the late 1800’s. She nursed sick and wounded soldiers from the Crimean War and her ideas have made an impact on today’s healthcare.

In 1860, Nightingale established the Nightingale Training School at St. Thomas’ Hospital in London. This was the first professional training school for nurses where nursing education became formalized.

Nurses tend to spend more time with direct contact to patients. This makes their relationship with the patient much stronger than it would be with a doctor.

Take Annie’s character for example (played by Natalia Tena), from the film Ways to Live Forever. Annie takes extensive care of Sam (played by Robbie Kay) as he is diagnosed with leukemia and has to come to terms with the fact that his life is cut short.

Annie refers to herself as “Dracula” because she draws blood from many children patients. She builds a light-hearted relationship with Sam, continuing to answer his many questions about life and its meaning.

With healthcare systems shifting more towards systems that prevent and manage cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and other chronic diseases dealt with before hospitalization, the nurses’ role is becoming more important.

So let’s take this day to celebrate and remind nurses and others alike, the appreciation and importance of the work and dedication nurses make everyday to help you and your loved ones stay healthy.

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Mother’s Day Movies: The Struggles of Being a Mother

 

Motherhood is something unimaginably difficult to those who’ve never experienced it. From physically tending to a growing child, to influencing who that child grows up to be, motherhood is full of struggles that show why we should appreciate mothers on this special day. Though nothing can be done to perfection, mothers always make that effort for their children, or as the saying goes “mother knows best.” Every  situation brings something different, and in those times moms have to make difficult decisions as to what’s best for their child.

In today’s society, mother’s have every right to seek fulfilling careers and, at times, that’s combined with the desire to give their child financial comforts while foregoing spending a lot of time with them. In the film The Nightingale (distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation) Quan Ying is burdened by her desire to give her child a comfortable life, and to achieve that, she and her husband work tireless hours. However, when Quan Ying is faced with not having anyone to take care of her daughter Renxing, she makes the difficult decision to have her daughter join her grandfather on a trip to his hometown. This resolve was difficult since it was done without telling her husband, who would have vetoed her decision. Ultimately, the journey turns out for the best, as Renxing gains a more mature worldview on this journey, though it was a difficult one.

Sometimes life takes unexpected turns, and health makes the struggle of motherhood a lot more difficult. In the the film The Lovely Patient, Katherine is faced with putting the burden of relying on her son for support after she suffers a stroke. Despite the situation, their relationship is made stronger in the struggle.

In Ways to Live Forever, young Sam McQueen has leukemia, and his mother, Amanda, along with other adults, do the best they can so that he can have as normal a life as possible. Though she is unable to heal her child’s ailment, she does the best she can so that he can have a happy and normal life.

Lastly, these are just some film examples of how difficult it is to be a mother. The world is full of stories of different circumstances making motherhood have it’s happy moments and it's sad ones. Today is Mother’s Day, and we all should take the time to make it a special one for our own mothers so that they know how much we appreciate all they do to try and give us the best.