Tattoo Design for Christian
Tree Dead/Alive
POSITION: Left arm
DESCRIPTION: Christian first reached out in 2019, when I was still working in LA.
The tattoo he envisioned was a memorial for his two brothers, whose lives were lost far too early. After some conversations, we decided to place the piece on his left forearm, allowing the design to wrap around the arm and be viewed from multiple angles, creating a multidimensional effect.
The center element of the design is a tree, standing as a symbol of transition. One side of the tree is full of life, with a dense crown and lush leaves; the other side is bare and leafless—dead. It represents the threshold between life and death, one side quietly and naturally transitioning into the other.
Two birds, symbolizing his brothers, fly across this divide. Their movement is light and playful, as they cross this threshold; gracefully making the transition with a sense of freedom, peace, and connection.
The sessions with Christian held many moments of reflection, bonding, and catharsis. A space for processing, for honoring, and for remembering. This tattoo, now forever a part of Christian, will always be a beautiful reminder of the bond he shares with his brothers, one that lives on beyond form and time.
Meditator with Moths
POSITION: Back
DESCRIPTION: In 2024, Christian returned, this time to my new studio location in Sedona, Arizona, for a large-scale back piece.
The themes he brought with him centered around mental growth, fortitude, and transformation, with aspects of anxiety, depression, and the deep inner work of becoming more aware. Visually, he offered only a few sparks of inspiration: meditation, the brain, light and darkness, the metamorphosis from cocoon to moth. Beyond that, he entrusted me with full creative interpretation of these themes, which is always much appreciated and tends to yield the very best results.
As a foundation for the design, I decided on a branch of leaves growing up along the spine, as a symbol of personal growth, unfolding slowly but steadily along the central axis of the body.
To represent the process of metamorphosis, I placed a caterpillar near the lower back, making its way upward. Higher up, it is pictured in its cocoon, and toward the top, several moths take flight towards a sun or flame. This progression symbolizes the challenging but beautiful and invenitable journey of transformation—a path that ultimately always leads toward light, love, and deeper compassion.
As a central element, I was inspired by Christian’s reflection on how meditation has played an important role in his personal growth process. So I placed a meditating figure as the center element. Its face is veiled, intentionally anonymous: not meant to depict a particular person, but rather to represent the quiet, inward journey of self-discovery. Meditation, after all, is the practice of awareness, and often, a powerful antidote to anxiety and suffering.
The piece is framed with evolving geometric shapes: at the base, triangles give way to rectangles, and eventually dissolve into circles at the top. This symbolic progression mirrors the caterpillar’s own transformation, with the triangle being the simplest and the circle the most complex shape. The circle also represents wholeness and the flow and cycle of life.
This tattoo required two full-day sessions, which we began in late 2024 and completed just recently. Another deeply meaningful piece, shared with and insoired by someone whose journey continues to unfold with presence and intention.
For Inquiries, please feel free to reach out via contact@danielmeyertattoo.com
I look forward to work with you on your next story.
