ErrantPigeon
Member
Hello y’all! The name’s Miles. People who only know me from my tattooing call me Art (business pseudonym). I am a professional tattooist and life long artist with all the desire to travel and only an inkling of an idea how to make that happen. So I’m glad to be here, and glad this site exists.
I’ve been interested in the lives of travelers since I met one in college, who shared some stories and introduced me to the idea of freight hopping. I didn’t think I’d one day be interested in traveling myself, until I read Into The Wild, Pigeon Life (zine), and Evasion. I met other travelers, one of whom had biked across the country and taught me how to dumpster dive. I considered a bike tour for a time, passing my boring-ass days as a shipping coordinator for a foot-spa factory by daydreaming about traveling. That is, until I got an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop. Four years and one completed apprenticeship later and I’m still thinking about traveling.
Tattooing has opened many doors for me, including getting top surgery (I’m non-binary trans) which ended up being a mistake. Planning to write a zine about my experiences with that. Hoping to maybe write other zines in the future, and possibly a graphic novel that’s been floating around my brain for a while. But definitely want to be able to tattoo my own artwork on people, not just their ideas rendered to their liking. Hoping to be traveling to and working at tattoo conventions soon.
Tattooing has also allowed me to meet more anarchists and travelers—not many, but enough to reinvigorate my dreams and love of life—and they came at the right time in my life! For years I’ve wanted to hop trains, but didn’t know how I’d accomplish that. I’m kind of a rail fan but not in the nerdy way—I just really think trains are mesmerizing and enjoy experiencing them. I met a few riders, including one who’s become a real close friend of mine, and in the past month I finally got a chance to ride, with my friend and some other riders. I’ve ridden 4 trains so far, one of them solo. The rest of the trip was backpacking on foot, subway, bus, and hitchhiking, and I’ve never done anything like it before. I’ve barely even camped! The whole trip was difficult, frustrating, exhilarating, and incredible at the same time. Life changing—I NEEEEEED to do this more.
Now I’m back, stuck in the workday routine for the next 6 months, which is when I told my very supportive, family-like shop that I’d be independent and on the road. Since the trip’s ended, days seem so short, I feel more anxious and less competent, and everything’s a blur. Also using weed more again, which I mostly stopped for the trip, and want to cut out except for social use. I can’t live like this anymore, this daily 9-5. I have it really good at this shop with management, I make decent enough money, and it’s still not enough. I had a taste of what life can be like, and I want more. I crave the independence and adventure. I want to have more spans of time when I lose track of what day it is. Thankfully my job allows me to work anywhere. But I want to minimize my expenses and minimize work. I want to live more of my life with less sense of time.
Life’s been challenging but I’ve made it this far, and I’m starting to actually enjoy life finally. Never been really active growing up, but now I go to the gym with a trainer 2-3x a week. Most of my life I was just a quiet artist with poor social skills. Struggled with severe depression, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and lived with undiagnosed adhd, for many years. Thankfully I am off my meds these days, and doing a lot of difficult but rewarding work in therapy. Starting to practice socializing more with others. Stopped taking testosterone and am dealing with an awkward-feeling body and homelessness in gender. Over a year ago, I ended a 7 year relationship with my best friend of over 15 years, and I feel mostly good about it. I don’t enjoy being single, though it’s giving me a lot to reflect on, and I’m willing to listen to myself more now. And seek to be pursued, instead of being someone who pursues all the time. I want to find something balanced, healthy, and reciprocal. But I’m not in a hurry and I’m picky AF so I sometimes feel disheartened and lonely, but I know that traveling will open up more opportunities for me in that realm, as well. The main goal is learning to love myself, scars and all.
I really feel like I will enjoy traveling, even with the difficult parts. I am planning on living in my Prius for a while, until I save up for a van. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my beloved kitty for the time being, besides ask a friend to watch him. I don’t want to subject him to being in a cramped Prius. An insulated van with some cooling equipment would be better. In the long run I hope I can bring him with me, I love him so much. His name is Rollie, and he is so sweet and loves to cuddle.
On that note, I love animals. Been vegan for uhhh 7 years now? I think? Whatever it’s not a pissing contest. I’m not a dick about it unless you are. Politically I’m for anarchy; I lean more individualist. I feel critical toward civ/tech, but am resigning myself to learning to accept what likely can’t be stopped, for the sake of my own mental well-being. I think I’m gender nihilist because fuck all of this shit, I’m so done with it. After going through transition back and forth, I’m unconvinced gender is a concept that can be salvaged. I think we shouldn’t limit ourselves to identity. We are so much more than categories.
Anyway I’m really good at writing too much, so, I’ll end this here. That’s enough about me for right now. I’m not for everyone, but the people who get close to me can’t say enough good things about me from what I’ve heard, so, take me as I am, world. I’m just me.
And I’m comin’ right at ya! Watch out! 😎
I can’t waaaaaaiiiiiitttttt
Fuck yeah, so glad we’re all out here doing this. Fuck yeah!!! This makes me happier than anything has lately. I am so looking forward to traveling.
Pleasure to meet all of you.
PS: photos are of me, my cat, and Molly Tov, a little T-shirt painting I did that I re-rendered digitally years ago, and who has spread across the interwebs—maybe you’ve seen them! If you wanna see my tattoo work, look up the insta @suddenlyabird (though it’s not got newer projects, and doesn’t really showcase what I want to tattoo, yet.)
I’ve been interested in the lives of travelers since I met one in college, who shared some stories and introduced me to the idea of freight hopping. I didn’t think I’d one day be interested in traveling myself, until I read Into The Wild, Pigeon Life (zine), and Evasion. I met other travelers, one of whom had biked across the country and taught me how to dumpster dive. I considered a bike tour for a time, passing my boring-ass days as a shipping coordinator for a foot-spa factory by daydreaming about traveling. That is, until I got an apprenticeship at a tattoo shop. Four years and one completed apprenticeship later and I’m still thinking about traveling.
Tattooing has opened many doors for me, including getting top surgery (I’m non-binary trans) which ended up being a mistake. Planning to write a zine about my experiences with that. Hoping to maybe write other zines in the future, and possibly a graphic novel that’s been floating around my brain for a while. But definitely want to be able to tattoo my own artwork on people, not just their ideas rendered to their liking. Hoping to be traveling to and working at tattoo conventions soon.
Tattooing has also allowed me to meet more anarchists and travelers—not many, but enough to reinvigorate my dreams and love of life—and they came at the right time in my life! For years I’ve wanted to hop trains, but didn’t know how I’d accomplish that. I’m kind of a rail fan but not in the nerdy way—I just really think trains are mesmerizing and enjoy experiencing them. I met a few riders, including one who’s become a real close friend of mine, and in the past month I finally got a chance to ride, with my friend and some other riders. I’ve ridden 4 trains so far, one of them solo. The rest of the trip was backpacking on foot, subway, bus, and hitchhiking, and I’ve never done anything like it before. I’ve barely even camped! The whole trip was difficult, frustrating, exhilarating, and incredible at the same time. Life changing—I NEEEEEED to do this more.
Now I’m back, stuck in the workday routine for the next 6 months, which is when I told my very supportive, family-like shop that I’d be independent and on the road. Since the trip’s ended, days seem so short, I feel more anxious and less competent, and everything’s a blur. Also using weed more again, which I mostly stopped for the trip, and want to cut out except for social use. I can’t live like this anymore, this daily 9-5. I have it really good at this shop with management, I make decent enough money, and it’s still not enough. I had a taste of what life can be like, and I want more. I crave the independence and adventure. I want to have more spans of time when I lose track of what day it is. Thankfully my job allows me to work anywhere. But I want to minimize my expenses and minimize work. I want to live more of my life with less sense of time.
Life’s been challenging but I’ve made it this far, and I’m starting to actually enjoy life finally. Never been really active growing up, but now I go to the gym with a trainer 2-3x a week. Most of my life I was just a quiet artist with poor social skills. Struggled with severe depression, social anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and lived with undiagnosed adhd, for many years. Thankfully I am off my meds these days, and doing a lot of difficult but rewarding work in therapy. Starting to practice socializing more with others. Stopped taking testosterone and am dealing with an awkward-feeling body and homelessness in gender. Over a year ago, I ended a 7 year relationship with my best friend of over 15 years, and I feel mostly good about it. I don’t enjoy being single, though it’s giving me a lot to reflect on, and I’m willing to listen to myself more now. And seek to be pursued, instead of being someone who pursues all the time. I want to find something balanced, healthy, and reciprocal. But I’m not in a hurry and I’m picky AF so I sometimes feel disheartened and lonely, but I know that traveling will open up more opportunities for me in that realm, as well. The main goal is learning to love myself, scars and all.
I really feel like I will enjoy traveling, even with the difficult parts. I am planning on living in my Prius for a while, until I save up for a van. I don’t know what I’m going to do with my beloved kitty for the time being, besides ask a friend to watch him. I don’t want to subject him to being in a cramped Prius. An insulated van with some cooling equipment would be better. In the long run I hope I can bring him with me, I love him so much. His name is Rollie, and he is so sweet and loves to cuddle.
On that note, I love animals. Been vegan for uhhh 7 years now? I think? Whatever it’s not a pissing contest. I’m not a dick about it unless you are. Politically I’m for anarchy; I lean more individualist. I feel critical toward civ/tech, but am resigning myself to learning to accept what likely can’t be stopped, for the sake of my own mental well-being. I think I’m gender nihilist because fuck all of this shit, I’m so done with it. After going through transition back and forth, I’m unconvinced gender is a concept that can be salvaged. I think we shouldn’t limit ourselves to identity. We are so much more than categories.
Anyway I’m really good at writing too much, so, I’ll end this here. That’s enough about me for right now. I’m not for everyone, but the people who get close to me can’t say enough good things about me from what I’ve heard, so, take me as I am, world. I’m just me.
And I’m comin’ right at ya! Watch out! 😎
I can’t waaaaaaiiiiiitttttt
Fuck yeah, so glad we’re all out here doing this. Fuck yeah!!! This makes me happier than anything has lately. I am so looking forward to traveling.
Pleasure to meet all of you.
PS: photos are of me, my cat, and Molly Tov, a little T-shirt painting I did that I re-rendered digitally years ago, and who has spread across the interwebs—maybe you’ve seen them! If you wanna see my tattoo work, look up the insta @suddenlyabird (though it’s not got newer projects, and doesn’t really showcase what I want to tattoo, yet.)
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