Our Purpose
- Tat’s of the World is dedicated to the people and stories behind tattoos and not just tattoos themselves.
- We would like people with negative attitudes regarding tattoos to adopt a more curious and compassionate approach.
Our Founders
Tats of the World began in 2024 as a collaboration between two people, Chioma Ozuzu and Brooke Allen.
I‘m Chioma Ozuzu and I am a lifestyle photographer based in Brooklyn, New York. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies and Film Studies from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut.
As a third-generation Nigerian photographer, I understand how powerful and thought-provoking photographs can be in order to foster communities among different types of people.
I focus on color, mood, and motion in my work and my photographs also embrace the diversity of various types of subjects. Some of my work has covered the GLAAD Media Awards, Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, New York Comic Con and Afropunk.
I’ve known Brooke since 2016 and when he proposed this project I was intrigued because many of my friends have tattoos as do I. Some of us have interesting stories behind our tattoos, whether to remind ourselves of the powerful quote, memory, or purpose.
Brandon Stanton made his name with Humans of New York by interviewing the people he met rather than just photographing them. There are plenty of magazines and websites dedicated to displaying tattoo art, but nobody seems to be collecting the stories of why people get their tattoos.
You can find more about me at: ChiomaOzuzu.com.
Currently planning on getting tattoo: 4
I’m Brooke Allen and I got my first and only tattoo in 1957 at the age of 5.
My dad and I were walking in Philadelphia when we came upon a tattoo parlor.
“What’s that?” I asked.
“It’s a place where people draw on skin,” he replied.
“How do they do that?”
“Let’s go in and see.”
After watching the artist finish a tattoo, I asked if it hurt. So that I could experience it, he put three small dots on the ring finger of my right hand. They are barely visible today.
Ask, don’t Condemn
Today I am a writer and those three dots remind me of three words every writer knows, “Show, don’t tell.” Rather than tell me how tattoos were done, my dad let me see firsthand. And rather than tell me how it felt, I got to feel it.
More importantly, my grandfather was a journalist and in 1966 he suggested that whenever I felt negative emotions rising up, I might take a step back and imagine I’m a journalist, not here to pass judgment, but to uncover the facts and get the story. In short, “Ask, don’t condemn.” That was long ago, and I have received no single better advice useful for personal success, interpersonal relations, and mental health. Friends of mine have hurt relationships with their friends and loved ones when they were too quick to condemn them for getting a tattoo before asking why they got it and what it means to them.
More than anything else, I am hoping Tats of the World will help curious people connect through conversations about their tattoos.
A Man on the Queen Mary 2
In the Fall of 2014 I was returning from Southampton to New York on the Queen Mary 2 when I saw a man working out in the gym covered in tattoos.
“Those are amazing tats,” I said. “Do any of them have a story?”
“They all do,” he said.
“Would you tell me one?”
“I can tell you them all,” he said cheerfully. “We’ve got all week.”
If he’d only told me one or two stories I could have remembered, but there were so many I lost track. After 20 minutes or so he excused himself to get ready for dinner.
A middle aged man had been watching us the entire time. Afterward, he introduced himself to me.
“I want you to know,” he said, “I’m the drummer in the ship’s orchestra and that man is, in my opinion, the greatest drummer who ever lived. I’ve been stalking him for three days trying to get up the courage to introduce myself and I can’t believe you just went up to him and started talking to him about his tattoos.”
“Who is the greatest drummer who ever lived,” I asked.
“Travis Barker.”
Apparently, he eventually got up the courage because later Travis posted on Facebook that he got to jam with the band.
Once we establish ourselves, I wonder if Travis would be amenable to Chioma meeting with him to get his stories and professionally photograph his tattoos for our site.
You can learn more about me at BrookeAllen.com.
Tats of the World 