The Mark We Leave
Some people create art with paint. Some with words. Some with music. Erin Sage creates it with patience, ink, and thousands of tiny decisions made one at a time.
Rachelle and I spent two days with Erin in Quesnel while he worked on a beautiful piece for her arm. Most people will see the finished tattoo. What they won't see are the hours behind it—the conversations, the laughter, the quiet concentration, and the trust that develops when one person is creating something permanent on another.
Watching Erin work reminded me that mastery rarely looks dramatic. It looks like attention. It looks like caring deeply about the details. It looks like showing up fully for the person sitting across from you.
There was something calming about the entire experience. The buzz of the machine. The focused silence. The stories shared between breaks. The realization that this wasn't just about a tattoo. It was about expression, identity, memory, and the desire we all have to carry meaningful things with us.
The older I get, the more I appreciate people who have dedicated themselves to a craft. Not because they've become perfect at it, but because they've chosen to stay curious long enough to become good. Erin is one of those people. A thoughtful artist. A skilled craftsman. And perhaps most importantly, a genuinely kind human being.
When the two days were over, Rachelle left with beautiful artwork on her arm. We left with something too…a reminder that some of the most meaningful experiences happen when talented people use their gifts in service of others.
The tattoo will last a lifetime. So will the memory of how it got there.
