Cassandra MORGAN
Photographer : Julia Loglisci
They say only the strong survive in this life; for Cassandra Morgan, this is an
understatement. Those who know Cassandra might say that she’s been through
hell and back, but her amazing strength and charisma allow her to live each day
to its fullest. West Coast Ink had the honor of meeting with this young woman
and listening to her incredible story.
B
orn and raised in British Columbia,
Cassandra is proud to call Victoria her
home. If you ever have the pleasure
of meeting Cassandra, you might find yourself speechless. With over 60% of her body
heavily tattooed, she is a walking form of art.
Most articles of clothing don’t even begin to
cover up her tattoos, but then again, why
would she want to cover them up in the first
place?
Cassandra’s story was very inspiring to us,
so we let her tell it in her own words…
“A few years back, I went through some major life changing events, and my tattoos became a story; a representation to each outcome of each event. The order I got them in
and their representations are very significant
and life changing for me. It was almost as if
each design, once tattooed into my skin, set
me closer to being free. When someone suffers such a significant amount of loss in such
a short period of time, one may ask themself,
what else can be taken from me? I believe
that my tattoos are something that no one
can ever take from me. My body is my canvas and it tells my story.”
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - “The protector I call him, was a major cover up of five
smaller tattoos on my back. I wanted to cover up my past and start with a fresh slate.
I decided to go with a dragon because of
the power and strength it symbolizes. This
meant the first step as a representation that
my number one priority in life is to be a good
mother and always protect my son. I thank
my son for helping me change my old ways;
he is the reason I strive to be the best person
I possibly can. Once I became a mom I realized that life was no longer all about me - I
would only live for that child.”
The Tiger - “A representation of the pride I
should always feel in myself; something I had
once lost somewhere along the way.”
Two Coy Fish – “There was a time when it
seemed that everything was against me and
my loved ones. One coy fish is swimming upstream, showing its struggle to swim against
the current. The second coy fish is swimming
downstream; this metaphors overcoming the
tragedy and making it through to the other
side.”
The Sugar Skull – “It represents life after
death. I feel as though people are always given a second chance. No one should have to
live with a haunting past or a shadow that follows them for life. Something great can come
from something bad; it is possible to become
a wiser and overall better person. One must
see the good from the bad instead of letting
it destroy them. Nobody likes to feel damaged and everyone expresses themselves
in different ways; mine was getting tattooed.
Something was released from me while sitting in that chair for over 100 hrs. The pain
changes you and I was fortunate enough to
get through the hurt and anger I once felt.”
portrait done by Greg Murphy at Union Tattoo. I have spent quite a lot of time working
with various artists at Union Tattoo. Mateo
has done some incredible cover ups for me.
He has tattooed most of what you’ve seen in
my leg sleeve. The way he was able to connect all of the paneling from my sleeve, down
my back, to the leg on the opposite side of
my body is absolutely incredible. I could not
have expected it to look any better!
“I have a large back piece with approximately
35 hours invested in it; all of this was done
by Bob, the owner of Universal Tattoo. His
attention to detail is stunning, the tattoo just
pops!”
An Angel - “My final tattoo is that of an angel
holding the hand of a fallen angel; one who
was living in darkness for so many years.
With the light shining on them the