Tattoos with Intention
A space to reflect, remember, and mark what matters.
Hosted by Mark Nara.
In a world where tattoos are often seen as style or impulse, this podcast asks something deeper: What are you really marking?
Tattoos with Intention explores the transformative power of tattooing - how it shapes memory, identity, and self-understanding. Through thoughtful conversations with artists, clients, researchers and practitioners, we explore tattooing not just as body art, but as a mirror, a ritual, and a pathway to change.
Listen in as our guests humbly share some of their story and expertise with me.
What We Explore
Core themes from across the podcast conversations.
- Identity formation through tattooing
- Spiritual dimensions of body art
- Relationship dynamics in the tattoo process
- Industry ethics and best practices
- Psychological aspects of tattoos
- Cultural and ceremonial tattooing
Episodes
Start with the latest, then reveal more as needed.
46 total episodes
45. The Tattoo Journey: Returning — Tattoo Shock and Integration (Part 4 of 4)
In the final part of The Journey series, Mark and Taylor arrive at Returning — the integration stage that is so often skipped. You’ve been tattooed. Your skin is healing. Something has shifted. Now wh
September 7, 2026
44. The Tattoo Journey: Embarking — Pain, Resistance and the Threshold (Part 3 of 4)
In Part 3 we arrive at Embarking — the actual act of getting tattooed. You’ve checked the frame. You’ve oriented. Now you’re pushing off into the water. Mark and Taylor explore what it means to enter
September 7, 2026
43. The Tattoo Journey: Orienting — The Patterns Your Tattoos Reveal (Part 2 of 4)
In Part 2 of The Journey, Mark and Taylor move into Orienting — the stage of locating yourself before you push off again. Once the frame is checked, the next questions become: Where have I been? Where
September 7, 2026
42. The Tattoo Journey: Framing — Before the Needle (Part 1 of 4)
After a few months away, Mark and Taylor return with the first of four conversations walking through the Tattoo Pathway’s core framework: The Journey . In this opening episode they drop into Framing —
September 7, 2026
41. The Rhythm Between Tattoos + Integration
In this episode I’m continuing with principle six and seven of the Tattoo Philosophy: tattoo time and integration . I talk about tattoo time as one of the biggest differences between simply getting ta
April 24, 2026
40. Tattoo Mapping + Purpose: Where You’ve Been, What You’ve Built
In this episode I’m revisiting the next two principles in the Seven Principles of Tattoo Philosophy: mapping and purpose . I talk about mapping as one of the core tools in the Tattoo Pathway, not just
April 14, 2026
39. Moving Toward Something Truer, Beyond the Everyday Tattoo
In this solo episode, Mark continues revisiting the original written material behind his first intentional tattoo course, moving into the second and third principles of tattoo philosophy: intention an
April 8, 2026
38. How Do Your Tattoos Define You
In this solo episode, Mark returns to the original written material behind his first intentional tattoo course and opens it back up in podcast form. He shares the arc from street-shop apprenticeship a
April 3, 2026
37. Top 10 Tattoo Searches Decoded: What People Are Really Asking
The top 10 tattoo searches reveal a lot more than just what styles are trending. In this video, I break down what people are really asking when they search for tattoos. From tattoo shops near me and t
March 29, 2026
36. Dreamworld to Realworld: Tattooing, AI & Everyday Initiation
In this solo episode, Mark revisits a vivid dream from 2018 in which an artificial intelligence silently observed and documented his tattoo practice long before AI became part of daily life. From ther
March 9, 2026