words by empires, writing by tom conrad, ink (and photo) by allie sider at code of conduct in chicago, il.
(i originally went to allie to do a larger, illustrated thigh piece based off of another empires song, but he was happy with doing this one too, and since i could afford it sooner, i went for it, and couldn’t have found a more accommodating and friendly dude to make my first tattoo a quick, relatively painless, and positive experience!
it’s a really simple piece, compared to ones i admire and ones i have planned, but there’s a lot more to it for me than a small bit of text - the handwriting’s something i’ve always associated with this band, and it’s a reminder of all the friends and good memories i have because of them. the words are from one of my favorite songs, but they also cleanly and eloquently sum up for me a more universal philosophy i admire - to live in the present, and at the same time do all you can to make your future even better - and it’s a good reminder to try and live that more often.)