This site is of course about tattoos and the art that is ink into skin. But more so it is about people and our lives and what makes them meaningful. When we choose to permanently mark our bodies, it is often for good reason. Because of a profound experience – a heartbreak or a joy, a trauma or a triumph, an ending or a beginning. These stories are so much of what make tattoos interesting. They are signals of our humanity. My hope for Ink into Skin is to build community here, at least in some small sense, by helping Idahoans get to know each other a little better. 

I started this project in 2025, soon after I got my first (so far) tattoo, to mark a significant transition in my life. I’m a former newspaper reporter, and my favorite thing about being a journalist was writing about ordinary people and the things that mattered to them. I’ve missed it and the feeling of connection that it imparted. 

Maybe all this site really is is an excuse for me to talk to people about real things. In any case, thank you for being here.

Ink into Skin is an independent journalism project created by Corinne Benedict. All stories are written by her.