my name is mary (she/they), and i live in occupied kumeyaay territory, also known as san diego, ca. i was born and raised in the greater southern california region and am of irish, scottish, english, danish, and swedish decent. my spiritual foundation is built upon christian mysticism, weeks spent in the woods at summer camp, and growing up in the presbyterian church. i currently explore spiritual practice through lenses of yogic philosophy, celtic-informed animism, paganism, witchcraft, queer spirituality, jungian archetypes, and judeo-christian tradition.

i want to be like the places where water pools clear and shimmering and shifting and playful. ever since i was a toddler, i have spontaneously immersed myself in bodies of water, from fountains to rivers to the sea, in the depths of winter and the sweat of summer. i sing and walk along the beach alone to soothe my nervous system. the lolloping, undulating landscapes of the “american west” are some of my most beloved elders - from the granite towers of the sierra nevada, to the peaks region of the colorado plateau, to the vibrating autumn colors of the pacific northwest, i have been made by this continent and these places, and am indebted to them with love.

as a human animal, I express existence with a variety of mediums, primarily through tattooing, photo-making (film and digital), mixed media exploration, and writing. i find rhythmic therapy through movement and song. i dance and wiggle my body as often as possible. all creation is collaboration.

film photography and tattooing are my allies in finding peace with delayed gratification and are a tether to the importance (necessity, reality, even) of process-centered living. their steady, slow, physical processes are potent medicine in a culture of technology and insatiable growth. after working as a wedding photographer for six years, these analog arts have been central to my creative returning.

i am particularly interested in tattooing practices that encourage emotional and spiritual curiosity, deepening, and actualization. tattoos are prayers. humans have been tattooing each other as ritual for thousands of years to celebrate physical and spiritual resilience. tattooing is an ever-evolving, ancient craft rooted in community building, storytelling, and initiation. tattooing other bodies, and being tattooed myself, has brought me into greater relationship with mystery, mortality, and our body of the earth. learning to live well eventually asks us to learn to die well, and i believe that tattoos are an ally as we process our aging and the passage of time. most of the imagery i explore evokes our interdependence with the natural world, drawing on our other-than-human kin and the vast landscapes that surround us for inspiration. i hope for my tattoos to be rituals and incantations of kinship - with ourselves, our communities, our planet and moon, and our expansive multiverse. tattooing has given me heightened awareness of death, love, and (im)permanence - it is my honor and my hope to intentionally share the gift and lessons of this craft with those who wish to receive them.

although for many being tattooed is a luxury, for others it is a process and tool of survival, and as white person making tattoos on colonized land and within the structures of institutional racism, i take this reality seriously. tattooing within late-stage capitalism is inherently constrained and contradictory, and i am always open to suggestions/critique about how i can decolonize my practice and support BIPOC, QTPOC, and other marginalized folks through this craft.

i have been tattooing for almost six years and exploring photography for thirteen.

i currently tattoo in san diego, california and am a graduate of a spiritual direction certificate from cherry hill seminary with an emphasis in pagan and multi-faith studies. i have also completed 500 hours of yoga teacher training through sojourn healing collective and reunify yoga in san diego.

to schedule a tattoo appointment, portrait session, or buy a print, please email me:

hello@maryswcampbell.com

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