The return of TEDActive tattoos

A year ago, I wrote about the tattoos at TEDActive 2014. It was great to see how much debate it generated, and how many friends it led to — proof that art creates fantastic conversations.

I wanted to see what new tattoos were making an appearance at TEDActive this year. (Sadly I still only have my two.) I got the story from three TEDActive virgins, and I was again blown away by the phenomenal meanings of these artworks.

John E. Wells is a mover at TEDxCody who took a seventeen-hour bus ride to meet us in Vancouver. He does phenomenal skateboarding tricks, raises funds for Afghan women accessing education via skateboards, and he’ll be joining Jill Sobule on stage today as part of the TEDActive band. He has this to say about his tattoo:

“Golden eagle feather on my ring finger. I was born on the cusp of revolution (Scorpio/Sagittarius) and recently learned that the signs associated with Scorpio are the scorpion, the eagle and the phoenix. I got the tat three weeks ago in my living room, on my couch. My feather tattoo represents the transitions I’m going through in life, the desire to be transformed and to soar to new heights.”

Amanda Quam, who came in from South Dakota, is a co-organizer of TEDxBrookings. Her tattoos come from communal experiences, and have meanings that connect her to important people in her life:

“I got the three tiny stars, clustered to be about the size of a half dollar, on my right side of my lower back on my belt line when I left for college. There were three friends who were very close at the time, who worked at the Valleyfair amusement park in Minnesota before we went off to college. The three of us all picked a color and got the same tattoo with the same layout in the same spot to symbolize our time together and our friendship. Mine is the red one.

The other one I got a few years later, on my lower back, left side. It’s about the size of a pop can top. When our youngest brother turned eighteen, my three siblings and I all got tattoos together. They all have similarities, as they all incorporate the Ohm symbol (a measure of resistance in electrical current, and also my maiden name). Ohm is the primordial sound, the first breath of creation, the vibration that ensures existence. That is a comfortable thought for me to have permanently on my body. The fire on top of Ohm symbol is because I always wanted a tattoo with fire.

These tattoos are now going on 10 years or more.  After I took these pics, I realized I need to get them a little touched up – I never see them since they are on my back.  I have a friend who is getting her Ph.D., and when she graduates we are going to get a tattoo together.  At 33, I am not sure how many more I will get, but I definitely enjoy tattoos in general, I enjoy hearing stories of how and why people get theirs, and the symbolism behind them.”

And Nathalie Molina Niño, who is passionate about storytelling, discovered an incredible story behind her tattoo:

“When I turned 33, I got an Incan Sun and an Andean condor tattooed on my mid-spine. Later that same year I learned that in my home country of Ecuador there was an important prophecy among the indigenous communities around the time we’re entering now, which is known as the time of the Condor. It has to do with the connecting of cultures, North and South, in peace. It’s also meant to be the end of the cycle of poverty, and domination of one over the other that started 500 years ago. I had no idea about this when I got the tattoo. It was just a happy surprise that came afterwards.”

Anyone else who wants to share a tattoo can do so on our Facebook group for TEDActive2015 Attendees.

Have an awesome week, my friends! Maybe we’ll meet in the Village at the tattoo parlour.

By Carel Nolte

Meet Your TEDActive 2015 Hosts and Ambassadors! (Part 1 of 3)

Every year, we invite members of the TEDActive community to help us craft our shared experience. From pre-conference dinners and post-session discussions to gift exchanges and dance mobs, attendees host, sing, play, perform and teach!

This year, 30 of you will play a major role in the experience of other attendees — especially those who have never attended the conference before — by serving as TEDActive Hosts. Hosts welcome people as they arrive, orient them, and help set the tone of a safe, fun and friendly environment. They keep the community connected throughout the week by facilitating introductions and conversations, and by leading fun activities and workshops. They are our community connectors, experiential guides and TEDActive sherpas.

We want you to get to know all of our amazing TEDActive 2015 Hosts. Here are our first nine: With so much local knowledge of Whistler, they’ve also agreed to serve as TEDActive Local Ambassadors! Feel free to connect with them through the TEDConnect app and in person with your questions about Whistler, Vancouver and Canada. They’re excited to share all that this beautiful corner of Canada has to offer!

Without further ado, please meet:

Carel Nolte

Carel is currently training for his second ultra marathon (60 miles!), consults financial services companies on strategy and brand, loves wine, chairs a school board St. Stithians College, and assists with the growth of a not-for-profit company, and works with the Johannesburg Organization Services for the Homeless. All while learning from the TED community and enjoying life’s rides!

Lynn Yeldell

Lynn co-founded L Style G Style in Texas in 2007, with the mission of telling stories of the LGBT community to break down barriers, open hearts and change attitudes. She’s a New Orleans native, passionate traveler, avid advisor and constant connecter. As the first female student body president at the University of Alabama, she loves politics and SEC football with equal fervor.

Niki Dun

Super happy to be a TEDActive Ambassador and Host, Niki is a born and bred Vancouverite who loves “design for good,” community building and communications. Passionate about projects that aim to make the world a better place, Niki seeks to make that her life’s work. Like most native Vancouverites, you’ll find that Niki owns a whole lot of waterproof breathable items and cute rain boots, but no umbrella.

Niki Ernst

Niki is passionate about bringing people together and amplifying their voices. A TEDx Organizer and TEDx Ambassador for Europe, Niki has organized, mentored and hosted numerous TEDx events in Austria and is currently organizing a TEDx event in his second home, San Francisco. When not occupied by TEDx, he tours startups, entrepreneurs and curious minds through Silicon Valley and helps people organize and voice their thoughts through his School of Talk. Niki is 42 years young and the father of three wonderful kids.

Rafael Salazar

Rafael is a serial entrepreneur. He has started non-profit projects that give children the opportunity to develop their creative, innovative and entrepreneurship skills. From innovation camps to design mentorship to developing projects that impact children’s education, Rafael has blended his professional career with his greatest passion: developing new ideas with social impact.

“TED has meant to me a great opportunity to broaden my intellectual knowledge and meet amazing people that share common passions with me. At the end people make ideas possible, and that’s what innovation is all about.”

Rysia Wand

Rysia volunteers with the TED Open Translation Project as a Translator and Language Coordinator. She grew up in Poland, but soon started traveling the world as a violinist with various orchestras. For a number of years, she translated fiction, studied linguistics and rode the high-tech wave in Israel. Now she’s raising her family in beautiful British Columbia, where she also teaches English, learns new languages and devotes her time to translating for TED.

Trent Yeo

Trent is a “happy generalist.” He directs Ziptrek Ecotours in Queenstown, New Zealand, and is a strong advocate of sustainability in tourism. He sees ‘fun’ as the catalyst for anchored and meaningful outdoor experiences to build empathy for the natural world. Trent grew up as a Chinese Malaysian Australian, spending time in Asia and having business partners in Canada to get a diverse view of the world. In his spare time, he’s building an online video platform to help people understand the intricacies of culture and place in New Zealand for Chinese visitors, with the goal of bridging cultural gaps through useful information.

Trevor Maber

Trevor joins us from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, in the middle of the Canadian Prairies. When he’s not busy teaching at the University of Saskatchewan, he’s out adventuring to places far and wide — including his ‘second home’ of British Columbia where he spends several weeks each year. Growing up in Canada (and snow!), one of the things he appreciates most is the diversity of seasons and activities. Winter brings skiing, skating and his latest snow-friendly addiction, fat biking (rentals available in Whistler!), while summer equals hiking, biking, water sports and endless sunshine. He’s also an expert on the best way to stay warm in the mountain snow (hint: it involves a fireplace, friends and other easy-to-find ingredients)!

Will Clarke

Will is the author of two New York Times Editors’ Choice novels from Simon & Schuster. He is currently an Executive Creative Director at Integer \ TBWA, where he’s become a tireless advocate for creative excellence in the field of omni-channel communications. He’s a founding member of Integer’s Retail Arts Lab and his work has been recognized by Cannes Lions, The One Show, Creativity, The Wall Street Journal, Adweek, and The PRO Awards.

… Stay tuned to meet our next group of Hosts!

Tattoos at TEDActive

By Carel Nolte

Tattoos are an art. They have meaning. They can be fun, challenging, frivolous and funny. Some are poignant. All of them are personal.

As someone who has two tattoos — the first is my continent Africa on my ankle, which is about 5 years old, and the second is my city Johannesburg’s skyline, which I got a month ago on my upper thigh — I love looking at tattoos, discussing them and thinking about what I will get next. I also find a good tattoo on a woman or a man incredibly sexy :) And so, while I was running on the treadmill at the Fairmont gym on Monday I noticed my new friend Afshin Mousavian (one of the great TEDxToronto organizers) walking past with his great tattoos. I asked TEDActive attendees to send in photos and was very excited by the variety. Check out a few below!

P.S. Afshin still owes the TEDActive community photos of his tattoos, so watch our Facebook page. And if any other TEDActivators want to share their tattoos, please do so!

Carel Nolte, South Africa

The cut across Africa came from dropping a block of ice on the tattoo at Burning Man!

Brian Smith, Omaha, USA.

Brian tells me he’s the black sheep of his family. And his work involves farms and animals. So I loved him showing me his tattoo at our Welcome Party … and learning more about him. He neglected to tell me that he would be one of the TEDYou speakers though … nonetheless I LOVED his talk today. You see, people with tattoos are very clever people. Brian would love to chat more about sheep, chickens and farm animals.

Daniel Meier, Vancouver, Canada

Daniel decided a week ago to apply to TEDActive! Lucky for us or else we would have missed this awesome tattoo worked on by three artists. Despite living across the Covention Centre in Vancouver, Daniel is very happy he came to Whistler!

Julie Gorman Buffalo, NY, USA

Julie’s tattoos are in Ukrainian and in her own handwriting. Love the uniqueness! The right foot says, “Virtue ennobles all things.” The left says, “Passion enables all things.” The right is the coat of arms of the anglicized version of her Ukrainian family name. The left is a phrase she chooses to live by. Together, they guide her!

Carla Staffa, St Paul, USA

This lovely tattoo was designed by one of Carla’s students in Europe. I love the colour, the whimsical nature, the placement and want Carla to get more like this! Simply beautiful.

Meng He, NYC ,USA

Meng went along to a tattoo parlor to support a friend (you see, people with tattoos are very caring!) At the parlor, on the spur of the moment, she decided to get this tattoo. It symbolizes what she lives by – saying YES to new experiences.

I leave you with that thought – let’s all join Meng and say YES to new experiences this week! And yes to more tattoos, an art form that has come a long way.