Our Lives Are Parallel

The theme of my blog is dedicated to my brother &tattoo artist, Chris O’Donnell. He has inspired me throughout my life in many ways, his successfulness in particular. Chris, or as I like to call “bubba”, moved out of the house right out of high school, and pursued his career as a young and ambitious tattoo artist. I was just a baby when he moved, but as I grew older, oh boy did I look forward to my special afternoon outings with my big brother. Chris was my trick-or-treating buddy every Halloween, and would take me to places like Maymont Park and Discovery Zone. Not only was he my big brother, but in a lot of ways he was my hero and someone I admired, someone I looked up to. In 2000, Chris moved away from his Virginia family to live his dream in the bright lights of New York City. I was 10 years old when he moved, and while each of us cried as he left and hated to see him go, I in particular was very upset seeing my brother move so far away. Christmas became my favorite holiday, only because it meant my brother would be coming back home. Today, 9 years later, Chris is a well-sought tattoo artist doing very well, currently living and working in Brooklyn, New York. Over the years, as I’ve watched my brother build his career and live his dream, it has inspired me as I’m creating a dream of my own. I am 19 years old now, and have started building my career as a wedding planner. As I look back and reflect his life and mine, I see the resemblance of our paths in life. Neither of us enjoyed high school, it was merely something to get through and get over. We were both much more interested in being creative in our own ways, and could really care less about homework and math problems. Both my brother and I opted out of college, however, that did not leave us without a path in life to follow. After high school he developed a dream of tattooing, and after high school I developed a dream of future wedding planning. While I’m building my career, I can only hope to be as successful and talented as he has been.