Committing to a tattoo is a big decision. Now imagine getting inked without even knowing what you were getting a tattoo of -- or who was doing it.
Celebrity tattoo artist Scott Campbell, who is married to kickass writer and actress Lake Bell, held an event at Milk Gallery in New York City where he offered free custom tattoos for attendees.
There was one catch, though: They had to sit in a chair and stick an arms through a hole in the wall to receive a mystery tattoo of Campbell's choosing.
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@scampbell333 & @lakebell at #WholeGlory Closing Reception at @milk | #TeamBFA photo by @joejoegrams for BFA.com #ImagesMatter A photo posted by Images Matter. (@bfa) on Nov 15, 2015 at 4:34pm PST
Eso se trato de que entras tu mano por el hoyo y @scampbell333 te ara un tatuaje de lo que sea que el este inspirado en el momento. Y tu, te atreverías a meter tu mano para que te agan un tatuaje sin saber lo que es? #wholeglory #tattoo #nyc A photo posted by CAPiTAN (@gabriel024_) on Nov 15, 2015 at 6:15pm PST
Campbell says the event, which was called Whole Glory, was an experiment in artistic control. (And trust, of course.)
"I’ve had lots of people come to me and say, 'Do what you want, I totally trust you,' but as a tattoo artist, you never have absolute freedom in what you create," he told the New York Times. "Your canvas always has an opinion on what is going on them, which is great because sometimes you get inspired by the person, and the piece becomes a reaction to them. But it can also be a hindrance, because with any medium, it’s always purer if you are unaware of the audience. You can get lost in the work without worrying what people will think."
A photo posted by VanceGarrett (@vancegarrett) on Nov 14, 2015 at 8:49am PST
He inked about 25 tattoos on various lucky attendees who were chosen through a random lottery at the event.
Stick your arm in a hole and get a tattoo. Whole Glory by @scampbell333. Would you do it? #wholeglory #scottcampbell #tattoo #tattoos #art A photo posted by TattooSnob.com (@tattoosnob) on Nov 17, 2015 at 7:54pm PST
The recipients had no idea what they'd find when they removed their bandages.
A video posted by Anette (@ms_nilsen) on Nov 15, 2015 at 11:01am PST
All of the tattoos were palm-sized and placed on the forearm, a very visible location for a random mystery tattoo.
Congrats to @scampbell333 on his amazing #WholeGlory event hosted by Smile NYC! Pictured here: 3 recipients of #ScottCampbell tattoos. Photo credit: @bfa #art #tattoo #savedwines A photo posted by @savedwine on Nov 16, 2015 at 5:20pm PST
Whole Glory Tattoo No. 15 Thank you for your confidence. #wholeglory A photo posted by scott campbell (@scampbell333) on Nov 14, 2015 at 12:17pm PST