Thoughts

[Notion Sync] Tattoo Project: "Bird Birdsong Hand Hannya" — Client: Bird Birdsong. Status: Completed. Definition: Skull hannya hand. Target Date: 2026-01-01. Created: 2026-01-01. Pillar: TATTOO. Source: Notion Projects database.

Claude.ai memory export: Personal Context Dave lives in Havelock, NC with Lauren and their young son Ronen (third-generation tattooer by lineage). Outside of tattooing: fine art painting (watercolor paper and silk with dyes), printmaking, photography (Sony a7IV and a7RIV with full GM lens kit and Godox lighting), Japanese mythology and woodblock print artists (Kuniyoshi, Yoshitoshi, Kunisada), UAP/UFO research, and strength training with goals of a 315 bench, 405 squat, and 500 deadlift. He drives a 2019 Hyundai Santa Fe (with Yakima EXO swing base and gear lockers) and a 2002 Lincoln Town Car. Records audio with a Shure SM7B, edits video in DaVinci Resolve on Mac.

Dave's creative work extends beyond tattooing: painting on watercolor paper and silk using dyes, printmaking (high-end limited-edition art reproductions produced in-house), and experimenting with surface treatments like patina.

The Custom Tattoo Company is a second-generation family business founded in 1983 by Jeff Cohen, located in Havelock, NC directly across from the MCAS Cherry Point main gate. The shop's roster includes artists offering Dotwork, Fineline, and other niche styles alongside Dave and Lauren's American Traditional and Japanese Irezumi specialties.