She’s always looking for new ways to express herself and to be self resilient, self-confident and strong. The tattoo on her back was born from this desire. The subject is a dragon and Alana reflects her feelings and identity in this image. Let’s get to know her better together!

Hi Alana, nice to meet you! Let’s start this chat with you introducing yourself to our readers.My name is Alana, I’m 23 years old, I was born in Sydney, Australia, I lived there for the first four years of my life I’ve since moved further down the the south coast of Aus. I left school in 2017 to become a carpenter I’m now a qualified carpenter and I love my job!

How did you get across tattoos?I’ve always been obsessed with them for as long as I can remember, as a kid I used to see people with tattoos and knew that would be me when I’m older, I got my first tattoo when I was 17 which I adore as it is very meaningful to me, then I got a few bad tattoos when I turned 18 but I’ve since had some of them removed and covered with Japanese art, which is my favourite style of tattoo, I currently have another session booked in to continue to fill in my back with more Japanese artwork. I get my work done locally and in Sydney from some amazing artists at Free Spirit Tattoo!

Why a dragon on your back?I fell in love with Japanese artwork well before I had any tattoos. The large scale artwork, with bold outlines and a touch of colour was how I was first captivated. The dragon itself empowers me and is a constant reminder of self resilience, self confidence and strength.

What is the meaning you want to add to this symbol?Throughout my adolescent years I had a poor sence of self identity and struggled with self confidence.

My tattoos have changed my perspective on myself and have allowed me to feel comfortable and happy in my own skin.

Having this creative artwork on my back inspires me to continue to grow and learn to love my body. It allows for me to self reflect at times of self doubt, and remind me of who I truly am.

How would you like to describe yourself?I am a very creative and ambitious person. I live a very laid back lifestyle with the beach, surfing and spending time with my beagle. I’m immensely passionate about my job as a carpenter. I’m always looking for new ways to express myself and I’m really thankful that I am able to do this by creating unique items with my timber and resin abilities.

Do you think you will go on with your collection adding tattoos to your body?I will most definitely be adding more artwork to my body. I’m currently booked in to have another piece done on my back in December from the amazing crew at Free Spirit on the South Coast of Australia. I will be filling in the rest of my back with more Japanese background artwork with the hope to incorporate waves and cherry blossoms to complete the artwork.

Follow Alana Phegan on Instagram: @alana_phegan