On May 29th, 2009 I made my final journey on campus, swiped a certificate from the school, a couple awards for helping out as a tutor and for my membership in the Student Union and burned a trail to full time wrenching at the Lexus dealer. Yeah looking back it went fast, but during the journey life sure seemed to take its sweet time.
Thanks to all of you who came to cheer me across the
Graduation stage and spend the weekend celebrating!
So, what is life like on the outside you ask? Let me tell you, it is a whole lot sweeter. No disrespect to the school or my old classmates, of course, but working a 8 to 10 hour day is like a vacation after the 2 grueling years of 17 hour days. The effort, sacrifice, investment and hardship were all worth it and now it's time to start reaping some heard earned down time.
Just in time too.... Summer living 1000 feet from the beach is a bonus!
Although school is complete, the learning shall continue. While still matriculating the hallowed halls of UTI, I had the opportunity to start earning my ASE certifications. For those of you who aren't loyal readers, ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) is an organization that requires ongoing training, testing and certification in order to brandish the ASE logo, which is an indicator to the everyday consumer that these technicians have gone above and beyond to learn their craft and stay up to date on the latest automotive technology as it evolves. Although many shops require ASE certification, not all of them do nor is it a legal requirement for a technician to work on customer's vehicles. ASE Certified Technicians choose to earn these certifications individually.
To earn these certifications, a technician must have enough relevant work experience and undergo a series of advanced written tests which are continuously updated for the changes in technology. These certifications are not permanent which means technicians must re-certify in each of their disciplines to maintain their status as ASE certified repair technicians.
As of May of 2009, I have earned 4 ASE certifications and am now half way to becoming ASE Master Certified. I plan on testing for 2 more this fall and the final 2 next Spring. If all goes well, I will become ASE Master certified early next year. These tests are not easy, so I'll keep my fingers crossed and study hard.
Now that I am earning a living and learning while earning, I've made it my goal this summer to acquire some new art in the best way I know how, Tattoos. I've been researching different styles of the art form, the origins of said styles and mixing all of that research together with my personal preferences I've decided: It's time to finally start a sleeve. I've been planning my left arm as a sleeved piece for a few years and the images are all finally sorted out in my head. As a symbolic homage to the passions I have immersed myself in over the past 29 years, the sleeve will be a montage of Ol' Skool hot rod kulture art, personally significant musical images and, last but most certainly not least, motorcycle imagery. These three themes can all stand on their own but, in my life, most definitely have become intertwined with one another. Outside of traits passed on to me by family and qualities developed over the years with friends, these passions have become some of my defining characteristics.
The first two elements of the tattoo are these:
Click on the tattoo to make it bigger
The musical barbed wire.... I originally got this tattoo in 2003. The artist was Don Nolan of ACME Tattoo Co. in St. Paul, MN. He's since retired, but I was lucky enough to get two pieces from him before he capped the ink for good.
I came up with the concept for this tat in high school but got a couple of other pieces before I got around to this one. The significance of the barbed wire and the music together are pretty basic. Barbed wire is generally used as a means of keeping things in, preventing escape. Twisting it around the measures of notes was my way of binding me to the music so it will never escape me, or I the music.
The second and much more recent element was started in January 2009 by Vic at Fifth Sun Graphix in Chicago. It is the most spontaneous concept I've had tattooed but also a very significant one being the catalyst for the rest of my sleeve. The top of the piece is obviously a microphone, styled after those of the 30's and 40's Big Band/Swing era. I love the art and music from that time and have always wanted that as a tat. The bottom piece is a connecting rod, which is a key part inside an engine. The connecting rod is attached to the piston at one end (where the microphone is placed on the tat) and the engine's crankshaft at the other end. It is an integral part of transforming chemical power (combustion) into mechanical force (getting power out to the drivetrain).
I like to explain it like this: Music is my motor and motors are music to my ears. The two different elements are combined into one in the art, just as they are in my life.
The next step for this sleeve will be to finish the "Pistophone" by adding shading and color (it is only in outline form right now). With that part of the tattoo finished, I can focus on the next pieces of the puzzle along with the perspective and visual input from my yet to be named artist. Against my normal tradition, I am going to have this element finished by another artist versus the one who started it. I have had a few artists highly recommended to me by some friends with some very choice ink and I am currently scoping them out to see who I want to complete this project with me. From this point forward, I plan on finishing the entire sleeve with one artist.
I will be chronicling the various stages of my sleeve as it progresses, as well as posting continued writings on other various pieces of life as they come to me, so stop back from time to time and check out what's new in John Harley's world.
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