Levi Hummon says many of his tattoos connect to a person, place or memory, though not all were carefully planned. The collection includes family names, roses, a thistle for his mother’s organization, a tiger, city references and two palm trees from a Key West night he barely remembers.

The first arm and family emblem

Hummon says his first tattoo was a large bull skull on his right ribs, surrounded by two red-tailed hawk feathers and his brothers’ names. He connects the skull to one at his father’s cabin on the Caney Fork River; the feathers reminded him of his mother. The portrait above shows his tattooed arms, not a close-up of the rib piece, so the details come from his account.

The arm tattoos and the pain of small spaces

Hummon has said his hands were the most painful place to tattoo, even though his first piece was on his ribs. His hand tattoos include two palm trees from a night in Key West that he barely remembers. That story has a different tone from the family tributes: it is a travel memory with a less deliberate start.

Roses and thistles with family meaning

The roses on Hummon’s arms honor his late grandparents. He also has a thistle for Thistle Farms, the organization his mother founded. Both designs are botanical, but each points to a different family connection.

A closer look at the arm work

Hummon has said he asked a tattoo artist what they wanted to work on, and the artist chose a tiger for his arm. It was a different starting point from the family designs: he gave the artist room to pick a subject. The portrait shows the arm collection, though it doesn’t make every detail of the tiger clear.

Three cities and the tattoos that hold memories

Hummon has described tattoos connected to three favorite places: Hawaii, Los Angeles and Nashville. The image offers a wider view of his tattoos peeking from under a white shirt sleeve, but doesn’t identify the designs connected to each place.

He has also said he began adding tattoos to his legs more recently, partly because ink helped him feel more comfortable with an area of his body he had felt insecure about.

How the collection keeps growing

Hummon has said he sometimes comes up with a tattoo idea and gets it done the same day. The collection therefore holds both planned family tributes and spur-of-the-moment choices. He doesn’t treat every piece as a serious statement; some are simply memories that stayed with him.

What to borrow from Hummon’s style

If you’re planning a tattoo, start with the person, place or idea you want to remember, then talk with an artist about how it can fit your body. Hummon’s collection shows how family tributes, travel memories and an artist’s own idea can sit together without a single theme tying them all to the same story.