John's Koi and Pagoda Color Half-Sleeve

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Koi fish and pagodas are a damn good time!

John and I worked together to coordinate a big vision for his projects (we’re in the midst of working on a complimentary Hanya sleeve on his other arm!) and I’m really happy with how they’ve come to life.

We decided to limit the color scheme to create impact and the depth and sophistication to this half-sleeve is super cool.

The koi can be a symbol of strength and perseverance if it’s positioned head up as if it’s swimming upstream.

There are multiple legends around koi, but, perhaps due to my time in China, my favorite is the ancient tale of the koi reaching the top of a waterfall in the Yellow River in China: after a hundred years of many koi jumping up the waterfall and failing to reach the top, one koi finally made it and was turned into a golden dragon by the gods in recognition of its determination and perseverance. Cool, right?

I’m already excited to show you the Hanya sleeve as it comes along (if you don’t already follow me on Instagram, it’s a great place to see what’s happening on my table on a daily basis!).