San Francisco News Blog

Vital Statistics: My name is Luba Muzichenko, most people just call me Luba because my last name overwhelms them.  On Twitter people know me as LubaSF, as do my blog readers. My occupation is, believe it or not, a realtor. There are lots of real estate agents that have a little tattoo here or there, but many agents tend to think I'm a little odd for putting something so huge and "unprofessional" on my body. Oh, and I'm 32.  

Tattoo: My name, in Russian, means "love." And this goddess is named Kurukulla, (also known as the Red Tara) and is the goddess of love in Tibetan lore. I loved that she is known to be both enchanting and erotic at the same time. She also is wise, a symbol of perfection, and stands on the a corpse that symbolizes ego -- which is essentially the root of all evil.  Crushing the ego; that was one of the most powerful images to me. It sounds cheesy, but in my business, people walk around with huge egos all day and they feel like if they don't act self-important, then they won't be a successful agent. My approach has always been to remain down to earth and even though I had been thinking about this piece for years before I became an agent, this was the confirmation that I needed that this piece was truly the perfect one for me - a reminder that a big-ass ego doesn't actually bring you happiness.
​ 
Comments: Mostly, people are just in awe of its beauty and the intricacy of the artwork.  As the color gets filled in, people tend to become even more excited about it and look forward to seeing it come together piece by piece. People that aren't "into" tattoos are impressed at the size of the piece. People that are into tattoos just want to know how long it took and the people that really know tattoo art and artists are in awe that it was done by Grime. He has a three-year wait list these days, but I was fortunate enough to have a piece done by him about 12 or 13 years ago before he became so well known. So those that are on his waiting list tend to get a little jealous that I didn't have to wait the full three years. I've never really gotten odd comments -- though a friend did once ask "what's on the other side" when he saw a photo of it.
​
Other Tattoos: The other tattoo I have is a ram on my ankle. I'm an Aries. That was the first piece Grime did for me. It was actually a cover-up of a guy's name that I got when I was 16 years old and very, very stupid. And am I planning to get more? Has anyone ever answered "no" to that question?

My next piece will be on my lower stomach -- cherry blossoms, maybe coming out of the fog.  I'll let Grime figure out how to give that one life and character. I know they're somewhat of a "standard" image for tattoos, but I love that in the Chinese culture they symbolize the sensuality of woman, and in the Japanese culture they symbolize the fragility of life -- something I try to never forget.  We're here today, but no one knows about tomorrow, so do what makes you happy today! 

I'm not sure what will come after that; I might take a break for a few more years. Tattoos are permanent, and I love them as art. But because it's not like an outfit that I can just change whenever I want, and I had my first "accidental" tattoo when I was 16, I tend to take my time to really think about the pieces and commit to them before getting them inked on my body.  

ETC: I guess if you looked at me fully clothed, you'd probably not guess that there's any ink on me.  I'll probably keep it that way for some years since I don't think it needs to be someone's first impression of me.  But the art -- it's a part of who I am, and I think that once you get to know me, my pieces aren't a surprise.

Luba has promised to send us a photo of the finished piece, so stay tuned for a follow-up post!