Deep Ink: JT Brown

To be a professional hockey player at the highest level, you have to be able to read what's happening around you and execute within whatever the moment presents. Sometimes things go to plan, sometimes you end up doing something because the opportunity exists; and sometimes, you get to have a little fun, too. So, it's no surprise that is also how former NHL-er and current Kraken color analyst JT Brown has approached his journey with body art.

"The biggest thing for me is the process and the journey of getting the tattoos," Brown said.

"I don't get tattoos for anybody else. I always do them for myself, not necessarily worrying about what everyone's going to say. It's all art to me."

On Impulse

Impulsivity with purpose was behind Brown's first tattoo. It's a cross on the back of his right bicep with the words "strength to overcome." There was no exact reasoning behind the art - it was something the then 20-year-old Brown wanted to do. And once the Minnesotan knew he wanted it, he knew he had to have it. Immediately. As in the same afternoon. Brown called around to a few body art studios until he found one that could get him in for an appointment. The final product may not be perfect, but it's meaningful just because of how it came to be.

"I think that's the process, too," Brown said. "I had to have it fixed a couple times and I think that was part of my whole learning process about tattoos."

Both Sides

Hockey took Brown to Syracuse next where he played with the Crunch in the AHL. He found a tattoo shop and an artist he liked. Brown and a teammate would go there frequently - almost every two weeks - and as the time spent together saw a relationship grow, so, too did the number of tattoos.

The forward added two birds, one with a halo and one with devil horns along with the words "Family First" across his chest. The birds represented the battle that Brown believes so many understand of good versus bad.

Rise Up

As the relationship with body art grew, so too did Brown's desire to decorate different parts of his body. His first foray into color was a large phoenix on the left side of his torso. The piece took multiple visits. That's how Brown learned the ribs can be one of the most sensitive areas to mark. The process took three and a half months. When the time came to finally fill in the color, Brown almost decided to leave it as an outline, but the purpose of the art (a phoenix is often used to symbolize rising to triumph after presumed defeat) overrode any hesitancy. Even if meant skating with a healing tattoo in the midst of playing games in an AHL season.

"The phoenix for me was a starting over point," Brown said. "I got that after I played (my first NHL) games with Tampa, and then the next year got sent to the minors. For me, that was kind of like a rebirth-type situation where the phoenix (represents) opportunity. That's what it symbolizes for me and my journey at that point in life. That was a starting over point. I knew I wanted to get back to the NHL. For me, (the tattoo) was a symbol and a remembrance for myself like 'hey, we can start over now even though I'm not where I want to be right now. I can get where I want to go.'"

A Journey of Faith

Brown's intention started to grow in his body art. He moved on to his right arm and developed more of a religious theme to the developing sleeve. He added a cross, an angel, some phrases including the Serenity Prayer, "Strength to Overcome," and an image of the heavenly gates which are a nod to his grandmother. Each little piece of art has its own significance to Brown but one of the most notable is the phrase "Joie de Vive." It was a phrase said to Dr. Lexi Brown and JT when the two were married in Paris. He sought out a local tattoo artist to mark the moment.

"It cost me a lot of money," Brown laughed. "I think they definitely overcharged me knowing I was a tourist. I think they knew when I didn't know how to say (the phrase), I was just saying, 'can you spell it out for me?'"

Inspired by Japan

Meanwhile, the symbolism of the phoenix tattoo was becoming reality. In 2013, Brown started his first of five seasons as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Just like the games, the tattoos kept coming, and now with more artistic intent. Even though all of his ink had meaning, Brown couldn't see them all. Brown considers his body art to be for him, and he wanted the reminders of the messages and meanings behind each marking to be visible not just to others but to himself. So, as he moved on to his right arm, location became just as important as design.

"For me, a pretty good part of (my tattoo) journey (is that) I wanted to be able to see the work," Brown said. "It's all art to me."

Brown's left arm evokes Japanese imagery. The commentator had the initial inspiration and turned over much of the design to his tattoo artist. The centerpiece is a
daruma doll, which Brown sees as representing "a sign of luck and good fortune." He asked the artist to keep it with both eyes open even though daruma dolls usually have one closed. Surrounding the doll are a tiger and a dragon representing the ideas of yin and yang.

The Value of Time

The process of bringing Brown's left sleeve to life cemented the relationship the NHL forward had with his tattoo artist. As the ideas for the next batch of body art started to form in Brown's mind, he looked to his creative partner to fully develop the concept.

"You have to give creativity to the artists as well," Brown said. "If you come in with too specific of a design, you're limiting what they can do. You want them to have their stamp on the piece. You want them to be able to put a little bit of their own love into it so that it's the best possible artwork they can do versus trying to copy something else. . . (To me,) if you have too strict of an idea, it limits the artist."

Brown knew he wanted to convey the idea of having only limited time in one's life and he knew the area he wanted to use was his lower leg. Imagery that came to his mind was a scroll, a skull and a raven. And from there, Brown turned over the reins. In what was one of Brown's longest straight tattoo sessions (10 hours), the artist he was collaborating with wove his vision in and the final art that encompasses Brown's left shin and calf includes many symbols of keeping time including a candle, a pocket watch (that marks the time of day when Brown was born), and an hourglass.

"For me, it's (about how) you never know when it is your time to go," Brown said. "I can look down as a reminder to continue to just live your life to the fullest and not necessarily worry about things that are outside of your control."

Always Have Some Fun

As someone who has always gotten tattoos specifically for himself, some of Brown's favorites are the ones that people don't easily see. On the commentator's left thigh are the few images he picked to have inked "just for fun." They were completed in Minnesota.

"All of my tattoos had meaning at this point," Brown said. "I didn't want to just go up to the (tattoo studio) wall and say, 'hey, I want this,' but I wanted something that was less meaningful, more just kind of fun. I (decided) I wanted some cartoons based on what I watched growing up."

Narrowed down from an initial list of 15 cartoon characters, across the top of Brown's upper leg sit images of Otto from "Rocket Power," Riley Freeman from "Boondocks," Gerald Johanssen from "Hey, Arnold," Aang from "Avatar," and, of course, SpongeBob SquarePants.

"I feel like everybody knows I have arm tattoos," Brown says. "Or you can see (my lower) leg. But I think the funnier ones are the cartoons. Those are the ones I feel like I get the most confidence from. And especially people my age or a little older or a little younger that still watch those TV shows are like 'oh, that's pretty cool.'"

A Collaboration

The same artist who completed Brown's thigh work also helped him complete his chest. Brown knew his sternum would be painful to tattoo, but he wanted to fill the space between the two halves of one of his first-ever body markings. He and Lexi started to brainstorm ideas and it was Lexi who said, "you should do the (eye in the pyramid)." They searched for the perfect art to take to the studio. It was the tattoo the two partnered together on the most.

Completing the Picture

During the summer of 2017, Brown brought the theme of his spiritual sleeve onto his back. He wanted a large angel with wings that intentionally lift up to the center - although the height of the tips had to be negotiated with Lexi. The doctor didn't want the tattoo showing up above Brown's neckline and finally an agreed upon design was put in place with an unintentional benefit. The angel fills the right side of Brown's back and is accompanied by two little cherubs, just like JT and Lexi have two children.

"After (it was done), (Lexi) said, 'you got that for (our family), right? I thought that's how it's supposed to be…me, and the two kids?'" Brown said. "I'm like, 'yeah, it is,' but in my mind, I just put it all together. The artist is the one who actually designed it. I told him what I wanted and he designed it with the two kids, knowing I had two kids. I just thought it was the perfect tattoo. It fell together right in my lap."

What's next

With one sleeve now wrapped around to his back, Brown plans to do the same on the other side. He is on a waiting list to work with a specific artist who he trusts to complete the vision of bringing a Japanese hawk onto the left side of his back whose wings will fly up and meet the wings of the angel that's already there.

Also on the list: a Star Wars piece that must include Brown's favorite character, Jar Jar Binks, "for the haters," the commentator says with a laugh.

And Brown doesn't just want to keep getting his own ink. He is fine with anyone in his family getting some if it inspires them. Both of his children, Booker and Lily, already get a kick out of seeing the Spongebob mark on their daddy's thigh. Even if they don't understand yet why it can't be erased with an eraser or taken off like a sticker-based body mark.

"(Tattoos) are an expression and I'm glad that (my children) get to see them," Brown said. "If they want to get tattoos, they're more than welcome to get them down the line. . .I think it's definitely a cool way to express yourself. Outside of what clothes you wear, or, like I say, your main fashion or how you prepare yourself. I think tattoos are just another way to express yourself and that's the way I look at mine."

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Photography by Chris Mast