Marked Without Feeling: What Tattooing Loses Under Anesthesia | Don Ritson | TEDxWinnipeg
What happens when we try to remove discomfort from a process that’s meant to change us?Tattoo artist Don Ritson explores the growing trend of anesthesia-assisted tattooing—and why it might be missing the point. Through rich personal experience and cultural insight, Don dives into tattooing’s ancient roots and transformative potential, arguing that pain is not a flaw of the process but a feature.Tattooing isn’t just about images on skin. It’s about vulnerability, intention, and surrender. It’s a ritual of becoming—of marking personal change. And when we bypass the discomfort, we risk losing the very lessons tattoos are meant to teach. Don Ritson has spent 18 years perfecting the art of tattooing while contemplating its deeper meaning. For Don, tattoos are amulets of transformation and self-discovery. He reveals how tattooing can be a journey toward embracing identity and change. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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