One Nation, Under God

Jenkins' Inky's set to open on Saturday

In the last few years, the semicolon has morphed from an often-misused punctuation mark into a symbol used by those struggling with depression, suicide, anxiety, addiction; either personally or with loved ones.

“A semicolon is used when an author could’ve chosen to end their sentence, but chose not to. The author is you, and the sentence is your life,” Project Semicolon Amy Bluel founder wrote last year before taking her own life.

When Malta’s Heather Jenkins opens Inky’s Studio this Saturday, she hopes people line-up around the block to get semicolon tattoos because all of the money she raises on the day will be donated to Joey's Place, a Missoula non-profit, community-based life maintenance and healing center.

"A friend of mine asked me if I heard of (Joey's Place) and once I started reading about it, I started to realize how much Montana has been affected by suicide and we don't seem to have a lot of resources for people to talk to anyone or get any information on what's happening to them and they don't understand it," Jenkins said. "So I just really felt like getting the word out there and making people aware of what is going on with suicide in Montana, that the statistics are very high and that we all need to come together and help each other out."

During the Inky's Studio grand opening (the studio is located in Jessica Oyler's soon to open 406 Spray Tan shop located at 124 South 1st Street East) Jenkins will spend the day tattooing one of three pre-designed "semicolon" tattoos for a flat $50 fee (and, again, all the money she makes on the day will be donated to Joey's Place.) The grand opening of Inky's Studio will also feature refreshments and delicious homemade desserts as well as door prizes that include scratch off Inky's tickets to the first 50 people.

Jenkins — who will also do pedicures and manicures alongside tattoos at Inky's — learned to tattoo as an apprentice under John Bell of Hell's Bells Tattoos in Miles City, Mont. when she lived there. She said that the original idea to become a tattoo artist came from her mother — Tana Oyler — when Jenkins was a student at Malta High School.

"She suggested it because when we would ride the volleyball bus, I always brought markers and pens and drew all over people," Jenkins remembered. "And I have always been into art and drawing and that kind of thing, so tattooing made sense."

As for the opening of Inky's Studio and the $50 semicolon tattoos, Jenkins is taking appointments for Saturday (390-2166) and walk-ins are welcome.

 

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