The Power of a 2-inch Circle: Amy Black at TEDxRVA

Tattoo artist Amy Black aims to use her skills and creativity to make a big impact in a small space—specifically, in the two-inch circle where she creates realistic 3-D nipple tattoos for cancer survivors who have undergone mastectomies.

Born in Seoul, Korea, Amy was adopted and came to the United States in 1975. After graduating from high school early, she attended the Columbus College of Art and Design, where she studied oil painting, with a focus on anatomy, and first became interested in tattooing. Since 2000, she has owned and operated her own tattoo studio in Richmond, Amy Black Tattoos, which specializes in custom designs. In 2011, she expanded into post-mastectomy tattooing and founded the Pink Ink Fund, which aims to ease the financial burden for men and women seeking nipple and areola repigmentation or tattooing after a mastectomy.

Through her work, Amy hopes to be able to show people the power and importance of art in their lives and its ability to directly impact and heal the life of a person post-mastectomy. Amy realizes the importance of a supportive environment like Richmond to help artists grow and continue to contribute on both a local and a global level.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)