People have tattoos for all sorts of reasons - from making their body colourful to remembering someone they love.
They often carry a lot of meaning, but sometimes people can be quick to judge others' creative choices. One woman, who has 98% of her body tattooed, says trolls think she’s "desperate for attention", but there’s a much deeper meaning behind her inkings.
Julia Falcon spent the last 18 years building up her tattoo collection, which she now sees as "one big inking". The 36-year-old says people "come for her" on her social media due to how she looks – and she receives a lot of negative comments.
Even though some people can be quick to judge, there's actually a great spiritual force behind her "suit".
"My eyelids are the only places on my body that aren't tattooed… yet," Julia, a caregiver from California, US, told What's The Jam. "The tattoo process is more important to me than the tattoo itself. It is very ritualistic, meditative and can even be spiritual at times."
Julia’s first inking was going to be a dragon on her arm but, after meeting a "brilliant" tattoo artist, they came up with an idea for something bigger. Instead of having a little dragon on her arm, they put a dragon on her back, and slowly added from there.
Over time, Julia developed a friendship with the artist and was devastated when, 10 years after their first tattoo, he passed away.
She said: "I decided to finish my bodysuit for him, in his honour so to speak there's meaning behind my whole suit.
"It's a tribute to one of the best tattooers I ever had the honour of knowing. I have a portrait of his cat on my hand, in memory of him."
Julia is sober and in recovery from addiction, and tattooing has been a part of her progress. She does the 12 steps every day, and this requires a lot of self-examination.
"The tattoo process is very meditative, so I found myself going for sessions more for the experience than the actual art," she explained.
"This is why the tattoo process is so special to me. It really pushed me to learn a thing or two about surrendering to something greater than myself, surrendering to pain.
"I feel the tattoo process has contributed to my personal growth. I used to treat the tattoo process like the 11th step of AA, seeking through prayer and meditation to improve conscious contact with power.
"I meditate a lot now, so I don't crave a tattoo session like I used to, but still there's no feeling like getting a good tattoo. In those moments with the needle, pain is your higher power and you can either fight it, or surrender to it. It's a transcendent experience."
Even though her tattoos are super important, Julia has been judged a lot online. People take to the comments section to make cruel remarks about her look.
She said the internet gives a lot of people the opportunity to tell her they "dislike her" just because of the artwork. Julia said: "People mostly say that I am desperate for attention."
Nonetheless, she doesn't let the comments get to her, and she also has an amazing support system. Her family and friends are "very supportive", and she's grateful for this.
Julia continued: "It's just art for goodness sake! Art doesn't just turn someone into a bad person. I love that they are able to see and understand that."