A Canadian former forklift operator has become an online sensation for slowly but surely tattooing his entire body blue.
Donnie Snider, 26 from Scarborough Ontario, lives – by his own account – in a ‘clapped-out transit bus’ and makes his living selling earrings.
After a handful of abortive early tattoo attempts, his sister inked up a part of his leg and foot in turquoise in 2017, and in doing so created Donnie’s life’s work.
‘Questions from strangers about my genitals have increased by like 10,000%,’ he says of the daily bemusement he encounters for his unusual choice of body art.
‘To be honest, I just like the look of it,’ he says.
‘I thought it would be neat.
‘It’s definitely striking, and I think it’s a beautiful colour’
He shares his progress with thousands of followers on his Instagram page @trism_driver
Some traditionalists in the tattoo world are annoyed by the plainness and simplicity of the design, but that’s not a problem for Donnie.
‘I like the clean look – unladen by symbols,’ he says.
His new hue has even helped him out, mentally at least.
‘There’s a whimsical element,’ he says.
‘I thought I’d do my part to keep things interesting, maybe make someone smile.
‘You’ve only got one life – might as well have some fun, eh?’
Life for Donnie, before the tattoo, was no picnic.
‘Over several years I had been isolating myself, and making efforts to tone down my less-than-pragmatic impulses, out of fear & lack of confidence – and I was extremely miserable.
‘After going in circles for far too long, I decided to quit hiding, break myself out of stagnation and remake my life as I’d like it to be, and redirect it to the pursuit a life I’d actually be happy to live.’
And the reactions from strangers continue to spur Donnie on.
‘I get all kinds of comments and reactions when I’m out,’ he told us.
‘Some people love the tattoo, others are clearly not thrilled about it.
‘The questions are endless, and many people are very curious – I don’t blame them, of course.
‘I’ve had many bizarre interactions, as you can probably imagine – I get surprised looks, unblinking stares, snarky comments, interesting comments, compliments, light-hearted jokes, mean-spirited jokes, stupid questions, odd questions, invasive questions.
‘Whispers, smiles, double-takes, outright laughing, flirting, gasps, eye rolls, thumbs up, free beers, looks of disgust, strange propositions, chuckling, handshakes, people pulling at my clothes to peek underneath, high fives, looks of horror.
‘Hugs, honking, shouting from cars, people asking to take pictures with me, people taking videos without asking, fist bumps, and even a couple people licking their thumbs and trying to rub the tattoo off.
‘It’s like living life in strange-mode.’
Though Donnie is insulted from time to time, he doesn’t let any negativity get him down.
‘Most insults are unimaginative and predictable,’ he says derisively.
‘In fact, most can be lumped together in the category of “unflattering comparisons to other things that are blue”.’
He does get a little riled when people assume he doesn’t work for a living – or that he claims taxpayer assistance.
‘I would sooner eat out of a dumpster,’ he says, definitively.
Apparently his friends barely mention the tattoo – ‘we don’t really talk about it, they don’t notice it any more’ – but his mother took longer to come around to her blue son.
‘Mum was definitely annoyed at first,’ says Donnie.
‘But she quickly accepted blue skin as at the new normal.’
No doubt partly because her son, still not completely blue but well on the way, is happier than ever.
‘I feel a renewed optimism about the feasibility of pursuing wild dreams,’ he says brightly.
‘I feel as if I’m slowly becoming re-energized after a protracted period of stagnation. I might become a trillionaire, or move to mars.’
‘Or just carry on selling earrings and get my bus fixed up.’
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