🌸🎀💖Imani K. Brown® | Tattoo Priestess + Tattoo (Ethno)Historian

Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is … NOT H.O.V. 😹😭 I’m Imani K Brown. And I been hella quiet here. But I’m back! (1/2) Friends recently tagged in @punk.black ’s post comments on alt fashion and coming back here I can see how you don’t know I DOES THIS shawty ~ But I’m back and stepping into this new role exploring ink - identity - inspiration … the Afro kawaii way! And y’all know streetstyle x tattoo is on the menu ✨ Welcome to the fresh new chapter of Little INKPLAY Shop (@lipsbrand.online ) As we unveil our brand refresh, I’m thrilled to introduce Shoppe Gal Tattoo Hoodoo & Glamour Magic Mag, featuring the LIPS 2025 Tattoo Lookbook. >>> click thru on my bio to grab it! <<< Alongside this, I’m stepping boldly into my role as a brand identity expert with Shoppe Gal Brand Solutions (@shoppe_gal_brand ), empowering tattoo artists and creative solopreneurs to lucratively define their unique narratives. Part 2 - in progress … Stay tuned #blackfemaletattooartist #finelinetattooartist #tattoohoodoo #hoodooist #tattoopriestess #dmvcreative #dmvartist #dmvtattooartist #proprietary #tattoophilosophy #creativephilosopher #abstractstreetstyle #blackgyaru #gaijingyaru #harajukuindc #dckawaiistyle #kawaiicreative #brandstrategist #branding #brandconsultant

“What does this do for me?” was a question posed to me. The answer - It reconnects me to what was stolen. Tattoo used to be sacred—ceremonial, ancestral, intentional. I knew this coming into it long before most people were talking it. But in diaspora, we lost so much. Colonization & colonialism stripped the ritual, the meaning, the WHY. And so, we inherited fragments. And largely, a basterdized version of the craft. Knowing this, I’ve spent years piecing those fragments together with ink and intuition, not always knowing what I was reaching for—just knowing I was hungry to uncover buried truths, practices & traditions. My Osun initiation gave language and lineage to that hunger. It brought me home to the understanding that my tattoo practice isn’t just creative—it’s priestly. Spiritual. It’s part of a much older conversation between body and spirit. “I make no separation between my work as an artist and my work as a human” - Paul Robeson Returning to tradition isn’t romantic for me—it’s necessary. The modern tattoo industry centers ego, trend, and ownership. Folks out here becoming “artists” for content and doing corny shit for likes. With absolutely no devotion to their art, their craft … themselves. But our traditions centered community, healing, rites of passage. Osun reminds me of that. She reminds me that this work is devotional. So what does this do for me? It gives me back my role - tattoo priestess. A cultural steward of tattoo. It affirms that every mark I make is resistance, remembrance, and return. And it lets me carry the tradition forward—not just in theory, but in practice, with clarity, with spirit, and with permission. It’s daily devotion. And converaations with God, through creativity. Imani K Brown (Osunyoyin) -The Tattoo Priestess Now lemme ask … what would a return to tradition do for you?

✨ This Black Friday, I’m not offering you more “stuff.” I’m offering you a tattoo wellness reset — for your creativity, your spirit, and your nervous system. Because real tattoo culture has always been a practice of: intention spiritual hygiene ritual, and alignment. Ink is just the visible part … the byproduct of the experience. Welcome to the Ink & Ọ̀ṣun Healing Circle — your monthly full moon creative reset for release when life feels heavy, scattered, or creatively dry. Inside the Circle, you’ll receive: ✨ Tattoo wellness rituals that restore clarity + presence ✨ Water work + sweetness restoration for spiritual hygiene ✨ Monthly guided practices to reset your creative flow ✨ Journal prompts to release emotional buildup ✨ Ancestral remembrance to reconnect your intuition ✨ A soft, nourishing community for multi-passionate creatives This is your space to breathe again. To come back to yourself. To clean your spiritual house and refill your creative well. If you’ve been feeling cloudy… If your creativity feels blocked… If your spirit needs cleansing and sweetness… 🌿 Ink & Ọ̀ṣun is open. Give yourself (or a creative you love) the gift of reset, ritual, and remembrance. Your creativity deserves care. Your spirit deserves hygiene. Your body deserves wellness. ✨ Join the Circle. ✨ Ink & Osun is the community curated with your full creative reset, tattoo wellness & spiritual hygiene in mind ~ Tap in and join the community at ✨ imanikbrown.com ✨ #blackfemaletattooartist #creativeentrepreneur #creativereset #spiritualhygiene #tattoopriestess #hustlesmarternotharder #fullmoonrituals #monthlymembership #communityandcollaboration #dmvcreatives #dmvtattooartist #healingcircle #healingcircles #culturalstewardshipinmotion #ReclaimTheMark #HeritageBranding #RootRemembers #CreativeLegacy #BlackTattooCulture #AfroKawaiiCulture #InkAndOsun #ImaniKBrown #CulturalStewardship #WeirdToWealth #creativealchemy #tattoowellness #creativewellness #multipassionatecreatives #spiritualbaddie

See you Sunday @shanklinhall while we celebrate some of DC most influential designers and artist. The party starts at 4pm with vending and drink on the first floor in the Parlor and @djpaeme , fashion presentation and appreciation on the Second. Party Rules!!!! Please wear past designs for creations from the collaborative artist and show them how much you appreciate their work. The goal is to create more visibility and to show them how they are celebrated in the community!!! Shanklin Hall 2325 18th st NW 20009 4pm to 8pm Art work and flyer by @indicuttt

Did you know Little INKPLAY Shop hosts a spiritual Black tattoo culture convention in the DMV?! … AND supports its non-profit, @blacktattooanthology So whenever you support LIPS, you’re never supporting ONE artist, you’re supporting a deep intention and institutional build that will help support a whole army of em ~ From DC all day way@to Japan and full circle back to Nigeria. It’s the Afro Kawaii way ~ Check out the fête at ✨ littleinkplayshop.com ✨ Get tickets. Participate With Us. Donate or Become A Sponsor. #littleinkplayshop #afrokawaii #blacktattooanthology #dmvcreatives #dmvfinelinetattoo

Livin’ dat BOTANICAL LIFE - an ancestral veneration tattoo isn’t just visual, it’s alive. The botanicals you choose become part of the ritual language your body carries. Let’s build this like a living archive—where each plant is doing spiritual, emotional, and symbolic work on the skin. Book a tattoo or consultation TODAY And let’s tap in to your a custom Afro Kawaii piece made just for Y.O.U. (your own universe) . . . . #blackfemaletattooartist #dmvtattooartist #littleinkplayshop #botanicaltattoo #avantgardetattoo

Decorating the body can be intentional at Little INKPLAY Shop® Afro Kawaii is what happens when tattoos become memory, protection, adornment & reclamation all at once. Through Afro Kawaii, we blend Black cultural pride with kawaii softness, anime influence, botanical symbolism, and ornamental beauty to create tattoos that feel lived in — like wearable reminders of who you are becoming. Not perfection. Just softness, identity, confidence & care existing together on purpose. Pull up to the DMV’s beloved Afro Kawaii Tattoo Wellness Sanctuary, Little INKPLAY Shop® - a small piece of Harajuku, located in Historic Hyattsville. Start Here ✨ littleinkplayshop.com ✨ #littleinkplayshop #blackfemaletattooartist #tattoohoodoo #Blackwellness #inktherapy

IMANI K. BROWN® (Osunyoyin), master tattoo artist & ethnohistorian, is the visionary behind Afro Kawaii—a soft-but-powerful cultural philosophy fusing DC street style, Harajuku flair, and African aesthetics. Founder of Little INKPLAY Shop® and steward of Black tattoo culture through Black Tattoo Anthology®, she transforms self-expression into tattoo + textile living archives—where cute is sacred, and ink is identity. See you Sunday, May 17 @shanklinhall for Archives & Arrivals. We will be celebrating artist and designer and the awesome work they do in the community, while sharing their universal gifts. Party upstairs, vending in the Parlor. Please come wearing your favorite garment from one of the collaborating designers and show them how much you appreciate them. Party starts at 4pm and ends at 8pm.

Put yah Gucci watch on. Synchronize the time. Now let’s rock ~ ⏱️✨ Afro kawaii isn’t about enduring anymore… it’s about soft power. It’s unlearning survival mode. It’s choosing self-advocacy over self-sacrifice. Strength don’t always look loud— sometimes it look like stretches & snacks. Sometimes it look like ramen & go-go. Either way… you in rhythm with you. #afrokawaii #tattooculture #littleinkplayshop #blackcreatives #dmvcreatives

It’s officially WE OUTSIDE SEASON! Here’s what’s on tap for Little INKPLAY Shop’s May 2026 calendar. We hope to see you there ~ May 2nd - BTA Community Table at Laurel Main Street Festival with @oja_aje_botanica_9 x @blacktattooanthology - Live Painting at Whino Farewell Celebration with @whinoinc May 17 - Archives x Arrivals Pop-Up Shop presented by @moeretroaesthetic May 26 - Tattoo Tuesday Enthohistory Exploration Series: Tattoos of Sub-Saharan Africa with @ipukekawaii Every month is a community celebration as we officially pull up to our TEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!! Stop by. Say hi. And let’s talk TATTOO. ✨ littleinkplayshop.com ✨ #littleinkplayshop #tattooevents #communityevents #blacktattooart #dccreatives

*squeals in afro kawaii* issa national holiday 🙌🏾 happy burfday to a real G, my lil’ bruva from anuva muva. Ire lopolopo, Dele!

Archive & Arrivals- Sunday, May 17th 4pm-8pm @shanklinhall Pull up in your past pieces, see what’s next A lineup of awesome designers debuting new work, early drops and what’s coming next!!! Celebration Upstairs, Vending on the 1st… Mood and Music Curated by @djpaeme Music•Fashion•Community