Wanderlust and Ink

For over a decade, Monki Diamond (@monki_diamond) has carried her tattoo machine across continents and into the hearts of those seeking something far more profound than ink. Beyond being a traveling tattoo artist, she’s a vessel for transformation. Her work doesn’t merely sit on the surface; it moves, it breathes, and it becomes part of a legacy that turns skin into sacred ground, challenging the very notion of what a tattoo can be.

Monki’s path began with a natural curiosity about the world and a determination to break free from societal molds. Raised in Spain and later moving to Scotland, her early exposure to diverse cultures kindled a lifelong passion for exploration and self-expression. “I always felt that the world couldn’t just be limited to the place where you were born,” she says. That hunger to see beyond borders eventually led her to travel extensively through Europe, Asia, Canada, and the United States, absorbing aesthetic influences and philosophical teachings that now define her art.

Her signature style, ornamental tattooing, is rooted in ancestral traditions, shaped by global travels, and refined through years of spiritual evolution. But don’t expect to find cookie-cutter patterns in her portfolio; Monki has never repeated a single design. “Each tattoo is a totem,” she explains. “An individual piece the client can take with them beyond the grave.”

Her creative process begins with connection. Many clients come to her not just for the tattoo, but for a deeply transformational experience. Monki holds space with care, often integrating elements of astrology, elemental symbolism, and personal storytelling into her bespoke designs. Clients describe the experience as deeply healing; she describes it as sacred.

“Most of my clients come to me with more than just a design in mind. They come with a story, a moment they want to mark, or a shift they want to embody,” she says. Monki often guides clients through breathwork before and after sessions. She aims to ground their emotional states and help them process the intensity of being tattooed. It’s part ritual, part therapy, a practice she finessed during tattoo retreats in Sri Lanka and Costa Rica.

Monki is also fiercely independent. Due to past experiences navigating traditional tattoo spaces, she chose a different path that felt more attuned to her values. “I realized I was playing a game that wasn’t made for me. I was trying to be accepted in environments where being a woman meant constantly having to prove myself.”

This year marks a significant chapter in Monki’s story — she is officially relocating to San Clemente, California, alongside her trusty sidekick Paco. Her tiny yet mighty chihuahua serves as her emotional support animal. Paco has been by her side through countries, continents, and countless creative sessions, offering her grounding energy and calm during chaotic travel and long workdays. While it might seem like the end of her nomadic lifestyle, she insists the journey isn’t over. “I’m not giving up traveling. I’m just anchoring myself somewhere I can recharge,” she says. “But my spirit will always be nomadic.”

Some of her favorite destinations are the places that challenge her the most. Morocco, India, and Sri Lanka are at the top of her list, not for their comfort but for their rawness. “When my t-shirt is sticky, I can’t find Wi-Fi, and I don’t speak the language, that’s when I feel most alive,” she says, laughing. “Those are the places that remind me how privileged we are and how sacred human connection can be.”

Monki soulfully weaves her spirituality with her artistry. Anchored in yogic philosophy and Vedantic teachings, her practice reveres the ancient, ritualistic roots of tattooing. “Tattooing is ancestral,” she says. “Marking the body has always been about identity, protection, and transition. I just bring that into a modern framework.”

Monki’s innovative drive continues to thrive outside the studio. She’s published an e-book titled “V1: Here and Now – India,” a collection of hand-drawn ornaments, meditations, photography, and introspective writing created during her travels through India. The book was initially planned for print; however, its release was delayed several times. “It was tough,” she admits. “But in the end, I realized the story needed to be told regardless of the format.”

She’s currently working on “V4,” the next volume in her series, which is composed of patterns drawn during her recent travels through Morocco, Europe, and the United States. Each piece is a reflection of personal moments of peace and connection. Visual journals of her internal and external journey. Previous volumes include “V2: Booklet of European Travels,” documenting time in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Spain, and the Netherlands; and “V3: Beyond the Present Moment,” featuring works created across Europe, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and North America. While “V2” and “V3” have not yet been published, Monki plans to release them later this year as a package of zines and e-books through her website.

In addition to publishing, Monki continues to create artwork and design clothing inspired by her travels and meditative studies. She is currently pursuing breathwork practitioner training to expand the ceremonial aspect of her tattoo practice and deepen the healing connection with her clients. Drawing remains a daily ritual. Whether sitting by a river or tucked into a quiet corner with a notebook, she uses hand-drawn patterns as a form of internal reflection. These visual moments act as still points in motion. A meditative pause in the chaos of constant movement. Her sketchbooks are filled with the presence that only comes from paying close attention to what most people overlook.

As the ink dries on one chapter and bleeds into the next, Monki continues to redefine what it means to be a tattoo artist. For her, tattooing isn’t just a profession. It’s a path. A prayer. A portal.

“I don’t just tattoo bodies,” she says. “I help people carry stories through time, through change, even through death.”

In a world that often prizes the superficial, Monki is the embodied truth that art can still be sacred, that skin can still be scripture, and that every mark can serve as a map home.