The greatest conversion stories in history almost always involve the unlikeliest of people.
This is no less the case than with celebrity tattoo artist Kat Von D.
From a goth icon covered in tattoos — obsessed with witchcraft and the macabre — to an outspoken Christian homesteader, Von D is a living testament to the power of Christ’s transformation.
In a fitting moment of poetic symbolism, last week Von D announced she would be blacking out her old tattoos, i.e. covering them over with black ink, according to Inked Magazine.
Many of Von D’s old tattoos were a part of her old life. They represented her former Christless values, interests and desires.
Now, many of them are gone.
“I just couldn’t explain how satisfying it was to see all the messes [the tattoo artist] would clean up with his blackout tattoo work,” she said.
“I think at that time I thought I would just black out an arm, but shortly after, I knew I would end up tattooing my whole body.”
In much the same way that Von D’s outer appearance has now been transformed, so has her inner life, thanks to Christ.
Von D is, as Paul said, “putting off the old self” in order to allow the new to grow in Christ.
News of Von D’s conversion first came out when the celebrity posted a video of her baptism on Instagram on Oct. 3, 2023.
Later in 2023, Von D told Christian podcaster Allie Beth Stuckey that she was “on fire for Jesus,” adding, “I don’t plan on this dimming out.”
“The more and more I learn, the more and more excited I get about things and the more at ease I am about what’s happening in this world and what’s happening in my marriage — in all of it,” she said.
In her interview with Inked Magazine, Von D also revealed her family was moving to live on a homestead.
“I traded the city life for a simple life in rural Indiana in the middle of nowhere, and I love it,” she said.
“We bought a nice piece of land where we plan to set up our homestead soon, once renovation of our Victorian home is done.”
Von D is now focused on homeschooling her son and actively participating in her church, which she attends regularly — in addition to her involvement in the choir and a women’s Bible study.
