Ministry of Ink

The Ministry of Ink refers to 35-year-old artist and entrepreneur Thomas Pendelton of A&E's Inked fame.

The inspiration behind his clothing line’s name, “Ministry of Ink” comes from Pendelton’s ordainment as a minister. He describes the style of clothing to be one that puts creativity as a higher power, and feels that with all the negativity in the world, those who are creative offset the balance.

“You see guys that have all that negative shit on them; they’re probably really negative people. You look at mine, and you’ll see they’re all positive,” Pendelton says.

The word “Disciple” is displayed clearly on his fingers, as well as the words “True Love.” The space on his right hand displays a Tibetan prayer, and a portrait of Jesus takes up the space on the left side of his neck.

“Ministry of Ink” shirts have many obscure designs including angels holding guns. Pendelton says it’s because there is so much death in mainstream religion that they decided to put it out in the open.

“People might get offended, but it’s what’s really going on in the world,” Pendelton says. “It may seem dark but it’s really light-hearted. It sends positive messages in almost a sarcastic tone. If you look through it all you’ll see the positivity.”