"I have so much art in my head, I don't know where to put it"

Anyone meeting Mel Thomé for the first time is likely to notice her tattoos straight away. She herself sees them as more than just body art. "It's a bit of everything, " she says when we ask her whether her tattoos are art, memories, or a visual autobiography.

She started getting tattoos at the age of 18. Today, her body tells a story that has unfolded over many years. Sunflowers are part of it – they're her favourite flowers. There's also an entire manga-inspired arm, and her love for the films of the Japanese animation studio Ghibli is also reflected on her skin: the princess, Calcifer, the forest spirits. "I absolutely adore everything by Ghibli, " she says. Ultimately, she says, the designs are all things that reflect who she is.

And then there's a snail tattoo. That's less poetic, but perhaps even more personal. "I'm sometimes extremely slow. When I'm really revved up, though, I'm the complete opposite. Then I'm the hare."

Incidentally, her first tattoo was one of Donald Duck. That one's disappeared by now. In fact, there are some things she'd do differently today. "I have tattoos that are so beautiful, and I never see them. I'd rather have those tattoos in a place where I could see them myself."