New York, New York - 26-year-old Remon Smit has covered his entire body, from head to toe in radical and extensive tattoos and body modifications. Now, he's picked up another unusual hobby.

Smit has covered his entire body in radical black-and-white inkings, coating huge swathes of his skin in blackout tattoos, carefully injected designs, and logos.

The extraordinary physical transformation he underwent had its drawbacks, however, as it gave him a sense of freedom that ultimately led him into addiction. Now, he's taken up a healthier hobby to deal with those demons.

Having started dancing ballet at only 12 years old and dropped it as an adult, the now-professional tattoo artist has returned to the art form.

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"I do tattoos to afford ballet classes, but ballet helps keep me sober," Smit stated in comments cited by the Daily Star, explaining that he returned to the sport to get himself meaning outside of tattoos and addiction.

"I wanted more from life than only dancing," he said of his initial decision to stop dancing and start tattooing. "That freedom made me into an addict. I left dancing behind to become a full-time tattoo artist, where I could do whatever I wanted."

"I didn't want to eat lightly and healthily anymore. I wanted to do everything I had never been able to do. Unfortunately, that made me drink and use drugs."

The journey he went on to escape tattoos and addiction is one that he shares with his more than 50,000 followers on TikTok.

"I chose my sobriety over my appearance," he explained. "I stopped getting tattoos because ballet is what keeps me sober. It requires me to show up and sweat every day, and you can't sweat with a healing tattoo."