Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Inked.

Its no secret that I'm inked. I have 3 tattoos, 2 of which are visible on a summer day, and I'm now considering a 4th... that will be much bigger and much more visible.

Anyway... here is a brief rundown of my tattoos.

The butterfly:

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I get it. Its a tramp stamp. But it actually means a lot to me now. It didn't at the time. It was just a flash tattoo that I picked on a whim. I was 17 and in Arizona visiting a good friend. I had always been a good kid up until that point. Never (or at least rarely) disappointing my parents. I didn't drink and I didn't smoke. I went to church and I didn't sneak out of the house. So I wanted to do something rebellious. And getting a tattoo was what I decided on.

It didn't mean anything to me when I got it. It didn't symbolize anything. It was just a tattoo. I grew to kind of hate the tattoo. It was cheesy and small. So one year later (when I was legally able to get a tattoo), the same friend took me to another tattoo shop to get it redone. This time she paid, as my Christmas gift. The tattoo still didn't mean anything to me. But at least I liked it now.

That was 11 years ago... and since then, my friend has passed away and I will always cherish my butterfly tattoo as a symbol of our friendship. It has become an unplanned memorial tattoo.


Ruth 1:16: (backwards due to Photobooth flipping images.)

This tattoo is the verse from my wedding vows to Kyle. We also repeated the same wedding vows as my parents, so this verse has a double meaning. It is about my commitment to my marriage and in honor of my parents marriage.

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My camera:

This is my current camera. Its not the first camera I started shooting with and its definitely not the last... but its the one that I grew my business with and where I really honed my style as a photographer. It means something to me and it always will. Even when I outgrow this camera and buy something different.

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So that brings me to today...

Everybody says tattoos are addicting. And I would definitely agree. But its definitely not the pain that is addicting. Its the love of a beautiful piece of work. And I have to admit, I am really nervous over deciding on this next tattoo. I'm considering a shoulder/upper arm tattoo. One that clearly will make more of a statement than my others.

I know I will have to justfify the next tattoo to people, even though I technically shouldn't have too. But I feel like I need too. So far all three have meant something to me. But this next one I want to get because its pretty and I like pretty things. And I honestly don't know how to justify a tattoo that I can only explain by saying "I got it because its pretty."

Here is my current inspiration for my possible next tattoo:
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I came across these as I was searching for ideas of art nouveau tattoos. I love art nouveau and I think it tattoos beautifully. I ended up finding an amazing peacock that I loved, but thought it was too "heavy" to tattoo on my shoulder and keep it feminine. So then I started to google search peacock art... and found these. I love the negative space in the tail feathers... and I love that its dainty. As dainty as a shoulder/arm tattoo can possibly be.

So now comes the decision making. Luckily my tattoo artist is pretty booked out. So even if I set an appointment, I will have a couple months to decide and save. But I think I'm going to wait even longer than his furthest booking. I turn 30 at the end of April and I think I'm going to book it for a few weeks before. If I get this, it will basically be my birthday present. And I figure 5-ish months is a long enough time to really decide if I want it.

So that's it. What are your thoughts on visible tattoos. Do you think every tattoo needs to MEAN something?

5 comments:

  1. I'm old school about tattoos...I don't think I'd ever get one, especially not where anyone could see it, but I have always wished I had a job where it would be acceptable to be sleeved. I do believe photographer fits that bill! As for tattoos meaning something, nah. I think tattoos are fun and pretty and as long as you LIKE it, then that's all that matters.

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  2. Sarah: Its funny how my thoughts on tattoos has changed over the years. I originally thought I'd NEVER want a visible tattoo, but as time went on, my profession changed... and I married somebody who likes them, I guess my preference has changed a bit. ;-)

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  3. I think tattoos are a great expression of who you are at the time. And even if it doesn't have a direct meaning at the time it is a great way to mark a time in your life. (I just said time a lot!) I love tattoos and would love to get one but I just can't decide on one....

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  4. I kind of have mixed feelings about tattoos! Even though I love a cute tattoo..I would personally prefer tattoos that have a meaning..& not a short term meaning, hah. Annndd, that is probably why I don't have a tattoo :)

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  5. I think those peacocks are stunning. Absolutely stunning. Like I said on twitter, I adore peacocks and they are perfect for that style. I am going for a 1/4 sleeve-ish upper arm shoulder tattoo of a leafy seadragon and I would love for it to be in that style but they didn't really draw them :)

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