They make my mom cringe, my lover’s eyes widen, and customers usually tip me extra if I show them off. I’m speaking, of course, about my tattoos.
I got my first tattoo when I was 17 and stupid. I didn’t know what I wanted, but it was cheap and I was underage. It was perfect. They’re two black and white sparrows on my lower abdomen, with tiny stars on their tails. I appropriately named them Lucy and Ethel, because I was in so much trouble when my mom saw them two weeks after. They aren’t the perfect tattoo; lines are off and they aren’t exactly equivalent, but they are my first attempt at being a rebel.
My second tattoo is sort of an ode to my favorite Batman villain, Harley Quinn (the Joker’s sidekick). It’s not the character herself, but it’s a harlequin face with a spike crashing through it. Located on my lower back, I love this tattoo because of the memory that goes with it; life kept throwing curveballs at me and I was in a very dark place, and I needed to feel something more than just numbness. My sister and I went together and she held my head in her arms, while Henry (my forever tattoo artist) tattooed away all my problems. It’s strange how a needles driving through your skin can be so therapeutic.
My third is a tribute to my late music teacher/grandfather figure on my left hip. It’s the beginning of Moonlight Sonata, surrounded by red lilies. My very first clarinet lesson, Mr. Mannino played music while I set up. He said it was his favorite and because of him, it’s one of my favorites too. I know, it’s cliché, but being cheesy every now and again is fine. This man meant the world to me; there’s no reason I couldn’t suffer for four hours for him.
My fourth tattoo is an extension from my harlequin tattoo. It is vine work, wrapped around my hips; one side lighter than the other to give it some character. This tattoo was a self-esteem booster. It covers “imperfections” I had and now my hips are beautiful. I gave Henry free range with my body with this project. I told him he could go as artistic as he wanted. As always, he did a great job.
My fifth, and certainly not the last, tattoo is probably my favorite (for now). I had the worst things happen to me simultaneously and somehow managed to pull through. It’s on my right shoulder blade, and it says, “Je suis ne pour etre courageux” (with the accents where necessary). Translated to, “I was born to be brave”, because I was. I’m stronger and wiser now than I was even a few months ago and this tattoo is a reminder of my battles and overcoming them. And yes, it is a Lady Gaga reference.
My tattoos are a part of me like any of my limbs or organs. They don’t define who I am, but they are little colorful anecdotes of my life.
Wow the harlequin tattoo is really beautiful. I think including images of them is a successful approach, one that I have been contemplating how
ReplyDeleteto do myself. To me this is one of your strongest pieces so far in that it is centered around a non-judgement presentation of a person. I mean that it is retrospective, and that distance is helpful when talking about personal matters. I also like this because it illuminates something that I don't immediately relate to.
I was immediately drawn to this piece because of the topic. Though I myself don't have tattoo's I love to hear the story behind other's tattoo's. I think you did a good job at explaining each one.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be interesting to take some of what you mention here and write a whole other piece from that. Two specific ones I thought were evocative and I wanted to find out more about were:
"This man meant the world to me; there’s no reason I couldn’t suffer for four hours for him."
Was this, the suffering, your sacrifice to him? Is that what you consider to be honoring him now that he's gone?
"It’s strange how a needles driving through your skin can be so therapeutic."
Explain this. I don't know what it feels like so I can't relate to it being therapeutic, but I find it fascinating if it is, so expand on this idea.
I agree with Kristin that a lot of these could have their own piece. Similar to the overcoming addiction piece you wrote, I think this could be better if you add in specific memories/scenes for each of these tattoos, whether it be of when you got the tattoos (how your experiences differed or how they were all the same) or the reasons/experiences behind each. This is a great start though and I liked the pictures.
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