Tattoos to me, are a wag into a person's heart & soul. It helps you understand a person, to truly know them on a deeper level than the usual hi's and bye's in our day to day comings and goings. I know every tattoo isn't meaningful to every person, and that's fine, but I still feel like it gives you a glimpse into a person's mindset. Let's talk about mine and the symbolism behind them.
My Tattoos in Chronological Order
- Sisco-like belly button tattoo
- 5/2000 (ish)
- This is my one tattoo without meaning. This is why 16 year olds shouldn't get tattoos. I went into that shop that day wanting a white dragon (whhhaaat???) and coming out with Sisco's tattoo (before he had it, I'm pretty sure). I had at least a couple piercings and a tattoo was next on my bucket list--and that's all I knew back then. I never thought about the fact that it was a DUMB tattoo and in 15 years I'd have a belly that had three c-sections behind that tattoo. Anyway. Nuff said.
- The only meaning behind this one was independence--or what I felt like represented independence at that time.
- Flower bouquet on back
- Finished 9/11/16 (took a few sessions)
- I had just moved to Arizona, with my fam, the first time to live out of Ohio. I found a local place, liked one girl's work--Kayla Gibson was her name--and made an appointment. It took either two or three sessions and costed a pretty penny.
- The flowers in this bouquet represent mine and my kids' birth flowers. Lilly of the valley for me (symbolizing purity, love, sincerity, happiness and luck), marigold for my daughter's October birthday (symbolizing joy, warmth, love, and death), and roses for my oldest son's June birthday (symbolizing love, passion, romance, beauty, purity, innocence, friendship, joy, gratitude, and appreciation). My youngest wasn't born yet, so he's not included on this one. Don't feel sad for him, though, more to come. Last but not least, the hummingbird represents the baby that I lost back in 2010 or 2011, before my oldest was born. Every time I see a hummingbird I feel as if she is watching over me.
- Coordinates bracelet on left wrist
- 11/10/21
- We were actually looking to get rings tattoo'd. We even went to the trouble of designing them and making an appointment at a tattoo shop in Columbus. We went, the guy clearly didn't want to be at work that day, and basically said he didn't have time before he was supposed to get off work. We hadn't even made it out of the shop before I was bawling. So including him there were like four tattoo artists that weren't about the ring tattoos. Said they won't come out right, won't last long enough, some just blatantly said no. So we decided on these, and I'm glad it turned out that way.
- My husband is going to kill me for sharing this with all of you, but obviously these are bracelets. The inner wrist portion of them, with the numbers, come together to be the coordinates of where we met. I know. We're corny like that. He's my lobster. Some of y'all are too young to know where that's from/what it means, and it shows!
- Mental health tattoo on right forearm
- 11/20/24
- After our s*** show with our last tattoo, we tried to find the guy who we eventually found to tattoo our wrists. That didn't go well. My husband, poor thing, researched for days various tattoo artists, their styles, specialties, prices, availability. So he found this guy, his name is Lawrence Wigal, out of Lock Stock N Barrel Tattoo Shop in Gahanna. He's good, but we didn't get off on the right foot. On this day I wanted flowers added to my back tattoo, but Lawrence was less than enthusiastic. I said forget it, and did this one instead. This was the first of many that I got with Lawrence (my husband too). Reasonably priced, too.
- This was my first tattoo after our wrist tattoos, so my first one on my own since the flower bouquet. The first one that didn't represent any other people, like my kids, or my husband, etc. Just me. 'A beautiful curse' is what I feel (and most of them would agree) about the bipolar mind. It's beautiful in that it's intelligent, it loves hard, and it thinks outside the box. It's a curse in all the other ways. Sometimes I feel like my mind is broken, and sometimes (too often) my mind plays tricks on me. It's not a fun situation to be in. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Anyway the frown and smile in the heart is the symbol (one of them) for bipolar disorder, and green is for mental health awareness.
- Flowers on left shoulder
- 2/25/25 (at finish, took three sessions)
- I had been planning this one for a while (deets on that below) so it wasn't completely impulsive, but we did just wake up on day like 'I have a craving for a new tattoo!' We texted Lawrence, he was free, and we went that way. This one was a long time coming--I felt guilty that it took me this long to get it done.
- As I mentioned above, I wanted to get my youngest's birth flower on my back tattoo. I started thinking that, probably for different reasons, I think maybe Lawrence was right. I don't want someone else's style getting mingled in my beautiful tattoo. I mean she free handed that on my back. There's no way someone could match it. Plus the sheer difference in time would make it harder to blend. Lawrence suggested I get a whole other tattoo for my youngest, to which I scoffed--until my husband suggested it. LOL. His advice is different than a random dude's. These are all of (not just one) the birth flowers for my youngest's February birthday: Iris, violets, and primrose. They symbolize love, hope, and renewal. And I'll tell you, that baby gave me all three. I was in a dark place when I got pregnant. I needed him.
- Lotus design on left arm
- 10/5/24
- No real story here, we got the itch, and made ourselves appointments in Gahanna.
- The lotus' growth from muddy waters to beautiful and thriving symbolize overcoming adversity and spiritual growth. Both of which I had done a lot of the past couple of years. Before I was diagnosed bipolar, let's just say I had a lot of incidents with a lot of people, involving my temper mostly. So I had been in counseling, taking my meds, and working on myself--working to be the best version of me I could be, and I already felt at this point that a great transformation had taken place (not that any of my family cared)--so it suited me perfectly.
- Infinity heart on arm
- I can't remember the date! Somewhere in between these two, I think anyway. Does it really matter?!
- This was a combination of a forever thought out tattoo and an impulsive decision to get it done RIGHT NOW.
- So the infinity heart can mean either endless love, not just love but forever love, or it is a symbol for polyamory. We got it for the endless love. Mine says 'Te Amo,' meaning 'I love you,' and his says, 'Mi Amor,' meaning 'My Love.' I know, now we haven't just gotten branded but twice! I told myself if we end up in divorce I'll just tell people that this was in remembrance of my grandmother, who had passed on. Terrible?! I know.
- Astrology design on left forearm
- Same story with the dates. If I ever find out missing photos of these two tattoos from the day of, I'll update it.
- We really became addicted to tattoos. If it weren't for money I bet my whole body would be covered by now. LOL. Anyway, same story...got the itch...needed it like yesterday!
- This is the astrological symbol for Geminis. I am right on the cusp of Gemini and Taurus, but mostly a Gemini. With a little bit of Taurus. so what's that, like three personalities?!
- Geminis are known to be: 'Smart, passionate, and dynamic, Gemini is characterized by the Twins, Castor and Pollux, and is known for having two different sides they can display to the world. Expert communicators, Gemini is the chameleon of the Zodiac, adept at blending into different groups based on the vibe and energy they perceive. While they're also amazing at showcasing surface traits, the Gemini well runs deep, which is why the Twins are one of the Zodiac's most emotionally intelligent signs.' (https://www.horoscope.com/zodiac-signs/gemini).
- Symbol on back of neck
- 10/31/24
- I was mad at Lawrence and I 'cheated' on my tattoo artist. I called around and found a lady, let's call her Jada, and let's not mention her shop. I made an appointment with her, and my husband couldn't come, at least not until towards the end of the tattoo appointment! So I went by myself, whomp whomp, and got this tattoo done. When my husband got there he calmly pointed out to me that it totally could've been better. I told her I was displeased and what another tattoo artist said it needed to be fixed, and she was going to fix it. She was appreciative for the opportunity. Then I decided, though, that if she didn't 'get it' in the first place, why would she get it now? I could end up in a worse spot than I was already in!
- This design symbolizes motherhood. If you look really hard, you can see a woman sitting cross-legged on the floor, and in most variations, holding and/or feeding her baby(ies). It turned out a little less recognizable, but hey--I'm not gonna cry over spilled milk. All I really knew was I was heading back to Lawrence. He got a bit too much amusement out of my tattoo disaster, knowing that I went somewhere else.
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