Happiness Is

For the record I have zero tattoos. No one believes in self expression and the right to it (more importantly), than I do, but it's just never been something I've thought of doing. I guess I express myself through my music and in a way through the written words I put to paper (or computer) in my waking hours.

I think there is a fine line between expression and shouting though. Maybe I'm wrong and I do not judge those at all who have them from head to toe, I just wonder if they stop to think that they will be there for the rest of their lives? Unless they have the cash to have them removed, which I don't.

So, since I'm sans tattoos, I guess that is my one cent worth. I think anyway that we express ourselves through positivity is a good thing. So I say rock on. My twenty-one year old godson just had a tattoo in a beautiful font over his heart - "Established in 1986" Now that has to be one of my favorites...

Peace,
Greg

Posted by G's Joint on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:02 AM

Wow, after reading these blogs, I'm a severe tattoo virgin...That's ok, like I said, I believe everyone should express themselves as they feel in their souls. Maybe one day the tattoo fever will touch my soul. For now, I have only scars on my body. Those are memory enough.

Peace and RESPECT to you all,
Greg

Posted by G's Joint on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 9:50 PM

My very first one is a frog holding the earth with a peace sign around the earth (symbolizes world peace) My second one is a little fire bug on my right wrist...that one I got for my dad cause he's been a firefighter since the year I was born. My third is a Grateful Dead dancing bear with my daughters name around it (been a deadhead since I was born). My last two I actually just got a month ago...I got a little peace sign on my left wrist (got a whole hippie theme goin on with the tats) and 'imagine' written on the side of my left foot...that one hurt like a b*tch. What surprises me is that I've actually had to explain what imagine means...some people actually don't know who John Lennon is, crazy huh? All of my tattoos have meaning to me. The only names I have on my is my daughter, she's the most important thing in my life. I think for the most part, people get tattoos that have meaning to themselves. Every single one of mine have special meaning to me.

Posted by dreamer on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:11 AM

Dreamer, your frog tatt sounds great! I want to eventually get a turtle with the shell being the earth.

In any case, hi all. Love all your tattoo stories. I'm a huge fan of self expression through body art. I have 2 tatts thus far. A purple gecko on my ankle was my first one. Last month I got a purple paw print behind my right shoulder. This is something I want to add onto as time goes on. But my next tatt will be a celtic cross over my heart with the name Sully in memory of my older brother who died this summer. All of my tatts must be a represtation of me and continueing with my nature theme is perfect.

Posted by Warrior of GAIA on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 10:29 AM

Welcome back Tracy!

I have one tattoo already and have been planning my next three for the last 10 years (tattoos are not something to be entered into lightly).

My first was when I was in college @ UT. I spent most of my freshman year studying in the congressional chambers at the state capitol because PCL was too damned loud and since I lived at Jester the capitol was a close walk.

Every night, after I was befriended by the night guard, I would walk under the rotunda and look up at the San Jacinto star in the top of the dome. For a solid year that star put me at ease and got me in the groove to do my homework. I ran with a 3.85 GPA that first year. On spring break I decided to get a tattoo to commemorate the grades and the 'freedom' college allowed me by having the San Jacinto Star tattooed on my shoulder.

Needless to say that did not sit well with my parents, but they have gotten used to it.

The other pieces I have been planning have gone through numerous changes, but are finally settling. A portrait of my wife and kids surrounded by Japanese motif waves (If I could get Chris Garver to do the Japanese piece...).

The next is Chinese characters, four, one each for my wife, kids any myself (see a theme here?). And finally the one that is still in the biggest planning stage is one to tie in my various 'animal' connections, dragon, tiger & wolf, and each of their cultural significances. (welsh, chinese & cherokee).

So, tattoos are truly a way to sculpt your skin to show who you are, but they are becoming trendy. With shows like L.A. & Miami Ink showing that people who get and sport full sleeves, body suits, back and chest pieces are not the 'circus freaks' or 'outlaws' they were once perceived as, people are more accepting of them. I personally find a tasteful tattoo upon one's skin as sexy and intriguing. However, they do need to be personal. Too many tribal bands done 'just 'cause' with no real personal motivation beyond a few bottles of beer or shots of tequila shows no personal restraint. However, a tattoo to commemorate a life changing event or to celebrate the love/life of a loved one show great personal commitment. Because as you state, hell yes they hurt.

Tattoos tell stories about the people who wear them. They can denote the character of the wearer or cover the scars (both physical and emotional) of the one to possess them. And while tattoos are no longer as permanent as they once were, they should be given special consideration when entering into their acquisition.

For music, my iTunes kicked out "boogie on reggae woman" by Steve Wonder as I started to respond to this blog. Serendipity? Who knows. 8-)

Peace.

Posted by Lowell Rice on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:12 AM

I admire tattoos [for the art work, the meaning, etc], but I'm too chicken to get one - *cluck* :) However, for the last couple weeks, I have been seriously about getting one - a Chinese dragon; I"m still researching the "right dragon". It'll probably be based on the "Dragon Kings" mythology and I'd like the colors based in blues/greens with flecks of yellow and red. I'm a Pisces, fit it to a near tee. So bringing into my heritage, personality and water was the idea.

My fiance is looking into getting a bicep portrait of our iguana who passed away this year - we raised her from a baby and she lived 11 years. Quite an interesting animal - well socialized, intelligent and lots of personality. Acquiring her eventually led me to where I am now - involved with endangered reptile conservation. For him, she taught him scaleys are just as "warm/cuddly" as furries. She was much like a cat in personality and actually gravitated to him more in her later years. We have another iguana (a rescue - he was abandoned at the vet's) and he's definitely very different but still a charming, er..brat. ;) Anyways, he was quite fond and connected with her, so that's why he's looking in a tattoo of her.

Not listening to anything right now. ;)

Posted by Desiree / IRCF on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:38 AM

i don't know if you checked out my page,but my husband is a tattoo artist,and i m a happily tattooed girl,tattoos are an expression of yourself and art.i love them.your a live canvus that tells a story,you will always remember where you were at that time and what your life was like....peace...and get tattooed!....teresa

Posted by Wicked Tree on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:39 AM

Tats are a matter of taste and personality. When I see one from a shop made up of wall hanging examples. I see no imagination in this person. I have one of those from a time when drunkenness prevailed in my life.

I have two others that are of my own spirit and dreams of who I am.

The fish on my back is the Waterkeeper Logo, with my creek name across the bottom. (Hurricane Creekkeeper) The fish is a rare and endangered Sturgeon. The tat was done in San Diego Cal. at a conference. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered to pay for anyone who would get the WKA logo. I agreed and asked how big can it be? He responded “I don’t care, as long as I can see it.” No problem seeing mine. I still have the largest Sturgeon in the Alliance.



My new one is one of spirit. The Alligator Snapping Turtle is a fairly docile creature unless provoked. He protects his watery turf with ferocity, just as I do on Hurricane Creek. The Northern Cheyenne call him the Grisly Bear of the fresh waters.



The little creature in his mouth is a “Cadis fly Larva”. Hydro-psyche or translated “Water Spirit” is an indicator of health in fresh waters. If he isn’t present, the rest of the aquatic biota will be segmented. Together they represent the top and bottom of the food chain in Hurricane Creek. As Hurricane Creekkeeper, I represent them and all in between.

I tried to post photos with this comment but could not. You can see my tats on hurricane creekkeeper at myspace

Posted by Hurricane CREEKKEEPER on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:42 AM

Tattoos do hurt. But they really make you high. When I lived in Michigan there was this huge flea market-type place that we used to go to. I never actually got any tattoos there. But they had 8 or so shops inside the place. I used to go and make my rounds to each little shop, just to get a buzz off the sound the machine makes. That sound is just completely euphoric to me. I'm actually getting light headed just writing about it now.

Tattoos are becoming so common these days. A lot of people just get something cute for decoration but a lot of people get tattoos that have a deeper meaning. I have some that were "just because" but most of my tattoos mean something special to me.

I have 7 tattoos. Don't really have time to tell the story that is behind each one. One of em is my wedding band, though. My husband has the same design... except that his is upside down. This was an accident. We really didn't notice until we were on our way home from the tattoo shop. It bothered me quite a bit. Then my husband put his hand next to mine. He told me to look at the designs closely. He said they may be opposite to one another, but when you put them together they form the symbol for infinity. How perfect.

Now, this brings to mind a few different songs. Most em are special songs between my husband and I. But the one I'm gonna mention here has nothing to do with us. It's Rapid Roy by Jim Croce. Just because of ole Rapid Roy's tattoos.

"Oh rapid roy that stock car boy
He too much too believe
You know he always got an extra pack of cigarettes
Rolled up in his t-shirt sleeve
He got a tattoo on his arm that say "baby"
He got another one that just say "hey"
But every sunday afternoon he is a dirt track demon
In a '57 chevrolet"

Posted by Melanie on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:52 AM

totally dig the Croce reference. Just listened to the "Have you heard Jim Croce (Live)" album on a recent trip across PA (near Reading, I believe one of the towns he lived in for a while). Love that tune!

8-)

Posted by Lowell Rice on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:37 PM

Um, I just noticed that I counted wrong. I have 8 tattoos. After a while, they get a little hard to count ;)

Posted by Melanie on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:59 AM

I hear ya! It took me a good minute to count all of mine....I always seem to forget one.

Posted by Krys on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:02 PM

Hehehe. I forgot the biggest one. WTF?!

Posted by Melanie on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 1:42 PM

It's nice to hear the tattoo experiences of another "late bloomer." The truth is, I was a pretty tame teenager and early adult and pretty much did nothing radical or extraordinary through high school or college, opting to do homework and work two part-time jobs rather than travel or party (I don't know what I was thinking, either).

I got my first tattoo last spring, about two months before my 28th birthday. I had come up with a "concept" for a series of tattoos while I was still in college, but I was always afraid to take that next step. This past spring, though, I was starting a new job and was about five months into a new relationship. The career transition was certainly life-changing and I knew the relationship was one of the more significant ones in my life. Honestly, it just felt like the right time to get inked.

For me, the act of getting a tattoo was, in part, claiming complete ownership over my body and my "self." I was no longer worried about what my parents, grandparents or siblings might say about anything I did with my life. It was also about making a permanent document of that period of my life. I knew that I was undergoing a major transition in my life and I wanted something to commemorate that. My girlfriend accompanied me to the parlour and helped me take care of my tattoo after the fact (she got two tattoos while in college). The experience definitely brought us even closer together.

The Aum symbol that I got on the back of my left arm is the first of a series of three tattoos that I have planned for the better part of a decade. I'm hoping to get the second piece done before the end of the year. Sure, getting a tattoo was pretty uncomfortable, but the experience was completely amazing and I'm beyond grateful that I did it when I did it.

Posted by Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth ॐ on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 9:06 AM

I don't have any tattoos. Legally tattoo artists cannot give me a tattoo because I have a heart condition and thus I am prone to infection. So I've never given much thought to tattoos, seeing as how I can never have one anyway. However, lots of people I love have tattoos. I think there is some cultural significance. For instance, my brother and my husband both got tattoos (granted at different times and in different places) and I think part of their reasoning at the time was similar: it was like visible proof they'd grown up and left home. My grandma raised us and she hates tattoos so I really think my brother did it as a rite of passage, to snip the apron strings and show his independence....a kind of rebellion. My husband got a tattoo because he had always wanted one and again, I think to show some independence. In fact a lot of men I know tend to get tattoos when they're young (oh between 18-21ish) and perhaps they're all doing it to show some independence.

As for the tattoo itself...I think what people choose to put on their bodies says something about them. For instance, my brother has always loved cartoons. He has Taz on his shoulder. He also suffered from a speech impediment as a child and had to go through speech therapy so people could understand him....so I think Taz says something about that too. Now my husband has a tribal dragon on his back. For him, that dragon stands for peace. Peace is something he thinks everyone should strive for, so he put that opinion on his body permanently. So I don't think tattoos are just trendy decorations. I think people put a lot of time and effort into choosing a tattoo. They think about it a lot (at least most do). Is a tattoo a rite of passage...maybe for some people. But then there are people like me who either can't get one or don't want one.

Posted by Jenn in Wonderland on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 9:06 AM

Daisy's. On my foot a simple pink daisy. On my hip, a yellow daisy with a butterfly. On my breast a daisy and a term of endearment for a former love. On my back - the best one... Stick figures with daisy heads - a women danincg with daisy's in her hands and a man on one knee offering her another to add to her collection.
I think they are clutural and decorative depending on the regions we come from. Sometimes a right of passage, sometimes a means of declaring independance, creativity and individuality...
I blogged a drop about the difference between most girls who are like roses and me - who is like a daisy. My tatoos are a symbol of my simplicity.

Posted by Mixed Mother Truth♥Storyteller on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 9:56 AM

Personally, I have no tattoos, but I don't judge others for having them. .. I had a close friend in high school, drunk and distraught over the death of her father get an impulsive tattoo at a party with a home made ink gun , the nazi Flag up her neck and across the side of her face. The next morning, sober.. she had the "oh crap" backlash. So that begs the question, what is the tattoo artist's role/responsibility? A tattoo artist has a lot of power. The power to change someone's life, in fact I believe that tattoo helped pave the path that lead to her overdose a few years later.
So.. A tattoo should be a well thought out reflection of ones self.. NOT a drunken party game. Tattoo artists should weld the ink with care and thought.

Posted by say_tay on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 9:59 AM

Anyone else hear of the "Party Dot"? Is it a 'common thing' or just was it something done in my small town? Just wondering. Party dot- to show you paid your keg fee they tattoo'd a single dot somewhere, that changed each party. I never allowed them to give one to me, but know quite of people with numerous blue freckles.

Posted by say_tay on Wednesday, September 26, 2007 at 11:59 AM

I have one tattoo, but as they always say, if you get one you'll want more. So i want a couple of more. The one i have is a small heart on my wrist. Im madly in love with hearts and i love everything that has to do with love, so thats my reason for that. Besides, i took it with the love of my life and it was my first tattoo, so i wanted it to be special. Ill prob. end up with a bunch of hearts on my body, hehe. Im planning on getting a big one on my arm, but im a bit unsure about it, so im going to wait. I don't think i will ever regret, but you never know, right?

So all in all i LOVE tattoos. Its art and makes people look beautiful. But having that said, not all tattoos look great and i don't like it when it looks like someone randomly tattooed them on their body. It should look like its thoroughly planned, both tattoos and their placement! But thats my opinion.

Posted by I Want Changes To Happen! on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 10:02 AM

I have seen beautiful tattoo work, though I have choosen to not have tattoo's and do not even wear earings anymore. I am happy with the vessel I was born with, the way it is. My skin has started to change, I will be 48 this year. I always wondered if when you get old and your skin starts to wrinkle and change, even sag, how much the tattoo will change???? This post is a great idea to find out the different reasons different people get tattoo's, as well as the different meanings of them. Blessings to everyone!

Posted by Lorie{Humanitylivesinus} on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 10:28 AM

I totally agree about the pain being part of the whole experience. I have stars on the top of my foot which cover a good 1/3 of my foot. It's not tiny and it hurt like a mofo. But I enjoyed every painful second of it bc I knew it would be sooooo worth it.

I waited so long to get a tattoo bc I wanted something that really meant something to me. Well, as time went on and I would see people who got these really significant tattoos, the pendelum swung back for me and I started leaning towards doing it just for decoration. I started thinking about how heavy that super meaningful tattoo is going to weigh on my skin.

So, now my foot is decorated and beautiful. But I did manage to sneak in a little signifigance too. I have several stars and the biggest one is just an outline, the others are filled in, and that's for my son bc he is my little shining star.

Sarah

Posted by Just...Sarah on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 10:29 AM

blessings on your 'shining star'! peace, cc

Posted by illegitimate child on Friday, September 28, 2007 at 11:33 AM

I have a feary sitting on my right shoulder so she can always watch my back. My babysitter's fiance was an artist, n when she came to watch the kids for our Anniversary she told us to go see him. Turns out he was from the same part of Cali that we had come from (mind you we are in TN now), about 15 min away from our home. Coincidence... I didnt think so! I didnt get her until a couple years ago, but plan several more. For my birthday next month I'm going to get a celtic sun n moon on each wrist, with 5 stars under the crescent moon... sort of a pentacle of protection under the moon for my family. I think tattoos are definitely an expression of the individual. I see my body as a canvass for me to show the world what I am about.

Posted by Scooterschik on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 10:38 AM

i have three. each one was carefully planned and deeply symbolic. i just got the third one and have no plans for another yet. they all mark something momentous, some change in who i am, so whether or not i get another depends on how my life goes. we have no control over what body we're born into. i see tattoos as a way to take some control, to make our bodies our own. i think SOME people do it thoughtlessly, because it's a fad or trendy (i've seen some tattoos that i can't fathom any deep meaning behind, although it might be there), and that's something i don't understand.

i do like that tattoos have become more acceptable. i got my first one 10 years ago when it was a little more shocking, and it bothered me that people would leap to assumptions about me based on the tattoo. of course, it bothers me when people leap to assumptions based on anything, which is a central theme of one of my tattoos. i haven't described the artwork because i prefer to keep them personal, but i can share the impetus. the first one i got as a reminder of who i am and to be true to myself. the third one i got when i became a mother. the third one i got after a particularly difficult period in my life when everyone who knew me was being painfully judgmental. it serves as a reminder that no one's judgment of me has any impact on who i actually am and that i shouldn't judge other people, either.

i very much agree with you as far as the observation about the pain. being willing to go through the pain to get the tattoo shows how strongly i feel about what i'm trying to express.

Posted by Amber on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 10:46 AM

As the oldest of five siblings I am the only tattoo-free sibling. The amount of tattoo's vary greatly among my siblings with the second to the oldest taking the prize for the largest amount. She has just tons. I honestly couldn't count them all if I tried by memory. She is currently working on a sleve on her left arm. This arm of her's has limited range of motion due to a birth defect and she feels like the arm symbolizes something significant to her journey. I suppose for her it does. My mother is appaled. I on the other hand am totally cool with it. She has explained to me the significance of many of the tattoos on that arm. Some I get, some I don't but at the end of the day that isn't about me. That is her way, her significance and her way to deal with it.

Now, I too am fascinated with tattoos. I have looked at the art in the local tattoo parlors and wondered, what about that? Oh, maybe that one? But as of yet nothing. I love them. I think they are beautiful. Why then do I not have one? Well, I think it honestly comes down to this. I feel at if I am in a constant state of change. I love something for awhile and think maybe, just maybe and then the significance wears off for me. I think tattoos are a committment that is very significant to the person wearing them and if my sister is any indication they can be markers of your journey. I can just never find that which I can committ to. Maybe I have put too much weight on them, maybe they are just art for art's sake and that is it.

I think someday, maybe . . .but who knows. For now I celebrate all of you that are resolute enough in your decision making process to be able to decide on something that will be with you for the rest of your life. I as of yet am not.

The song playing out of my pc as I write this . . . True Colors by Cyndy Lauper . . . how funny is that?

Posted by Jennifer on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 11:07 AM

HI Paz! Great blof here.

Ok, so I am a 'tattoo virgin' myself, but just in the last 3-4 months I have seriously begun rethinking the whole tatoo thing! It's an art, and can be such a beautiful, expressive one. I have seen some truly beautiful ones, both large and small, and the detail can be just incredible.

I agree with you, there are also some extremely wild ones. Not quite right for me, but I am considering a very small one on my ankle, something, knowing me as you do, relating to the Ocean, Gods creations....

I am a very strong girl so I have no fear of the pain. I, like you, know that that is just part of my commitment to the art that I choose to display.

Your thoughts? Thanks Paz!

Song playing in my head: two of my favorites, "Into the Mystic", Van Morrison and "A Pirate Looks At 40", Jimmy Buffet

Posted by Michelle on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 11:53 AM

I love that this is your topic this week, because I have a tattoo addiction. I agree with what you said about tattoos always being there, but you have to go through the pain to see that beautiful art underneath. My parents gave me a lot of crap when I started getting tattooed, until I told my Mom the reason I got tattooed was to heal myself. By hurting myself on the outside, I felt I made myself a little more beautiful, and felt a little better about myself. Each of my eight tattoos has a very special meaning for me, and marks a milestone in my life. I got my first tattoo barely a week after I turned 18, it was actually a birthday present from my father! It's a chinese symbol for beauty, on my lower back, which 6 years later I sometimes see as a mistake. But the reason behind it was to remind myself to look for the beauty in the world and in my life. My second tattoo is the Italian word for beauty - Bella - on the inside of my left ankle, and I got it to remind me that I am beautiful. Third, I got a scrolly design on my lower abdomen, and while the image itself doesn't mean much to me, the memories attatched to that tattoo make me love it. My 4th is a tribal, color turtle on my right shoulder blade, because I love turtles, and because some Native American tribes used the turtle to represent the Earth or Mother Earth. Number 5 is stars on my right hip, I got them when my then boyfriend, now husband, made it through our first year living away from everyone we knew. There are wonderful memories attached to that tat. My sixth is on my right calf and it's the symbol from the Bonnarroo Music and Arts Festival 2005. It was the first Roo I went to, and it completely changed my life! The 7th is flowers on the top of my left foot, and my cousin has the same one. The most recent is a tiger lily on my left shoulder. And many more to come!!

Posted by Krys on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 11:56 AM

I think tattoos are fascinating too, and through studying anthropology I've gotten to learn about their cultural significance for tattoos and other body modifications like piercings and scarrings. Permanent body modification is not for me, but I always fanta<myspace>size</myspace> about what kind of tattoo I would get. I'm glad I don't though, because today I'd be really unhappy with what I would have chosen years ago. Today, however, if I were to get tattoos I would get a bunch of them, like:

http://www.xpress.se/~akjo1107/images/forgivness_denied.jpg
Below my belly button, with a long string of words for the seven deadly sins [with the ones I've committed crossed out] wrapping around my hips and back down my front like a chain.

http://clanjohnston.org/images/annandale%20transparent.gif
http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/family-crests_1965_225660890
My family's clan crests. Probably on my chest near my heart.

http://www.tattoofinder.com/tattoos_TLC_MiamiInk.asp
I would be ecstatic, honored, to have something like that happen to me, to get tattooed by a Tibetan monk. How amazing, humbling, would that be!?

http://www.religioustattoos.net/Images/Crown_of_Thorns/crown_of_thorns_13.jpg
Thorns with wildflowers and blackberries intertwined in them on both arms.

Also some kind of tree and ouroboros tattoos on my back. Maybe something really personal and meaningful on my head, under my hair.

Sadly, these are just fantasies.

Posted by Miranda [TerraFire] on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:14 PM

To me it's like virginity! You never get to take it back,or say Ooops:) So I want my first one to be SPECIAL,MEANINGFUL(for the rest of my life),understandable at a glance,a symbol of my life's accomplishments,or at least my life's journey as it unfolded(unfolds)??? I don't want it to show except for times when I want it to show,and it has to be beautiful when I'm naked....These are a few reasons why I have been waiting till I'm 70;) Have a great week !

Posted by javatimecafe on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:29 PM

right now I have nine, I agree with what you said about bringing something outside that was on the inside. I like to put my tatoos where I can see them, my arms and well I have one on my chest. There is a reason for all of them and they hold a special meaning for me.

Owl on my wrist- to symbolize wisdom
Bubbles (from the powerpuff girls) - We have similar personalities
Pig Pen (charlie brown character) - I played him in a musical, he's like me too doesn't care about what other people think of his apperance
A unicorn - my second tattoo it shows my fantasy side
a braclet on my other wrist - I use to wear a lot of braclets but they break and get lost so I had one tattoed on.
another unicorn - Me and an x-girlfriend went in together and both got a unicorn
the Rebel Alliance symbol from Star Wars - Cause i'm a rebel and a huge fan of star wars
the word "Inconceivable" - the name of a band I was in
On the chest is another owl with the words "peace thru wisdom" around it - I found the picture of the owl on back of a playing card that was on the floor at a party I went to, the words are just what I live by.

Tattoos are great and if your interested in having one do it, it's well worth it!!!

Posted by Mr. Nick - Music and Mayhem on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:30 PM

"Inconceivable" - sorry flash of Inigo Montoya on the top of the Cliffs of Insanity... "you keep using that word. I do no' think it means, what you think it means..." nice list.

Posted by Lowell Rice on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:40 PM

Chili pepper, upper left shoulder. I won the Tennessee and North Carolina state chili cookoff championships and placed second in Mississippi and Arkansas. That led to my trail name "chili". Only seemed fitting to get the tattoo.

Kokopelli upper right shoulder. The most widely depicted pictoglyph in the Southwest and a nice piece of artwork for the hiker that I am.

Posted by Chili on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:38 PM

I think I'll start with a short history of tattoos. At the end of the last age, about 36,000 years ago they were invented by the last men of knowledge of that day so the could carry they histories and traditions through the calamities that ended the age and restarted human social, and intellectual evolution. Later the symbolism depicted in the body marking became relegated to symbols of status in the oriental nation. Now a days they are either beautiful works of art, like the dragon my friend DJ has rapped around his calf, or crude desecrations of the body, which is regarded by some as a house of God. I do not have any and am not planing on getting any. There history is very interesting though.

Posted by Alexander on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 12:53 PM

I have 3 tattoos.

the first one I got for my 30th birthday and it is just a abstract tribal piece around my right calf.

the second I got in the back of my neck about 6 months later and it is a japense character from the I Ching. It stands for Persisting Force and it means that at any given moment in time you have the power to create something beautiful or to destroy it. I wanted something that meant something to me and it sums up exactly what I beleve about life.

the third is a large arm piece that is a japense dragon protecting a lotus flower. again, I wanted something that had to do with me and my life. It was a part of my 40th birthday. In reseraching it I found out that dragons represent transformation, protectors of the Gods and lotus flowers stand for re-birth, inner work. So it wsa perfect to represent the conscious work I have been doing on myself over the past several years. I am still not finished with it because it is a large peice, thus runs parallel with my life.

Posted by Bryan Hebert on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 1:59 PM

I have 3 tattoos, I got my first when I was 19. My best friend and I got them together. We got a butterfly between our shoulder blades right on the spine (ouch!) But it is different it looks kinda like a water splash in the shape of a butterfly. I'm an airsign so my friends tattoo is shades of blue and white, she's a fire sign so mine is purple,red,orange, and yellow like a flame. I have been best friends with her for 11 years, we have been through soooo much together and i honestly don't mind the fact that i have something on my body that will always represent her.
The other two i have, I had the same tattoo artist who did my first draw something up for me. They represent someone else i was extremely close to at one point in my life who died about 5 years ago. I called him J-Bird so I got a sparrow on the back of each hip. Those tattoos while I still think they are beautiful and i love them soooo much they represent a very painful period in my life. When people see my tattoos they think they are cute butterfly and birds, but they don't know what those things actually symbolise to me. I think tattoos are very personal and they should mean something to you. I don't understand walking in and picking something off the wall that anyone could have. That just seems so impulsive. I put alot of thought and emotion into mine.
I probably won't get anymore because i like the fact that i can hide these for work.
I love tattoos though, the whole process is very cathartic.

Posted by Mechell Gray on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 2:10 PM

I am actually working on my first tattoo and very excited about it!!! BUT unlike most others, mine is not deep and meaningful, just beautiful...... It jumped out at me and I said "thats it"!!!! We are working out the details now, but its a hummingbird ( love them!) drinking from an orange trumpet creeper flower and some ivy, probably going down my ankle...........

Posted by Kathy on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 4:18 PM

Good for you! I got a bit of grief from some of my "contemporaries" for getting a tattoo at the age of 27. They actually felt I was too old to do something like that. I got a lot of "Starting your mid-life crisis a little early, aren't you?" comments from people. It's ridiculous to believe that this kind of self-expression is only acceptable between the years of 15 and 22.

At 28, I certainly don't feel content to be a faceless drone, a uniformed and clean-cut cog in the capitalistic machine for the rest of my life. Thanks for being you, Kathy. You give me hope!!!

Posted by Kamandi, The Last Boy on Earth ॐ on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 4:59 PM

your skin in a permanent canvas.. play with it!
i like to play with markers.. until i find somthing i want to look at for the rest of my life...
i use my tatts, as a photo album, for my spiritual travels...
i shed my skin.. and tattoos appear!

Posted by kriket on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:11 PM

"i shed my skin.. and tattoos appear!"

that is a very cool set of words. Beautiful imagery.

Posted by boxed art on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 1:45 AM

i have four.

my first one was a butterfly on my back right hip.
then one similar, mirrored, on the left hip.
and then, in between is a flower...
they're all drawings from when i was in third grade.

the next was 3 stars on my ankle. i have 2 siblings. my mom's done everythign in threes.
"my" star isn't color'd in... i'm usually the odd man out... black sheep i guess.

the fourth was a copyright symbol and the numbers 1982. i was born then, it's on my wrist :)

the next was a phoenix on my back, mid back and centered.
my girl has the same thing. we went thru the exact rut, together with different people.
and got out at the same time. we are us, all new all over again.

between my shoulder blades is a number 9 and the words "team brutality" over and under it.
this is for a friend i will never abandon, nor forget. he means more than people i've known all 25 years of my life. he understands me more than anything. it was our inside joke about whipping up on our ex's that wouldn't leave us alone... but we're too passive.
he still doesn't know it's there.

also, on my left ankle is a brown music note.
my brother, sister, and i all have the same tattoo in the same spot.
we are a tough force to be reckoned with. we love each other and defend each other more than anything or anyone i know...

i have a sleeve drawnout that's for my right arm.
behind my shoulder it will start with the planets and by the time it reaches my wrist, it'll be the ocean floor with rocks and bones. i'm gonna incorporate my grandparents initials.
mature and my family are what makes me tick. i couldn't thank nature enough for who i am.

i think that's all :)

i'm listening to 'Girl Talk' night ripper.
one of the freshest things i've heard in a long while.

Posted by mandiLee on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:41 PM

oops..
not 4 :)

i have 8, thus far..

heh, scatterbrain tonight!

Posted by mandiLee on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 8:43 PM

I have one tattoo, so far. I thought long and hard about it because I was raised in the belief that it was like putting graffiti on a church, synagogue, holy place, etc. I got the tattoo when I was 43 and I am planning on getting more. Mainly, for my own personal reasons and because they mean something special and close to my heart. That's a big commitment, right?

Posted by darla on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 9:54 PM

think of it this way darla...all the churches and holy places around the world have beautiful symbolic decorations and statues that profess the followers love of their God...and we are our own God of sorts, because I feel that we are all one...why not beautify our bodies, temples, with our own professions of belief in ourselves, right?
just a thought... :D

Posted by ♪♫♪also known as♪♫♪ on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 5:13 PM

Hello *good day sunshine*! I appreciate your ideology with regards to symbolic decoration on holy places to beautify them to show their love of God. It really put everything into perspective for me.

I never thought I was a beautiful person or an exceptional person who would make a difference in the world (Not much self confidence). At some point in my later life, I started to love and believe in myself and find my place in this world. I found the belief in myself I never had before. I felt good in my own skin and decided I wanted a tattoo. Now I have at least three more I am still working on paper with!

Just like you said "...we are all one...why not beautify our bodies, temples, with our own professions of belief in ourselves,.."
And what better way to show it!

Posted by darla on Thursday, September 27, 2007 at 5:23 AM

I have...hold on lemme count....8 tattoos...one for my dad its between my shoulderblades, celtic shamrock.. RIP dad...one for my great uncle..."don't tread on me" and a deadhead skull across my chest...my family crest symbol on my lower back which is two "b"s in a celtic knot...a butterfly fairy, symbolizing me flying into adulthood when I turned 18...a moon lady that resembles me, symbolizing my dreams and me always looking to the sky for answers...a cross on my spine at the base of my neck, which is celtic too..my first hemp necklace is tattooed around my right ankle, b/c I am right handed and footed LOL...and also symbolizes the turnaround point in my life when I discovered myself in seattle :D...and I have a star, b/c someday I want a star named after me...and its on my hip...so all of them have a special meaning to me...

Posted by ♪♫♪also known as♪♫♪ on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 7:43 AM

Hey there!
I have a tattoo on my foot that means alot to me. It was my first one, and it's pretty small (not as hardcore as some of the others I read about haha). But originally when I got the flower on my foot it was just a littleish white hibiscus. I was 19 and I didn't really know who I wanted to be yet, but I wanted that tattoo to stand for a fresh beginning, and an innocent flower not sure of it’s purpose or luminescence. I wanted it white to kind of resemble that. But then when I turned 20 I colored it in with pinks and oranges and yellows, because I felt that my soul matched such a coloring. As silly as it sounds, I kind of feel like it is a symbol of my soul, sort of like a talisman. And on days when I don't feel as zesty as I want to be, I look at it and it makes me feel strong.

To comment on tattoos in general:
My dad is extremely against them, and my

Posted by The Mother Z's on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 9:30 AM

The Mother Z's:

I know what you mean about your tattoo representing a symbol of your soul. When I got my hummingbird tattoo on my right shoulder, while I was getting it done, I had this feeling the whole time that this tattoo was my secret representation of my soul. There was a bubbling excitment that sprang up in from this little bird. How funny is that? I had to laugh out loud when you said on not so great days you look at it and it makes you feel strong. It's the same feeling I get. I have to smile.

My dad and my family are against tattoos. My younger brother and me (I'm the eldest in the family) are the only ones who have tattoos.

Posted by darla on Sunday, September 30, 2007 at 12:25 AM

sorry I exidentally pressed post OOPS!!!

My mom is only into them I think if I she is a part of the planning. But I think for me, if there is something that is so important to you that you want it on your body, that is never wrong. Your body is like a temple, why not decorate it with your life story. Tatts are definitly a spirirtual thing for me, and props to anyone with that much conviction to wear their life literally on their sleeve.

Love,
Becca from the Mother Z's

Posted by The Mother Z's on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 9:33 AM

I have 8 tattoos....and more on the way. Many of them represent me on a spiritual (NOT religious) level. My first tattoo was on Icthus I got when I was in college. Next, I got a tribal cross on my shoulder. Then, in white ink, the archangel Raphael, who according to some sources is the archangel over Wednesday - the day of the week on which I was born. It is an arm band on my left arm and it's in angelic script, so it's pretty cool and definitely unique. On my right arm I have a trinity in white ink. I have two crosses, a heart and flames on my right ankle. I broke out of that whole theme after awhile. I got my first music-related tattoo about a year or so ago - a GoGirls Music logo on my left calf. Then I got a really cool drawing on the outside of my left leg that my 5-year-old daughter did. She's got a Tim Burton streak in her, although she has no idea who Tim Burton is. lol

http://viewmorepics.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=viewImage&friendID=4655975&albumID=350161&imageID=3825948

My most recent tattoo is a Paul Reed Smith McCarty, the first completely free PRS I received as part of our endorsement deal. I love it!

There are lots of interesting stories on here about expression, but I feel as I've gotten more expressive with my music, the same has gone for my tattoos. Tattoos are not for everyone, that's for sure, but for those of us who love them, they all symbolize various things - what they represent, the time in your life that you got the tattoo, what they meant when you got them as opposed to what they mean to you years down the road. It's like carrying little memory triggers with you everywhere you go.

As for what I'm listening to right now, I've made a CD from a bunch of unknown bands on Garageband.com who completely kick ass. Check 'em out if you're looking for something new:
The Pushers
The Invisible Head
Jesta
Sound of a Revolution
Go Bragg

Posted by 3 Kisses Fanspace on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 9:38 AM

tattoos are sexy. when the art is tasteful. :) i want to get one (or two, hell, all over my body i don't give a f&*^) but i'm chicken shit!!!

Posted by Willow on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 9:52 AM

<img SRC="http://img5.ranchoweb.com/images/babydollface/117_1762.7406153.jpg">

My first tattoo is on the back of my left hip...very small, it's a broken heart dripping blood. I got it after my Dad was told he had congestive heart failure. My second one, I got it on the first Father's Day after my Dad died and it's on my right ankle "Daddy's Lil Girl". My 3rd one is on the right side of my upper back (shoulder blade) and the reasons are personal. <img SRC="http://img5.ranchoweb.com/images/babydollface/02.jpg">

I got a monstrosity across my lower back...It started as the letter "J" in the middle. I went to the tattoo shop, picked out a very nice, soft string of hearts and went back the next night to get it done. I took a friend with me and I thought I should have a couple drinks before I got there. I ended up way to drunk and my friend and the artist picked out what now lays on my body forever in the color of hot pink!

These 3 next one's are on the back of my neck. They were all done at different time's and started with the "M"...for Mark. Then the heart one, for reason's of love, lol...then I went all the way with his name....also for reasons of love!
<img SRC="http://img5.ranchoweb.com/images/babydollface/117_1762.7406153.jpg">

Posted by Jammi on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 10:39 AM

dear jammi, god bless you. my heart truly goes out to you for the loss of your father. peace and blessings. cc

Posted by illegitimate child on Friday, September 28, 2007 at 11:28 AM

Thanks child!
Peace & Love to you!

Posted by Jammi on Friday, September 28, 2007 at 2:44 PM

I have one tat. Its Grateful Dead Steal Your Face logo on my right arm. The night i was convinced into getting it done i had been :::ahem::: partaking in substances that any Dead Head should already know leads one towards getting the Dead symbol put onto their bodies...LOL. I love it, and plan on getting several more!

Posted by Brian Eckert on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 11:44 AM

I love hummingbirds. My first tat was in 1996....a hummingbird w/3 flowers. It represents my mother & her 3 daughters....the colors of the flowers are the colors of our birthstones. Then about a year later I went back to the same artist (Larry at Atomic on Burnett) & had some more flowers & the butterfly added. The butterfly was the most painful & the closer it got to my spine, the more it hurt....OUCH!!! I wanted something pretty....I love it!!!
Anytime I show it to someone, the first thing they do it touch it....interesting.

Posted by ~JILL~ on Tuesday, September 25, 2007 at 11:57 AM

Okay, So I have yet to acquire any tattoos. However, I have decided what I want my first two to be. In memoriam of my friend, Spencer, who died when I was sixteen, I am getting his favorite lyrics tattooed on my feet. On the left one, I'll have "Where there is love..." and on the right there will be "... There is hope." They'll both be in a really pretty flowy kind of cursive, with a tiny pink flower at the end of