I have a laurel wreath around my shoulders, symbolizing victory not in the sense of defeating alcohol, but in finally finding the strength to stop drinking. Like the wreath placed around a champion after a race, it marks a personal triumph. I absolutely loved today’s episode.. BOLT TWINS ⚡️
BOLT TWINS FOR LIFE! Also we miss you brother, a lot. Also also, I'm so proud of you for finding that strength. You're an inspiration my man, and I hope you know it.
Thank you so much dude. I miss you guys a lot ,hope you’re all doing really well. I honestly can’t wait for The Never Was. Even the title gives me chills 🙂
I got so much confused guff from the publishers about the title hahaha. No one seems to get it, which makes me love it so much more. Also, I think we're gonna be back in Ireland in April! I don't think Northern, but if you fancy a trip south for a quick hang we'd love it.
That seals the deal you’ve got a winner on your hands . I’m sure I can make it up in April when you guys are around for a hang and a bit of craic that’d be awesome . Can’t wait!🙂
YES yes a thousand times yes. I always admire people who look like they planned their tattooed body as a whole in advance. But I’m the same as you, each tattoo tells a story, from my first tiny lizard on my 18th birthday (for the Lizard King, Jim Morrison, whose poetry and music has been intertwined in my life since I was 13), through the tribal bits from the 90s, through to my most recent beautiful delicate fine line tattoos. There’s no theme, no plan, just the recurring urge to mark my body in a way that is meaningful to the me that I am at that time.
PS - My walking poetry project remains one of my favourites.
"I am covered with memories". How beautifully and wonderfully succinct.
I have four tattoos.
The first is a pair of cardinals. While most people assume that this tattoo is a memorial tattoo to pay tribute to loved ones no longer on this mortal plain, I got it done for a very different reason. Often referred to as the most romantic birds due to the way they pair up, travel together, sing to each other before nesting; I just adore seeing these birds in our backyard and hearing their songs, and can only hope that I have indeed found a love like this.
My second and third tattoos are a Scotch Heather flower and a Delft Blue flower pattern. These are in honour of my grandparents, who all went through much effort to make their way to North America in the 1940s from Scotland and The Netherlands. Without them, I would not be here and I am forever grateful for what they endured for their families.
My fourth tattoo was thought of for a very long time but simultaneously impulsive as I decided to get it done while on my 40th birthday trip to Nashville this past year. It is the lyrics "Funny how a melody sounds like a memory", which doesn't need much explanation. As a music lover yourself, I am sure you understand being brought back to moments in time just by hearing a few notes of a song.
To choose a favourite seems impossible as each of my tattoos is linked to a different chapter or story in my life.
I look forward to my fifth, sixth, and beyond. What will they be? Only time will tell.
Ooooh, for your 5th and 6th, I am excited, I am intrigued, and I cannot wait to see. For the 4 you already have, I Love every single one. And yes, 10000% to music transporting you. I love this lyric.
One of my favourite pieces happened because of you. I participated in your Walking Poetry project, which gave me the opportunity to create a visual for the section with the words "of blue." Like you, each of my tattoos tells a story, and this is an especially good one to tell on so many levels. It is a special feeling to know that I am a part of a poem that lives and occupies space -- like the tree it is about -- and will one day exist no more. Thank you for that. ❤️
I absolutely LOVE hearing stories behind tattoos - so excited for the opportunity to hear the stories behind so many!
My two, though not small, also tell parts of my story. The first, a seemingly disjointed mashup of symbols, is my reminder of how far I’ve come in my journey and a tribute to the bands/music that shaped me along the way. The second, a framed portrait of my heart dog, now forever my copilot for each new adventure in this lifetime. There’s always plans for so many more. Though it seems, if two can be a trend, I get the things that represent big chapters in my life so it takes me quite a while to settle on the next piece.
Trust me when I say this: Disjointed mashups are kinda my bizznasss. I love disjointed, I love mashups, I love when things shouldn't go together but do. My favorite of all things.
I have a few tattoos. There's one that says "Life is Good" on my inner bicep and at the time, life was good. Then a couple years later, my wife died of cancer, so it wasn't so good and I found that tattoo very annoying. But life goes through many changes. It's 11 years later and I am married again to another wonderful person. She's helped me heal and Life is Good once more.
I hope life gets good(er) again, and then gooder after that and I hope you see that tattoo and feel nothing but a soft sigh and realization that it is, it is, it always is.
I have a lot of tattoos, from a little whimsical single needle fairy behind my left ear to a full leg sleeve with all of the birth flowers and favorite flowers of family members. It also includes a vine shaped like a DNA strand, signatures from my immediate family in their hand writing, and the paw prints from my dearly departed pup. Tattoos are lovely memories and can be wonderful reminders of who we used to be and how far we've come on our journey.
I have some that are just silly, like a squirrel using an AED and a lava lamp with a roller girl. There will always be room for more tattoos and the memories that go with them. It's a visual story book of a life well lived.
Oooh I love the fairy tattoo! And Sarah has been wanting a full leg sleeve for so long, this might be the push she needed to do it. Also, a squirrel using an AED sounds sorta fucking AMAZING.
I only have one tattoo so far and I love it. It is tiny, only an inch tall and half as wide. It's a small symbol of a large story, on my wrist so I can see it all the time. The tattoo artist asked me three times if I was sure I wanted it upside down, and I insisted that it was right side up from my view and I needed to see it that way. It reminds me to keep going, to keep taking up space in my own life, to keep healing. Even after many years, that tiny symbol can bring me back to myself.
So far is the perfect phrase in this sentence. I cannot wait til one becomes 100 :) And, I am a "selfish tattooer" too...I love reading my tattoos, so they all face me. I don't need anyone else reading them hahaha. I even have one that's literally BACKWARDS because I only see it when I Look in the mirror hahaha.
I'm so glad I'm not the only "selfish tattooer"! it makes sense to me, I'm not getting tattoos for other people, they're for me :) Also, your backward tattoo so you can read it the mirror is brilliant! One of the tattoos on my wish list would be done like that, since I'd only be able to see it in a mirror.
I absolutely loved your explanation for getting tattoos. Personally, I admire the beauty of the human form, completely unadorned with tattoos. The answer to your question regarding a tattoo I would choose if I had to get one, I suppose it would be my blood type on my chest above my heart. That is something medical professionals would really appreciate in the event of a catastrophic accident. Have a great week!
I got my tattoo when I was 15. In the somewhat dingy downtown core of my suburban town, a tattoo parlour opened up just down the way from the Kentucky Fried Chicken. About a block from the pool hall my mother had forbidden us to go to that we frequented regularly while telling her we were at the park in the town square. We had never seen a tattoo parlour, and so my best friend and I would go in and peruse the drawings and designs on the wall. This was 1994. So there was still a stigma around tattoo parlours and the type of people they attracted. We were enthralled. We decided that we had to get one. She wanted a ladybug. I however had found on their wall amongst the roses, cross bones, and crosses, a Pixie jumping over a Toadstool. It was a drawing that was from my all time favourite childhood book. The Popup Book of Faeries. I had worn out the pull tabs and push up sticks on that book as a child and to find this magical image filled me with glee! The hard part was convincing our parents that this was a good idea! My best friend got the green light first. That put the pressure on my Mom who was vehemently against it. I was pretty upfront with her. I said "either you take me to get it with your permission or I will find a place that doesn't mind that I'm only 15 and get it done there". She begrudgingly agreed and I was elated. And so I was joined by my trusty sidekick for life. Marking myself with my belief in magic for all to see.
For those who didn't have the Faeries popup book, it was a one off of the famous Book of Faeries by Brian Froud. I learned later that the popup book had used a lot of his images without his permission but as a five year old, I didn't know any better. I can't remember how old I was when I got the actual book of faeries, I think it was probably Mom's first as she had always instilled in us a love for the fae and the magic of the natural world. Brian Froud is still my favourite artist who is also known for his work on the movies Labyrinth and the Dark Crystal. I have all his books and so even as I got older, I was always very happy to have my little pixie on my back, even as he started to fade in colour.
Fast forward to 2019 and I decided it was time to give him a bit of a facelift. After 25 years I decided to make a major change and cover him up with my all time favourite Fround painting that I have always identified with the most. It's called the Faery that was Kissed by the Pixies and you can see it here: https://archangeloracle.com/2018/08/15/the-faery-that-was-kissed-by-the-pixies/
I searched the internet for artists who have done Froud Faeries and found a guy that was in Calgary where I used to live. That year I was receiving an award from the University I attended and it was right around my birthday so it seemed like the right time to take the first step in the process! I don't think I had really processed the fact that this was going to mean that I would have a full back piece by the time it was completed! Going from one tiny and somewhat mediocre but extremely meaningful tattoo from when I was 15 to a full back tattoo was quite the way to double down on my teenage decision making skills but after the four hour session I now had a beautiful evolution of art etched into my skin and my soul! The idea was to go back each year and continue the piece but then we had Covid and I didn't make it back for the second instalment until last summer! Now I have a beautiful faery surrounded by pixies and mushrooms on one side and the other side of my back is still a blank canvas. This summer I will make the trip again and complete the other side! It's been six years in the making and it will probably need one or two more sessions after that for finishing touches, but this year, the main design will be complete! In the end, the design will be inclosed in the shape of wings on my back and so I will basically be one with the faeries which I think I have always been striving for all my life!
The other day someone asked me if I had the tattoo because I like taking mushrooms. I had never considered this as a reason for my tattoo because my love for faeries and magic has been with me since I was just a child. I quickly replied it was because I believe in the magic of the nature that surrounds us all. The best thing about tattoos for me, is that there are so many different types of people who are able to express themselves in so many different ways with this ancient ritual of self expression. We all have stories to tell and memories to commemorate and our bodies can be the canvas to tell share them for those who want to! I love that tattoos don't have the same stigma that they did when I first walked into the downtown tattoo parlour when I was fifteen and I am so proud of my Mom for allowing me the freedom to express myself at an age when a lot of people told me I would regret having a green little pixie jumping over a mushroom on my back when I was a grownup! Last year, she sent me a video showing off her first tattoo! A dainty vine wrapped around her arm with the flowers of all the provinces and territories of Canada that she had visited on her latest cross country adventure! She was so stoked and I had to laugh and tell her that she reminded me of myself when I was 15 even though she was 67. I thanked her for taking me all those years ago and she thanked me for showing her tattoos are not just for degenerates, but funky old ladies too!
OHHHH the story of this MAKES IT. Thank you so much for sharing ALL this with us, and the way you did it is so melodic and wonderful. I can SEE it. You're amazing, and I hope you know that.
Thank you for sharing the tale of your 1/4. It’s dumb to say, because it’s so obvious, you’re a good writer. I felt like I lived that day with you as I read it. Sometimes people need to hear it again, even if they are a NYT best seller.
I am a blank canvas. Being a Portland native this puts me in a minority class. I don’t have any flora, fungi or fauna (mountains or evergreens) lattes or lyrics spelled out across any piece of me. It almost makes a girl feel rebellious, but it’s quite the opposite.
Most of my dearest friends/ family are Asian and there is a deep seated prejudice against the art, to the point where you are turned away in a lot of establishments (not just when in-country, here in the states too when are aren’t moving as a white person, you’re a guest in their space).
But that’s not really true either, both my brothers have tattoos, and in keeping with the filial order of our family, I guess it’s up to me to uphold my parents’ expectations, because I already have my tattoos planned out for after those expectations expire and I wouldn’t have to see the disappointment in their eyes if I were to “ruin” this mortal flesh with such stains. The nose ring was bad enough, I was married and I got it for my husband. It lasted a year.
I will get three tattoos to honor my parents when they find their rest. All will be to honor them, and free myself. When my mom passes, I’ll get two, a Narina-like lamp and a matching candle stick, both in the hollow under my ankle bone. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. The other I will keep a secret. It will take up a lot more space, and I will need an artist to bring it back to life. This one will be for my father.
I could say I’m loving others by staying so empty, but it’s probably more honest to admit that emptying myself is my natural state, and I don’t know how to do anything else.
I just realized I made the aforementioned tats sound snarky. I love all those things (tea though) and would have all of them on my person probably if it weren’t for living in Southeast Asia. Especially the trees and mountains. Maybe even REI somewhere. I did it again.
I hope you know how much hearing anything like this means to me. I just write to write, and I honestly forget so often that people read it. I always assume what I've written is shit, so this really does matter, and means a lot. I LOVE the tattoos you're going to get, and I cannot wait to see them when they are done.
I have a few tattoos now- although I didn’t get my first ones until 2022 when I was 55 and it just went from there. For my mother, in her 80’s, tattoos were for pirates, bikers and jail inmates. She says I am scribbling on my body but I see it as body art, often with a story behind it but not necessarily. Some of mine are simply designs while others have more meaning, are reminders/mantras for me in symbols or words. For example, I have an enso symbol with birds flying out of it- it’s supposed to symbolize “let it go”- a good reminder for me many days! I have the words, Be Not Afraid to give me courage when I need it. Shared experiences like the one you had with your friend are often the story behind the tattoo more than the actual tattoo design. Getting the same small tattoo with my two sons (that was how it started) of waves inside a sun since we live near a lake was something we will never forget. Recently, a new friend, her husband and I went on a ‘tattoo road trip’ to see two different artists but in the same city, three hours away- an experience we will always share as part of our friendship. Having a tattoo does make it easier to ask people about theirs- and they are usually delighted to share their stories.
I LOVE when people don't get their first until later in life, I think it's so inspiring. BOTH my parents were in their 60s when they finally did it and it meant so much they trusted me to do it with them. I never thought I'd see the day. I love "Be Not Afraid." ALL this is magic.
Thank you for sharing this, Tyler!! I have a few tattoos with a bazillion planned! :D
1. A moon with stardust was my first when I was 26
2. A butterfly with its shadow after my divorce (signifies me being free from so much oppression)
3. double infinity with the words live and life in cursive
4. & 5. I got these at the same time and I love them both: the words "us the" from your second WPP on one foot and my dog's paw print (who is no longer with us) on my right foot.
I love each and every one of them and long for more tattoos to tell my story! I would also like to get something representing the places my husband and I travel to.
Umm, PLEASE get this. Why not? Why not now?!
How beautiful. I say we do a damn gofund me for it :)
My family of six lives on a single SpEd teacher’s salary, and I would give $10 for this! Go team!
I have a laurel wreath around my shoulders, symbolizing victory not in the sense of defeating alcohol, but in finally finding the strength to stop drinking. Like the wreath placed around a champion after a race, it marks a personal triumph. I absolutely loved today’s episode.. BOLT TWINS ⚡️
BOLT TWINS FOR LIFE! Also we miss you brother, a lot. Also also, I'm so proud of you for finding that strength. You're an inspiration my man, and I hope you know it.
Thank you so much dude. I miss you guys a lot ,hope you’re all doing really well. I honestly can’t wait for The Never Was. Even the title gives me chills 🙂
I got so much confused guff from the publishers about the title hahaha. No one seems to get it, which makes me love it so much more. Also, I think we're gonna be back in Ireland in April! I don't think Northern, but if you fancy a trip south for a quick hang we'd love it.
That seals the deal you’ve got a winner on your hands . I’m sure I can make it up in April when you guys are around for a hang and a bit of craic that’d be awesome . Can’t wait!🙂
YES yes a thousand times yes. I always admire people who look like they planned their tattooed body as a whole in advance. But I’m the same as you, each tattoo tells a story, from my first tiny lizard on my 18th birthday (for the Lizard King, Jim Morrison, whose poetry and music has been intertwined in my life since I was 13), through the tribal bits from the 90s, through to my most recent beautiful delicate fine line tattoos. There’s no theme, no plan, just the recurring urge to mark my body in a way that is meaningful to the me that I am at that time.
PS - My walking poetry project remains one of my favourites.
EVERY tattoo a story! I'm so glad we share this. And I am STILL Pushing to have the WPP finished. It's so hard wrangling that many people.
"I am covered with memories". How beautifully and wonderfully succinct.
I have four tattoos.
The first is a pair of cardinals. While most people assume that this tattoo is a memorial tattoo to pay tribute to loved ones no longer on this mortal plain, I got it done for a very different reason. Often referred to as the most romantic birds due to the way they pair up, travel together, sing to each other before nesting; I just adore seeing these birds in our backyard and hearing their songs, and can only hope that I have indeed found a love like this.
My second and third tattoos are a Scotch Heather flower and a Delft Blue flower pattern. These are in honour of my grandparents, who all went through much effort to make their way to North America in the 1940s from Scotland and The Netherlands. Without them, I would not be here and I am forever grateful for what they endured for their families.
My fourth tattoo was thought of for a very long time but simultaneously impulsive as I decided to get it done while on my 40th birthday trip to Nashville this past year. It is the lyrics "Funny how a melody sounds like a memory", which doesn't need much explanation. As a music lover yourself, I am sure you understand being brought back to moments in time just by hearing a few notes of a song.
To choose a favourite seems impossible as each of my tattoos is linked to a different chapter or story in my life.
I look forward to my fifth, sixth, and beyond. What will they be? Only time will tell.
Ooooh, for your 5th and 6th, I am excited, I am intrigued, and I cannot wait to see. For the 4 you already have, I Love every single one. And yes, 10000% to music transporting you. I love this lyric.
One of my favourite pieces happened because of you. I participated in your Walking Poetry project, which gave me the opportunity to create a visual for the section with the words "of blue." Like you, each of my tattoos tells a story, and this is an especially good one to tell on so many levels. It is a special feeling to know that I am a part of a poem that lives and occupies space -- like the tree it is about -- and will one day exist no more. Thank you for that. ❤️
Trust me when I say, the WPP WILL HAPPEN, I'm still emailing, still pushing to replace people who haven't done theirs yet. It will happen. :)
I absolutely LOVE hearing stories behind tattoos - so excited for the opportunity to hear the stories behind so many!
My two, though not small, also tell parts of my story. The first, a seemingly disjointed mashup of symbols, is my reminder of how far I’ve come in my journey and a tribute to the bands/music that shaped me along the way. The second, a framed portrait of my heart dog, now forever my copilot for each new adventure in this lifetime. There’s always plans for so many more. Though it seems, if two can be a trend, I get the things that represent big chapters in my life so it takes me quite a while to settle on the next piece.
Trust me when I say this: Disjointed mashups are kinda my bizznasss. I love disjointed, I love mashups, I love when things shouldn't go together but do. My favorite of all things.
I have a few tattoos. There's one that says "Life is Good" on my inner bicep and at the time, life was good. Then a couple years later, my wife died of cancer, so it wasn't so good and I found that tattoo very annoying. But life goes through many changes. It's 11 years later and I am married again to another wonderful person. She's helped me heal and Life is Good once more.
I hope life gets good(er) again, and then gooder after that and I hope you see that tattoo and feel nothing but a soft sigh and realization that it is, it is, it always is.
I have a lot of tattoos, from a little whimsical single needle fairy behind my left ear to a full leg sleeve with all of the birth flowers and favorite flowers of family members. It also includes a vine shaped like a DNA strand, signatures from my immediate family in their hand writing, and the paw prints from my dearly departed pup. Tattoos are lovely memories and can be wonderful reminders of who we used to be and how far we've come on our journey.
I have some that are just silly, like a squirrel using an AED and a lava lamp with a roller girl. There will always be room for more tattoos and the memories that go with them. It's a visual story book of a life well lived.
Oooh I love the fairy tattoo! And Sarah has been wanting a full leg sleeve for so long, this might be the push she needed to do it. Also, a squirrel using an AED sounds sorta fucking AMAZING.
I wish this app supported pictures, I'd be very happy to send one of the squirrel. Lots of giggles and compliments on that one 😀
The only way to do so, is to just link to it somewhere else, ANYWHERE else! :)
I only have one tattoo so far and I love it. It is tiny, only an inch tall and half as wide. It's a small symbol of a large story, on my wrist so I can see it all the time. The tattoo artist asked me three times if I was sure I wanted it upside down, and I insisted that it was right side up from my view and I needed to see it that way. It reminds me to keep going, to keep taking up space in my own life, to keep healing. Even after many years, that tiny symbol can bring me back to myself.
So far is the perfect phrase in this sentence. I cannot wait til one becomes 100 :) And, I am a "selfish tattooer" too...I love reading my tattoos, so they all face me. I don't need anyone else reading them hahaha. I even have one that's literally BACKWARDS because I only see it when I Look in the mirror hahaha.
I'm so glad I'm not the only "selfish tattooer"! it makes sense to me, I'm not getting tattoos for other people, they're for me :) Also, your backward tattoo so you can read it the mirror is brilliant! One of the tattoos on my wish list would be done like that, since I'd only be able to see it in a mirror.
I absolutely loved your explanation for getting tattoos. Personally, I admire the beauty of the human form, completely unadorned with tattoos. The answer to your question regarding a tattoo I would choose if I had to get one, I suppose it would be my blood type on my chest above my heart. That is something medical professionals would really appreciate in the event of a catastrophic accident. Have a great week!
Oooh, blood type tattoo is a smart, and rad idea. And totally fair that you love the unadorned human form, I think MANY people are this way!
I got my tattoo when I was 15. In the somewhat dingy downtown core of my suburban town, a tattoo parlour opened up just down the way from the Kentucky Fried Chicken. About a block from the pool hall my mother had forbidden us to go to that we frequented regularly while telling her we were at the park in the town square. We had never seen a tattoo parlour, and so my best friend and I would go in and peruse the drawings and designs on the wall. This was 1994. So there was still a stigma around tattoo parlours and the type of people they attracted. We were enthralled. We decided that we had to get one. She wanted a ladybug. I however had found on their wall amongst the roses, cross bones, and crosses, a Pixie jumping over a Toadstool. It was a drawing that was from my all time favourite childhood book. The Popup Book of Faeries. I had worn out the pull tabs and push up sticks on that book as a child and to find this magical image filled me with glee! The hard part was convincing our parents that this was a good idea! My best friend got the green light first. That put the pressure on my Mom who was vehemently against it. I was pretty upfront with her. I said "either you take me to get it with your permission or I will find a place that doesn't mind that I'm only 15 and get it done there". She begrudgingly agreed and I was elated. And so I was joined by my trusty sidekick for life. Marking myself with my belief in magic for all to see.
For those who didn't have the Faeries popup book, it was a one off of the famous Book of Faeries by Brian Froud. I learned later that the popup book had used a lot of his images without his permission but as a five year old, I didn't know any better. I can't remember how old I was when I got the actual book of faeries, I think it was probably Mom's first as she had always instilled in us a love for the fae and the magic of the natural world. Brian Froud is still my favourite artist who is also known for his work on the movies Labyrinth and the Dark Crystal. I have all his books and so even as I got older, I was always very happy to have my little pixie on my back, even as he started to fade in colour.
Fast forward to 2019 and I decided it was time to give him a bit of a facelift. After 25 years I decided to make a major change and cover him up with my all time favourite Fround painting that I have always identified with the most. It's called the Faery that was Kissed by the Pixies and you can see it here: https://archangeloracle.com/2018/08/15/the-faery-that-was-kissed-by-the-pixies/
I searched the internet for artists who have done Froud Faeries and found a guy that was in Calgary where I used to live. That year I was receiving an award from the University I attended and it was right around my birthday so it seemed like the right time to take the first step in the process! I don't think I had really processed the fact that this was going to mean that I would have a full back piece by the time it was completed! Going from one tiny and somewhat mediocre but extremely meaningful tattoo from when I was 15 to a full back tattoo was quite the way to double down on my teenage decision making skills but after the four hour session I now had a beautiful evolution of art etched into my skin and my soul! The idea was to go back each year and continue the piece but then we had Covid and I didn't make it back for the second instalment until last summer! Now I have a beautiful faery surrounded by pixies and mushrooms on one side and the other side of my back is still a blank canvas. This summer I will make the trip again and complete the other side! It's been six years in the making and it will probably need one or two more sessions after that for finishing touches, but this year, the main design will be complete! In the end, the design will be inclosed in the shape of wings on my back and so I will basically be one with the faeries which I think I have always been striving for all my life!
The other day someone asked me if I had the tattoo because I like taking mushrooms. I had never considered this as a reason for my tattoo because my love for faeries and magic has been with me since I was just a child. I quickly replied it was because I believe in the magic of the nature that surrounds us all. The best thing about tattoos for me, is that there are so many different types of people who are able to express themselves in so many different ways with this ancient ritual of self expression. We all have stories to tell and memories to commemorate and our bodies can be the canvas to tell share them for those who want to! I love that tattoos don't have the same stigma that they did when I first walked into the downtown tattoo parlour when I was fifteen and I am so proud of my Mom for allowing me the freedom to express myself at an age when a lot of people told me I would regret having a green little pixie jumping over a mushroom on my back when I was a grownup! Last year, she sent me a video showing off her first tattoo! A dainty vine wrapped around her arm with the flowers of all the provinces and territories of Canada that she had visited on her latest cross country adventure! She was so stoked and I had to laugh and tell her that she reminded me of myself when I was 15 even though she was 67. I thanked her for taking me all those years ago and she thanked me for showing her tattoos are not just for degenerates, but funky old ladies too!
PS this is a twofer comment making up for not posting on last weeks essay which I also LOVED!!
That is quite the long term endeavour! Unique design.
:) You're the best.
OHHHH the story of this MAKES IT. Thank you so much for sharing ALL this with us, and the way you did it is so melodic and wonderful. I can SEE it. You're amazing, and I hope you know that.
Thank you for sharing the tale of your 1/4. It’s dumb to say, because it’s so obvious, you’re a good writer. I felt like I lived that day with you as I read it. Sometimes people need to hear it again, even if they are a NYT best seller.
I am a blank canvas. Being a Portland native this puts me in a minority class. I don’t have any flora, fungi or fauna (mountains or evergreens) lattes or lyrics spelled out across any piece of me. It almost makes a girl feel rebellious, but it’s quite the opposite.
Most of my dearest friends/ family are Asian and there is a deep seated prejudice against the art, to the point where you are turned away in a lot of establishments (not just when in-country, here in the states too when are aren’t moving as a white person, you’re a guest in their space).
But that’s not really true either, both my brothers have tattoos, and in keeping with the filial order of our family, I guess it’s up to me to uphold my parents’ expectations, because I already have my tattoos planned out for after those expectations expire and I wouldn’t have to see the disappointment in their eyes if I were to “ruin” this mortal flesh with such stains. The nose ring was bad enough, I was married and I got it for my husband. It lasted a year.
I will get three tattoos to honor my parents when they find their rest. All will be to honor them, and free myself. When my mom passes, I’ll get two, a Narina-like lamp and a matching candle stick, both in the hollow under my ankle bone. “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”. The other I will keep a secret. It will take up a lot more space, and I will need an artist to bring it back to life. This one will be for my father.
I could say I’m loving others by staying so empty, but it’s probably more honest to admit that emptying myself is my natural state, and I don’t know how to do anything else.
I just realized I made the aforementioned tats sound snarky. I love all those things (tea though) and would have all of them on my person probably if it weren’t for living in Southeast Asia. Especially the trees and mountains. Maybe even REI somewhere. I did it again.
I hope you know how much hearing anything like this means to me. I just write to write, and I honestly forget so often that people read it. I always assume what I've written is shit, so this really does matter, and means a lot. I LOVE the tattoos you're going to get, and I cannot wait to see them when they are done.
I have a few tattoos now- although I didn’t get my first ones until 2022 when I was 55 and it just went from there. For my mother, in her 80’s, tattoos were for pirates, bikers and jail inmates. She says I am scribbling on my body but I see it as body art, often with a story behind it but not necessarily. Some of mine are simply designs while others have more meaning, are reminders/mantras for me in symbols or words. For example, I have an enso symbol with birds flying out of it- it’s supposed to symbolize “let it go”- a good reminder for me many days! I have the words, Be Not Afraid to give me courage when I need it. Shared experiences like the one you had with your friend are often the story behind the tattoo more than the actual tattoo design. Getting the same small tattoo with my two sons (that was how it started) of waves inside a sun since we live near a lake was something we will never forget. Recently, a new friend, her husband and I went on a ‘tattoo road trip’ to see two different artists but in the same city, three hours away- an experience we will always share as part of our friendship. Having a tattoo does make it easier to ask people about theirs- and they are usually delighted to share their stories.
I LOVE when people don't get their first until later in life, I think it's so inspiring. BOTH my parents were in their 60s when they finally did it and it meant so much they trusted me to do it with them. I never thought I'd see the day. I love "Be Not Afraid." ALL this is magic.
What can we carry,
through life without a burden?
Try some ink on skin.
Tattoo’s all over?
But love has already spread.
I’m covered in you.
I’m much too tattooed
Habits that are hard to stop.
Like potato chips…
I get asked a lot,
what a tattoo really means.
All say … “still I rise”
Oooof, Maya to end this is HUGE. As always, so rad.
Thank you for sharing this, Tyler!! I have a few tattoos with a bazillion planned! :D
1. A moon with stardust was my first when I was 26
2. A butterfly with its shadow after my divorce (signifies me being free from so much oppression)
3. double infinity with the words live and life in cursive
4. & 5. I got these at the same time and I love them both: the words "us the" from your second WPP on one foot and my dog's paw print (who is no longer with us) on my right foot.
I love each and every one of them and long for more tattoos to tell my story! I would also like to get something representing the places my husband and I travel to.
I LOVE these, and I want to see every one of the billion to go. :)
Deal! And we're coming to Montana to buy some Riff Raff goodies!
Loved this one! And you better believe if I’m ever in Montana I’ll be getting a tattoo with you!
F. Yes. I. Am. In.