i have one tattoo and am designing 2 more. my one if of my family crest, so i never forget where i came from and whos important in my life (family). one other one is going to be some kind of morph from soemthing dark and satinic looking into a colorful cartoonish looking picture with some reference to pot. because i used to be derpressed, atempted suicide, then started smoking. it has changed my life to where i am happy, for once. i want to celebrate my new found love of life. and the other is a landscpae of snowcapped mountains with eagles flying in circles. my dad has a facination with eagles and has a tat of one. i never was close with him, but know hes tried to be there for me. im not good with words and wanted to deidcate it to him. have his name in it somewhere. the mountains are my home, i come from the city, but i feel at home in the back country. when i take my snowboard into the glades of vermont, im at peace, and im happy. i want to show everyone where i call home. i understand people who get a tattoo that is cute or looks good ect. but i could never do that. i plan on having many tattoos in my life, but i need all of them to have a story behind it. i think tattoos are a great way to tell a story. i could never waste good skin to a cool design. any thoughts on the meaning vs looks battle?
I completely agree. My brother and I are getting tats this July in memory of my dad who died last July. (a sailboat for me and a steering wheel for my bro...my dad loved sailing) I'm also getting a dolphin on my graduation day with my best friend on our toes...its a long story but dolphins really mean something to us... And I'm getting a moon and stars on my neck with her too because one night last year we were gazing up at the sky and we promised each other that we'd always be together as friends no matter what. We were in some bad relationships at the time and we promised each other we'd take care of one another... And we'll always be looking at the same moon every night...so we'll always be together through the moon ^_^ meaning because it will always look good to you.
I totally agree about getting a tattoo that has meaning behind it. I find it interesting that both of you are planning on getting tattoos that symbolize an aspect of other people in your life, because all the tattoo possibilities I've thought of for myself have only included symbols relevant to me and no one else. Not saying it means anything good or bad either way, just found it interesting as I've never realized the fact about myself until now.
I prefer tattoos with meaning behind them. Wouldn't have any on me if they didn't mean anything to me. I have one on my right upper arm and shoulder which is a picture of a devil being strangled by a python/dragon, against a background of an apple tree which is half dead, half in bloom, behind which is a starry sky fading into a stylised sun. Basicallyu my take on human nature (the devil/snake combo and apple tree, about the nature of how we (as humans in general) tend to blame other factors for evil and suffering in the world whereas it's all of our our creation all comes from within ourselves. My other tatt is over my heart (covers my left pec), titled "compassion" which is a very important value to me, and has my favourite animals (orang-utan and black panther) combined with a personal take on St. Francis. I intend to expand that one with many more animals blending into each other, maybe with a few of my favourite plants too, so that it eventually is a full upper arm/shoulder sleeve, which extends down to my left ribs. I eventually want to get a full back piece which will be a map of Africa, dominated by a large lion, as a background, on which a Zulu warrior and British soldier are fighting. This would be to me about my heritage (descendent of a British soldier who fought here, and I live in KwaZulu-Natal where the Zulu kingdom was/is), and the soil wherein my heart resides, and our nation built on so much blood, racial strife and struggle. Yeah, anyway...
these all sound like great ideas. i have both of my next two drawn and ready to be put on, im just broke as hell and a tatoo is a luxury, car insurancre isnt. but this summer man, im getting inked (again)
I agree some should be just for yourself... I'm also getting a flower done eventually because I remember someone once gave me one and it was in my room and when I woke up the scent perfumed my very wakening and I fell in love. The perfume I bought reminds me of a it too. I just have to find out what kind of flower it was. I remember the scent and it looked like a sort of lily.
This is one of mine..my brothers initials are on it..he died in 2002 of brain cancer. I also have other tats and all have a special meaning to them...
I think stories behind tattooes are just so fucking over-rated and its quite bullshit to me. Sure you could expect most of the people to say you need a meaning for a tattoo because its going to be in your flesh forever and blablabla... But heres what I think. I taught your post sounds like you were talking to a Miami Inks Camera... Those tattoo tv shows are fucking the scene up. Sure you can have some stories behind your tats, and still being sell out. It has become trendy to tell a shitty story that is represented in a tribal in the lower back or a star for someone death... COM ON MAN, say something better to me. I see you comin..! You cant judge what a star or some tribals represent to someone. Thats what fucks me up. Something looking good or whatever could represent anything too. Like that chicks that says I got some cherries tattooed because I always loved cherries... Shes not sell-out because she always liked cherries? I say fuck that bitch. I always loved steak and do I have a steak tattooed on my arm? No I dont. Im quite sure she loved milk or muffins too, but she choosed the cherries because in the end we all choose what looks good and we are to shy to admit we get something tattooed for the look of it (sure theres some exeptions). If I want to remind something I could just put some pictures on the wall, or write something and keep it somewhere precious. In the end, you will have this on you forever, better look good! I think tattooes are more of a culture thing than something else. I love ink in the flesh, I love arts and I cant stand to my empty canvas skin. I know when my tattooes were done and what was going on in that time. Thats all I need to know. Thats what my tattooes mean, a period of time, too much complicated to represent everything with ink. I got 40 hours of tattooing on myself and still havent enought yet to put all the stuff I want to show. And if you are looking for stories, dont ask my tattooes, you can ask me directly for some stories and period of my life. Get my point?
There really isn't much in my life that has any real meaning. Does that mean I shouldn't get any tattoos? Hell, I want to tattoo a stick figure playing with a yoyo on my wrist. Or the cast of Dexter's Lab.
I think they should look good and be whatever you like... But whatever your explanation is for getting it, it probably will have some meaning anyways... I just happen to have a lot of meaning behind mine because thats the kind of person I am. My dad and my best friend mean/t a lot to me, I'm sorry that bothers you...lol Love ya all, Love that you express yourself.
Hey toolmaggot: I would get a fucking stick figure playing with a yoyo. That's just plain awesome. For me though, my first tattoo is of Zero from Nightmare Before Christmas because he's my favourite character ever, and I've been in love with the movie since I was like, ten. It's a family thing between my favourite aunt (one of my mum's sisters) and my mum. But I got him because I adore him, and I always will. Some of my tattoos will really mean something, but others I want just because I simply love how they look and I love to decorate my body.
Zero is a kickass tat, my ex-bf is getting the NBC hill scene on his leg great movie, fav since I was little too!
aye, i agree. fair play to put the intials to someone close to you, but all designs have gotta look good. i mean, whats the point of getting inked and then not showing it off? hell, i have a corn cob on me wrist. looks good, but people would think "what the fuck?!"...but i dont care. it looks good. and i got it in respect to the band bad religion. that is all.
LOL! If you look closer at the bottom of the yellow flower on her tattoo are the initials BAC... Maybe he was into harleys?
I agree - meaning should move a person to permanently ink their body. And tattoos with meaning can also have cool designs... so that would be win win
loveminx hi a big part of healing when a person close dies can in some bizarre way be eleviated by the pain of getting a tattoo, its sort of a release of built up pain, bit like cutting yourself, i think anyway, so if that helps heal then its cool for that, but also we are not from some remote tribe wer tattooes have real meaning, we have em for ourselves and yes to look good but if theres meaning behind it its gotta be a bonus, its not like havin your hair coloured, wer you do it for "yourself" as Barbuchon seems to imply, this things here for good. let your body art tell a story, i have tattooes and i have spur of the moment tribal patterns which are now needing altering as i dont like the look , and i have tats with meaning which ten years after still remain cool and i wouldnt touch them . But IT IS SO INDIVIDUAL. X live life X
