Tattoo-Meme
I have to say I’ve been completely surprised so far by some of the people who have tattoos. I can’t wait to see them all and like reading about the meanings and stories behind body-art. For me, my two little ones are very personal. The first one I got was a year after my mother died. Tomorrow will be the 14th anniversary of her death. After she died, I started to study Feng Shui and it all of the sudden made so much sense to me why I did a lot of the weird things I did with my living space. I just thought it was OCD, but hey, I was just practicing Feng Shui all along and didn’t know it. It was the ch’i character that caught my eye as I poured through books. I loved the beautiful tail on the character and knew that was going to be my first tattoo. I’ve always believed that when we die, we simply become a different form of energy. I believe my mother is around me at all times and this character meant all of that to me and more. I had a neighbor of mine from China help me pick the best example and that’s the one I got. As silly as it sounds, this little tattoo has brought me much strength over the years. When I doubt myself or simply miss my mother, I think about my ch’i and what it means. This is the one on the left.
The one on the right is a fairly popular tattoo which doesn’t bother me in the least. It means mother. Carole and I went together to get this one in memory of our mothers, to honor ourselves as mothers and our friendship. Both of our mother’s died in 1993 and our sons were born in 1999, five hours apart. This one doesn’t really need much explanation does it?
I love both of my tattoos. People are usually pretty surprised to know that I have them. I purposely put them in a place where I can show them if I want. I was a high school teacher at the time I got my first one in a pretty conservative high school. It was funny when I’d tell the kids sometimes that I had one. They wouldn’t believe me sometimes. I have a third one rolling around in my brain that incorporates my kids and their birthdates somehow into the two I already have. I haven’t done it because I can’t decide exactly what I want.
I’ve already seen a few people posting about theirs and want to see more. Like I said before, even if you don’t have any, just share what you would get. I’ve seen some really cool knitting tattoos too. And I really don’t like it when people say, “Oh I guess I’m not cool because I don’t have one.” It has nothing to do with being cool in my mind. It was just something I wanted to do for myself. So if you don’t have one? Who cares! For those of you that do, flash em baby! Okay, fine. I know some of you have them in spots you won’t show, but you can still talk about it.
IF I can get a decent picture of my tattoo, I’ll post it. Damn, it’s hard to take a picture of your own ankle.
I’ll be thinking about you tomorrow. Anniversaries like that one are hard. Hugs.
well, lets see, no knitting tattoos yet, but eventually. I have a full sleeve on my right arm, in progress. The elbow to wrist is two large koi, cherry blossoms and an octopus on my elbow. the upper part of my arm is a dragon, a tribal scorpion, a snake and some misc filler. my upper back has three original art pieces by a friend, i have one on each hip, the left upper arm is done is all black and grey, a geiger-ish biomechanical theme. i have a kanji of “forever” as my wedding ring (hubby has one too), and a star on each inner wrist.. whew… ok, one on my left thigh of stylized kanji for “tao” and also the Ohm mane padme hume chant in sanskrit. a tribal on my left ankle and foot. ok right leg. my name (in case i fall down and forget), a tiny tribal, a HUGE cootie bug, jacks and a ball, a butterfly pinned “museum style” to the back of my leg - someone thought I needed something more girlie. and then a “man’s ruin” piece (girl in martini glass/money/cards - all things that ruin “man”). on my chest i have roses, a full spider web, a traditional scorpion, a black heart, a bat, and then on each front shoulder i have a kanji - sin on one side and ink on the other. I think that’s it, but I”m going to shower now and will do a quick inventory, hahahaha!!
I have my astrological symbol in a place that will never, ever be photographed if I can help it.
My first tattoo represents the strength that I drew (and still draw) from my Dad. It’s amazing how much it means to me now that he’s gone. I’m planning a sewing related one to represent my mother’s influence. I’m hoping to get that one figured out this spring. Here’s the original post about mine: http://www.splityarn.com/split_yarn/2005/05/ill_show_you_mi.html
Well you need one on the left and right, otherwise you
would be all off balance
Love your tatts and their meaning. I have none but think of getting one all the time.
Love the meaning behind yours!
I posted my tattoo the other day, but not the meaning. I wanted something to represent my kids, but didn’t want their names. I found a sun/moon flash at the shop that I really liked (since they are polar opposites of each other), but that night I dreamed about the rose with the hearts. The original flash had about 7 hearts around the rose, but I decided to go with 2. Inside each heart is the first initial of each boy. If we ever decide to add to our family, I can add a heart to the tattoo.
I have recently become obsessed with Athleta and saw that you were wearing one of their tanks in your tattoo picture!
Those are beautiful tats; I love the personal and special meaning they have to you.
Those are gorgeous! Thanks for sharing the stories behind them, too. The story behind mine is that I had a funny mole removed for biopsy. The mole wasn’t cancerous, but its removal left a really weird scar that bothered me. I got the kanji symbol for “good luck” tattooed around it about 5 or 6 years ago. In 2005, I got the tattoo darkened and modified from “good luck” to “happiness.”
As soon as my parents married (at 18!) they, as Marines, were stationed in Okinawa, Japan. When they returned, my mom was quite pregnant. Thus, they’ve always joked that I was “made in Japan”…so if/when I get a tatoo, I’d get “Made in Japan”, either on my upper thigh or on the bottom of my foot (like Barbie). My husband and I plan to get a tattoo together on an anniversary, probably for the 10th….but if we’re impatient, maybe the 5th anniversary (in a year!) We’d get something small and symbolic (not our names!) and I think I want mine under my wedding band…where I can show it off, if I want, but still discreet.
Love yours!
Okay, mine will get posted at some point, I promise. I have wanted a qì tat for a long time, too. I want to get it inside my right shoulder blade, where my qì is blocked, so I can always find it by the knot in the muscle.
I love your tattoos, and the meaning behind them is beautiful.
I AM going to post pics of mine…I need the man of the house to be home so I can get a pic of the one on my back.
I don’t have great pictures of mine. You can see my most recent one in this picture, sorta blurry:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/quietish/271350879/
I also have a cartooney puppy on my left boob and my husband and kids name on my upper right arm with a vine and flowers.
I plan to one day have full sleeves, likely with lots of imagery of magical creatures and whatnot.
I think your tattoos are tasteful and artistic.
I always wanted to get a martini glass with the earth or a ball of yarn as the olive. Can’t decide which. I have a friend with 6 tattoos, and she hates them now. It’s kind of funny, she has a bat on her lower lower abdomen, and I can’t wait until she gets pregnant and it turns into a vulture!
I have one in the center of my shoulder blades. It’s a skydiving tat of two people and a plane in silouette (sp) with a sunset behind. I have a pic somewhere just have to dig it up to post it. I’ve really been wanting to get a second of the Chesire Cat riding a motorcyle on my arm but I can’t find an artist to draw it.
if i can decent pic of mine i’ll meme along — need to catch hubby home while there is still sun showing!
Your tattoos’ personal meanings are beautiful and well-placed. Nice.
I don’t have one, but have been thinking abut a little pink star to represent
my 5yr old - the shining star in my life!
I’ve had a long fascination with tattoos, and want to get one, but I want to be absolutely sure of my design before I do. Then, of course, there’s the cost. It’s not exactly a necessity, and the budget is tight…
Part of me wants to tattoo my hands with designs that honor them and support my creativity. But I don’t think I want anything so visible. Society is more accepting these days, but not completely. And I think I like the idea of tattoos as a secret, personal message anyhow.
The one symbol that keeps coming to the front of my design ideas is a compass rose with a yin yang in the center. Yin yang for balance, and the compass for direction. What more do we need, really?
If I ever have the money available, and get over the hump of actually deciding to enter the ranks of the tattooed, I’d probably have that on my upper back, between the shoulder blades.
Scout, your tattoos are so striking & I love the meaning behind them. I’ll be posting about mine in a day or two when I can find someone to take a photo of my back.
Very cool! I don’t have any tattoos. So can’t flash anything for this meme:)
Have you seen some good knitting ones? I’ve only seen the ball of yarn with flames or fire around it. I have a butterfly on my shoulder. I’m an accountant, so I need to be able to cover it up. I want to get something else soon though… I just haven’t decided what. So let me know if you find any pictures of anything cool. I’ll email you a pic of my tatoo… it’s my husband’s favorite picture of me
I love how you put that Scout, I have ALWAY felt surrounded by my father’s energy. He passed ten years ago this upcoming November and I felt him when he passed in his sleep, and I have felt his “hugs” many times when I would speak to him. I love the tats.
Just put up a picture of my tattoo on my blog after reading this post. http://www.guenevere29.wordpress.com
I already have a few ideas for my next few pieces, at least one knitting related.
Taking a photo of a tattoo on your ankle is easy compared to taking one of your own back. All four of mine are on my lower back. One is more visible than the others. He is kind of hard to hide since my dragon is pretty big. I didn’t plan on him being as big as he turned out to be but I trust my tattoo artist. (He has done all four and will do the fifth and final one.) My first one is on one hip and is a Celtic knot. The second one is at the base of my spine and is another Celtic knot. The third one is a sea turtle is on the other hip. (This one is based on a Tahitian tribal design but is in color.) All of my tattoos have the same colors in them so there is continuity. The dragon has other colors as well and the dragon is because I was born in China. The final one will be a Maltese Cross with a Celtic design.
No tatoos here. I’ve never really wanted one but can understand having one in memory of someone you love. I’m a regular blood donor so I keep away from tatoos, piercings and all the other stuff that disqualifies you from donating blood.
Those are very cool and I love that they truly have meaning to you.
I don’t have any tattoos but if I did, I’d probably get a daisy. Don’t know why, I just love them!
Those are nice and simple tattoos. I like ‘em. My brother and one of my sisters have celtic symbols - my brother’s is on his upper back, my sister’s is on her lower back. I suppose mine should be halfway? My current tattoo-desire is a lotus flower on my lower back. My husband keeps asking when I’m going to get it… but I wonder how long I’ll want it for (of course, back there I wouldn’t have to look at it). Years ago I wanted a dragonfly on my shoulder. I also considered a viking ship on my upper arm. Indecisive people should not get tattoos!
I don’t have a tat….yet. I’m still debating on what I want. I want it to incoroporate that I am a mother, aand a knitter. I’m just not sure how… LOL I love yours and the meaning behind them!
I have wanted a tattoo since my little sister, who is my daughter’s age and 21 years younger than me, got one when she came of age~just to tick Dad off. If I were to get one I would get a small daisy (Daisy is one of my numerous nicknames) on the spot on my hip where my pain is the greatest and has been my whole life. Then I could say,when asked where I hurt, “On the daisy”. Would that just sound lurid? I am nearly 50, so maybe not.
I believe tats should always be personal and full of meaning. that is what makes them art [and our own art!]. Your back looks great, by the way! Sexy mama.
I just posted a picture of my tatoo on my blog, www.confessionsofaknittingdiva.blogspot.com
I’ve been formulating a tattoo in my mind for about 6 or 7 years now, but never had the money to do it
(or just made excuses of why NOT to). I want a pink waning moon — pink moon because it evokes
one of my favorite singers of all time, Nick Drake, whose music played at both our girls’ births, and waning
because, well, I’m waning!
Take care tomorrow, mama!
Can’t have a tattoo but I think I’d like to have a ruler tattooed somewhere so I wouldn’t have to keep looking for my tape measure.
I have my astrological symbol (Pisces) on my left ankle. I got it when I was in the Navy while visiting my sister down in Georgia. I’ll have to take a picture when I get a chance.
I’ll try and get some pics up of my three tats as soon as the boy’s awake to play CameramanRobb; I don’t think I can get pics of all of them on my own.
I have been thinking about a tatoo for a long time. There are a couple of things holding me back. One is money. Two is pain. Three is my career. Opera singers are being asked to bear more and more of themselves. Sometimes Salome even does the Dance of the Seven Veils nekkid now! I suppose there are plenty of opera singers/actors/dancers out there with tats. I am probably just being a chicken. (I also scar very easily. I would hate to have it look like crap.) Anyway, I would get a pheonix with beautiful fire colors, red, orange, gold. Although my life has been incredibly easy compared to some, I can’t really compare it. Our experiences are all so different. So to me, the pheonix symbolizes my ability to rise from the ashes of the bad things that have happened to me like the death of my father when I was 17, my apartment burning down right after college, and my marriage falling apart. I know I will be better than ok. So, a pheonix. That is what I would get.
I love yours and the fact that they are so personal. That is what makes them true art.
I posted mine on my blog.Thanks for encouraging us to do this.It reminds me of why I got them to begin with.And why I want more!
I have a daisy on my toe, it isn’t real, it doesn’t grow. It’s just a tattoo of a flower, and makes me look cute when taking a shower…. it’s on the second toe of my right foot, it has not stem, it has no root (’cause that wouldn’t look good!) Years (and years) ago, I had a daisy tattooed on my toe based on this Girl Scout Campfire Song. A year or so later, I quickly became friends with a girl at school. The following summer, we realized that we had the same tattoo, based on the same song - but hers is on the second toe of her left foot because she remembered the song that way. We’ve been the best of friends for going on 15 years, now!
Mine are here. There are notes on one of the pictures that explains it.
[…] Posted by becky on March 6th, 2007 Have you seen Scout’s Tattoo Meme? […]
I have a heart tat on the second toe of my left foot. I wanted a permanent toe ring and hearts are my favorite shape. Its unique (like me) and I could have it filled in if/when I wanted to. I can hide it when I need to (when the big execs are in town) or show it off (on the weekends).
Love the meaning for the ch’i - my mom’s been gone 6 years (almost). If I could - I’d get a 4 rose boquet - coral for mom, red for my grandmother (my other mother), purple for me and pink (or yellow, not sure) for my daughter - I’d want it on the inside of my left wrist. Maybe one day!
I have a teensy tiny one on my left arm about the size of a quarter. I can’t get a decent picture of it either. It’s sort of a sun with a little dot in the center.
The next one I get will either be a Claddagh around that arm so that the sun thingie ends up in the center of the heart or a Sacred Ball Of Yarn (yarn ball stabbed through with straight needles, backed by flames, and ringed by circular needles.)
thinking about you & your sweet mama.
I will take a picture of my tattoos soon, though maybe not the one I’m getting lasered off.
xoxo
Someone earlier said they had thought of getting a tattoo, but probably not, because they were almost 50. Well, I got a tattoo (interlocked Celtic hearts) to celebrate my 50th last summer. Now I’m thinking I want a heart or two on my wrist…
I’ll post a picture later.
I have one. I will post the pic this week. Great meme!
I posted mine: http://muthaknitter.blogspot.com/2007/03/things-i-like.html.
I have quite a family history with tattoos, and I’m glad to continue it!
[…] The other day Scout was talking about tattoos and their meanings and the reason we pick the ones that we have. My dragon tattoo is the most visible of my four tattoos that I have at the moment. He is certainly the biggest one. The other three were chosen with care and mean something very important to me. […]
I was going to have DD take photos of mine to post - but having JUST got the courage to show my FACE on the blogs, well… maybe someday. I have five, designed by me or people I love, and inked by a member of the extended family (who owns a tattoo /piercing shop here). My favourite, is one that DD drew many years ago, and then, recently refined with her Graphic skills, it is my newest - only 4 years old and represents me as a teen with angel wings of eagle feathers and my (long gone) long black hair. She stands on my left shoulder. I have two more on my back (Chinese character for “blessed” and a mehndi scroll and both my feet are tattooed (mehndi art). I love them all and willd have more I’m sure
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I love the meaning behind your tattoos. I have posted the pictures of mine, and their story, on my blog. I have 4, 3 which represent my “tropical soul” a palmtree, a parrot, and an angel fish. Getting inked should be a personal choice, and no one should ever rush into it. That’s where regrets come in. I love mine, and take good care of them (SUNSCREEN!!) and moisturizer. It’s hard to believe, but the palmtree looks almost as good now as it did 11 years ago when it was new. Of course, it’s a crappy photo since it was healing still. But the color on all of them are still brilliant.
I’m in, posted today.
[…] Inspired by Scouts post the other day about tattoos I decided to show you mine and tell you something about it. And tell you what I would like to have someday. […]
Cool tats. My husband and I have a ton of tattoo artist friends. He is covered, almost sleeved out. I have one about 3×2 inches on my right shoulder blade. She is a copy of an Egyptian servant statue, that I found in an art museam book. She originally had a basket in her hand, but I changed it to a scarab. I LOVE Egypt and almost anything to do with it. I have always wanted to be an Egyptologist. The scarab beetle is a symbol that replaces the heart in mummification. So to me I am a servant to the Egyptian culture and art that I love so much. It really is a pity that I am afraid of flying or sailing. When someone invents teleportation, I will be in Egypt.
I am not quite sure what my next one will be. Two sittings for one tat is more than enough to keep me going for a while.
What ever you do Never settle for “flash”, that is what the artists call the art on the wall to choose from. Be original and take your time. Someone will always be there to give you a tat.
They are very addictive– go figure!
People are always surprised that I don’t have any tattoos because I’m married to a tattoo artist. I love a well-done tattoos but have never seriously considered getting one for myself. I like being all one color (that extends to also not liking tan lines). My husband is covered in tattoos and I think they’re incredibly sexy, just not for me.
Hi Scout,
Love your tats and their stories. Now I’m thinking about getting a “mother” symbol too. ;^)
My blog link takes you to a picture of me and mine. I started with just a crescent moon but it wasn’t enough–the moon stands for me (long story about a dream I had etc) but I wanted to also include my three girls in it somehow. The next summer (last year) I went and had the moon filled in and the rest embellished with three stars–everyone at my house hopes that’s the end of that. But tattooing is a bit addicting. I do think of what I might look like as an old lady with sagging skin and tattoos, but it makes me happy now. So tattoo on, I say.
I have one tattoo.. I got it after a long weekend of partying in college (umm.. that would be in 1987/88). Apparently, during that weekend I told my friend I would get one and he held me to it! We went and got tats without much thought of what we would get.. ok he knew, but I didn’t. I chose a simple red rose on my chest above my breast. Yeah.. i know… boring! LOL! Anyhow, I still like it and the colors are still beautiful and bright. I always believed I would get another one.. so far, I haven’t but won’t rule the possibility out. I’ll try to get a picture of it and post it on my blog sometime soon.
Ok — I think I’m officially the last one to jump on the Meme bandwagon… but posted a few, including yours about knitting and the mushy part about who makes me feel all fuzzy dovey and lovey related to knitting.
Stop by and comment if you have some time.
I love your blog…
Ann
[…] Tattoo Meme: […]
Well, I already posted a picture on my blog about 2 years ago when I got it, but here’s my tattoo:
http://www.spacesheep.com/images/tattoo.jpg
It was an image that just came to me but then after it was on my skin it occurred to me that the Celtic dragon sort of looks like a Foo creature and my grandmother grew up in China… so it sort of has a double significance (being of Celtic descent).
I just finally got around to photographing and blogging my knitting-related tattoo. Thanks for giving me a reason to learn to work the self-timer on my camera!!
http://flintknits.blogspot.com/2007/04/knitting-on-skin.html