I read someone on Twitter the other day saying the current key to individuality is to avoid getting ink or piercings because everyone and their dog now has them. It’s true that tattoos and piercings have become more and more common, and that many people today choose a tattoo that looks cool off of a wall in a shop. For so many of us who are drawn to the tattoo culture, however, these pieces of art mean more than that.

I’m heading into a local tattoo shop today to get a tattoo that I designed on a whim. It’s something that came to me as if in a dream. Something that immediately felt right. Something that became a part of me the instant that I visualized her.

I found the artist that I wanted to see create this next piece on me. A piece that symbolizes new beginnings. Snatching opportunities that may not last. Rebirth. That has been this spring and summer for me. As well as representing fear, which I struggle with daily.

I stopped by the shop yesterday. This ink will be the first of three, likely more because ink is so addictive. The sketch was perfect.

Today I immortalize this moment in time. Because people change and so do our lives. But some moments you want to remember.

The freedom I’m feeling… This confidence… The narrow escape I’ve experienced from danger…. All of these things need to be logged away. Because this is the beginning of quite the journey, and I want to remember the ashes from which the phoenix has risen. I want to remember this person as she was yesterday, while becoming the person I will be tomorrow.

 

 

For many of us, ink means more than just a drawing on the wall.