Before I start explaining my tattoos, I wanted to preface this by saying that I love all of my tattoos, even if someone else doesn’t like them. Tattoos are supposed to be personal and for yourself. If you want to get a tattoo of a horse, go ahead, that’s your decision to make. This past year has been one of growth and change, and my tattoos are one of the ways I express that. I am young, so I am sure I will look back at some of these and think why did I get nine tattoos before my nineteenth birthday, but I am allowed to make mistakes. My tattoos are my memories, so if you don’t like them, don’t look at them.
My first tattoo was on my hip, which was a little painful but tickled more than anything. It is of stars, the moon, and the sun. I’m going to be completely honest; the reasoning behind it is so superficial. I just really like stars and the sky. Marki Flowers (@markiflowers on Instagram) at Black Spot Tattoo Shop in Lufkin, Texas, did it for me. I love her artistic style and getting a stick-and-poke for my first tattoo was pretty nice.
My second tattoo was one of the most painful tattoos I have gotten. It is on my ribs, which is a very sensitive place and one I don’t recommend if you are terrible at handling pain. It’s the word “lucky” in my sister’s handwriting. My sister, Rylee, has one of “serendipity” in my handwriting, so it’s like a matching tattoo. I don’t see it much, so I often forget it’s there, but it’s still a cute one I love.
My third tattoo was on the back of my arm, and it was also done by Marki Flowers. I actually bought the design off of a TikTok account. It is a postage stamp of Vienna on the back of my right elbow. One of my favorite songs for my senior year was Vienna by Billy Joel. If you haven’t heard that song, I would recommend it so much; it is genuinely one of the best songs ever written. It was also pretty painful, but not as bad as the ribs.
My fourth tattoo was a heart done by my ex-roommate on our living room couch. Please do not ever do that. It is a very bad idea. It healed really badly and I ended up having to get a professional tattoo artist to go over it so that I didn’t walk around with, essentially, a smudge on my arm for the rest of my life. While it is my worst-looking tattoo, it reminds me of the beginning of a chapter in my life. So, while I could regret my decision, I look at it as a memory.
My fifth tattoo was the three butterflies on my back. One weekend, I was hanging out with one of my current roommates and best friends, and we thought, “Why not get a tattoo?” My decision to get the butterflies was solely because I think every girl with tattoos must have one of the iconic bug tattoos. Butterflies, moths, ladybugs, and other bugs are so common, but it is still one of my favorite trends that has beat the test of time. I swear our mothers were getting tattoos of butterflies when they were in college. This was also when I met my favorite artist to go to in College Station, Mikey Black (@mikeyblacktattoos on Instagram), at Ineffable Tattoos.
The next day, I returned to Mikey with my sister and roommate. This time, I got a matching tattoo with them, which is the cherries on my rib cage. I know, it has a bow that ties them together, so coquette. I thought bows would go out of style, but I like to think of it as an ode to the ribbon my mom tied in my hair when I was a little girl. The cherries also hurt so bad. I love my besties, but I hated them when that machine was buzzing away.
Two weeks later, I was back at Ineffable Tattoos. I didn’t catch the artist’s name. However, he did a great job on the bluebonnet I have on my wrist. I was also on a Hinge date when I got it done because what else do you do on Hinge first dates? My date did not get a tattoo, but he watched as I got my seventh one. At this point, it was clear that I had an addiction to getting tattoos.
My eighth tattoo was the very next day. My sister-in-law visited and decided she was ready to get a tattoo. Of course, she had to get a matching one with her favorite, and only, sisters-in-law. My sister, my sister-in-law, and I got a martini glass with three olives representing each of us. I placed it on my bicep, which was scary when the muscle started jumping mid-tattoo. Six of us went and we all got one or more tattoos with Mikey. We sat in that tattoo parlor for 4 hours. Mikey, being that kind soul he is, even ordered us pizza. I also got to hold a snake; that visit was interesting, to say the least.
My ninth and final tattoo is the one on my shoulder blade. It is the words “you’re my sweetheart,” which I know is hard to read, but I liked the font, so we will ignore that. It is a line from a song by my favorite band of all time, the Lumineers. I remember listening to “Ho Hey” growing up with my family and fell in love with their music. I had known I wanted a tattoo for one of their songs and decided I should have another ode to my family.
