The first tattoo I acquired was back in 2017 and since then I have gotten two more. I know for many people, tattoos have some deep and powerful meaning to the person who has it permanently on their body. Someone would be crazy to get a tattoo that didn’t mean something deep to them, right? Eh, not so much because all of mine were chosen after I had scheduled the appointments.
This was my first tattoo. It is a paper airplane that casts a shadow of an actual airplane. The story behind this one was a friend from high school went off to be a tattoo artist in the middle of Wisconsin and she posted on Facebook she would be in my hometown for a couple of days doing tattoos. I messaged her quickly and made an appointment to see her in 4 days. The only problem was, I didn’t have the slightest idea on what to get. I then went over what I liked in my head and I typed in ‘small travel tattoo’ into Pinterest, scrolled for a minute or so and then I saw the tattoo that inspired mine. I literally said, “Yup, that’s the one,” and then I sent her the photo. Most people would say that the tattoo means I love traveling… well duh, but I need a deep meaning to it to make me sound cool. I think I came up with one that will pull on your heartstrings. When I was younger I would write notes on paper airplanes and put them in balloons and let them go on windy days. The reason, why I didn’t just toss the paper airplanes, was that mine never got too far, so I saw balloons as a good alternative. I always hoped someone would send one back from another land that was far from my small town in Wisconsin. So, the paper airplane is a piece of my childhood and the airplane symbolizes me achieving my dream of leaving my small town and traveling the world.
This is my second tattoo and it is a treble clef note with a Celtic knot in the middle. Now, this one had a meaning from the get-go, but I also just really liked it. Same story as the first tattoo, but this time it was in Menomonie at a tattoo shop in town. I physically went into the shop and scheduled an appointment and then designed this over the next couple of days. I liked music and anything having to do with Ireland. I combined the two and made this. I was in choir for 7 years and it really has changed my life for the better. I learned how to appreciate my voice and my body with its capabilities. I love Ireland as well, it’s my favorite country and would love to either live there or visit frequently. Both of these symbols have changed my life by me experiencing both and putting all my love into it. Sappy enough?
This is my third tattoo, it is an hourglass with a moon on the inside. I really love this one a lot, but I really got it because I just thought it was cool. This one is going to be more difficult to come up with because I think hourglasses are cool and I like the moon. I think the reason why I like hourglasses so much is that it symbolizes that time on Earth is short and to not waste any of it. The reason for the moon is that night is my favorite time because it’s peaceful to me just standing outside watching the moon and stars. I know that life doesn’t last forever, so I’m going to do what I find comforting and enjoyable.
I do have tattoo ideas that are meaningful from the beginning. I have an idea for my mom, my dad, my sister, my dog, and friends. I haven’t figured out the deep meaning for my next one yet. It’s going to be a lantern and as of right now, I’m getting it because I like lanterns. That could be just it and I’m ok with it just being something I like. It was fun figuring out deep meanings to my tattoos though and even eye-opening. It took some hard thinking and remembering the times that made me happy and that was great.