It seems like everybody these days has at least one tattoo. From stick-and-pokes to multiple sessions, people are expressing their personal stories by getting them permanently tattooed onto their bodies. I currently have one tattoo, and it is matching with my Dad, Brian. This tattoo starts on the back of my neck and goes down to the top of my spine. During the four-hour-long session, my tattoo artist said that I barely flinched even though the tattoo was on my neck, and he thinks I should definitely get more tattoos. The moment my session was over and I saw my tattoo, I knew that it wouldn’t be my only one. I want to get at least a few more including the following five tattoos.
- A Representation of My Battle with Depression
-
I was diagnosed with clinical depression in middle school, and I attempted suicide around the same time. To represent my growth since then and my constant battle with depression, I want to get a tattoo of a phoenix but with a twist. I want the phoenix’s body to be separate to resemble a semicolon.
- A Stack of Books
-
My love for literature and language is shown in this idea. This tattoo is pretty self-explanatory, but I do want to personalize it; I just haven’t decided how I want to personalize it yet.
- Minnesota
-
This one is a representation of my home. No matter where I go, Minnesota is where I was raised, and it will always be the land that holds my heart. From the lakes to the pine trees, I love Minnesota, and I want my tattoo to reflect all that.
- An Astronaut
-
I love learning about our planet, solar system and everything beyond. I love the formation and stages of stars, star constellations, space travel and more. I want a tattoo to represent my interest in space; therefore, I think an astronaut surrounded by the Milky Way galaxy would be the best way to portray that.
- Matching with My Mom
-
We haven’t decided what we want to get, but we know we want to get a matching tattoo. This will most likely be my next tattoo because she offered to pay for it. Our ideas so far include a compass rose (because we have matching keychains from when I left for college), an infinity symbol unique to us, or a heart created by a bouquet of flowers. We still have a lot of things to consider, though, including the time, shop and price of our tattoos.
While these aren’t the only tattoos I want to get throughout my life, they are the explicit ideas that I have the most solid grasp on. I loved the feeling of my tattoo on the back of my neck and spine, and I can’t wait until I can get my next one!