Week 3: Post 1

Tattoos range from small butterflies on ankles to full body coverage. Some people adorn tattoos like trophies, soaking up the art and culture of it. Others scoff at the idea of impairing their career goals and reputation. No matter your side of the story, tattoos can be beautiful art. On skin or paper, these pieces are metaphoric, thought provoking or simply striking.














I believe tattoos to be another medium to express oneself. And like all art, some attract me and some make me cringe. Despite the controversy of the forever factor of tattoos, tattoos have had meaning and purpose throughout history. The history of tattoos is as diverse as the people who wore them. A five thousand year old tattooed man “otzi the ice man” was discovered in 1991 in the mountains between Austria and Italy. His body was covered by 57 tattoos to include a cross on the inside of the left knee and parallel lines running above the kidneys and across the ankles. The locations of said tattoos suggest they were applied for therapeutic reasons to treat believed arthritis. Tattoos were also used to reflect status in different regions and cultures. A mummy discovered in the Altai Mountains by Russian archeologist Sergei Rudenko was tattooed with images of many different animals and monsters representing social status. The below image depict Maori chiefs of New Zealand and their facial tattoos known as ‘moko’. Full faced moko’s reflect distinction and status; it recalled exploits in war and other passing life events.



I have four tattoos in counting, which I will share below.


My first tattoo is a Bob Kaufman quote “to all those ships that never sailed”. Check out my previous posts which I explain the poem and meaning behind it. I like the image (it is in my handwriting) and the meaning behind it.


My second tattoo, behind my right ear, conveys the feathers of a bald eagle. I used this to represent the pride I have in my Native American heritage. I like the image (I drew it) and the meaning behind it.


My third tattoo, behind my left ear, is of a wind chime. To make a long story short, I decided on wind chimes and the location through trailing down the following thoughts... sobriety, life changing, motivation, mother, mother’s advice / words, hearing those words, behind ear, hearing, mother loves wind chimes.... it all just clicked to me. Although this tattoo has a lot of meaning to me, I am unhappy with the image. Although I drew the initial design, the tattoo artists did not ink it the way I would have liked; the lines are crooked, shading is bad and the circle is uneven.


My last tattoo is of my boyfriend’s name. I won’t explain myself but am not regretful of this tattoo. I am happy with the meaning, but not with the design. This tattoo was an impulsive one and I did not spend as much time considering fonts and design as I usually would. My plan? I will be covering this up soon and have his full name redone elsewhere in his actual signature.