Tattoos

Tattoos have become trendy. Everyone either has one or wants one. It’s easy to see why. They can make people look cool and edgy. That being said, they’re also controversial. A lot of people see them as unprofessional. I have 12 tattoos, and my mom was against me getting them for that reason. Now of course the natural response to that would be to say “my body, my choice.” And yes, that sentiment plays a part, but there’s something more important involved too. If we all listen to our parents that say that tattoos are unprofessional, and we won’t be able to get jobs if we have tattoos, then how will tattoos in professional settings ever be normalized? I used to be one of those people that didn’t want to get tattoos because I was afraid of not getting a job. But then I realized how dumb that was. Not doing something just because it hasn’t been “normalized” yet just sets you up to never be fulfilled in life. Plus the idea that I could be sacrificing my own happiness just so I can be exploited at work, just doesn’t sit right with me. You have to be the change you want to see in the world. 

I’ve alway been more passive than I would like, when it comes to making major life decisions. If there’s something I want to do like move across the country, or write a book, or buy a motorcycle, or get a tattoo (before I started getting them), or start a blog (before I started this blog) I would always say “oh I’ll do that someday but not right now.” Too afraid that I wasn’t ready for whatever it was that I wanted, that it would backfire. That way of thinking has affected other areas of my life too, especially my love life, but that’s another story. Getting tattoos has shown me that I can and should just do what I feel is right. I definitely feel like my first tattoo unlocked something in me that makes me more willing to go after things I want. 

People like to debate whether or not tattoos should have meaning, and I always felt like the people who like to give some deep personal meaning to each of their tattoos are kind of pretentious. Like ok, that dove tattoo represents your late great grandma who you met one time 10 years ago. Nice. Some of my tattoos have meaning but mostly the significance of my tattoos isn’t that straightforward. 

For most of my life I felt like I was blocking my own blessings in a sense, by literally not doing things that I wanted to do, and my tattoos symbolize my willingness to accept those blessings that I was blocking. So part of the reason getting tattoos is so gratifying is because it feels like I’m breaking through that barrier that I had up for so long. 

A lot of people are against spirituality and religion because it’s not quantifiable. You can’t see it, you can’t touch it, etc. It’s hard for people to believe in manifestation for that same reason. To me the act of getting a tattoo is manifestation in its purest form. You visualize something you want and then you get it. And every time you look at your tattoos it’s a reminder and serves as an affirmation of your ability to manifest things for yourself. Even if you don’t believe in spirituality, or that kind of thing, you have to admit it’s pretty cool to be able to say you want something, and then follow through on it. Then you have the evidence of it on your skin to remind you that you’re capable of something like that. 

Tattoos aren’t for everybody, but I think they’re cool and I’m glad to see the negative stigma associated with them is starting to evaporate (at least in America). I feel like tattoos have made me more willing to accept my blessings and go for things that I want. It seems to be a significant step in my journey to becoming who I’m meant to be.