Thinking Ink
Can’t seem to get tattoos out of my mind lately.
This photo is of my phoenix, nearly 10 years old now. I wanted a symbol that reflected my feeling of finally stretching my wings in the world, of rising from the ashes of past challenges, and moving up toward greater things.
When I have occasion to show it off, I regularly get compliments, the size and simplicity, the placement – but thanks to that placement, I hardly get to enjoy it myself. Still, just thinking about it, I get a tingle across my spine, and a sense that this small thing is almost like a plate of armor that I wear proudly.
For a long, long, LONG time, I have been trying to decide on my next tattoo. I have many elements I’d like added to the canvas of my skin, but am not artist enough to figure out how to tie them all together, or where they might best be placed. For example:
- a manta ray, or rather, the finely-lined skeletal structure of one
- an oak tree
- a winding river/line, a la Andy Goldsworthy
I’ve also been wanting a small tattoo on the inside of my right calf – it would mimic the smear of grease from the gear of my bike (with clean geometric lines, not smudges), but I am decidedly not riding enough to have earned that one yet.
And now, a new motif is emerging – I really like crows. We’ve got a lot of them here, and I find their behavior fascinating – the degree of intelligence and the complexity of their group relationships makes me think of them more as “cousin crow” than just another pretty bird. And they are beautiful – glossy black, strong, bold wingspans – I have begun to consider adding one to my phoenix, in such a way that the smaller bird is incorporated into the larger crow, with wing feathers spreading further across my shoulders.
I have even more tattoo ideas, but they are very personal statements, and their significance relies heavily on what the symbols would mean on my body. My tattoo rules used to be that any ink had to be in a place easily covered by work-appropriate clothing, but even that idea is relaxing…I’d like to take some of my favorite elements and have them made into a band of sorts for my forearm, where I can easily enjoy them.
So, perhaps after this move is done, and finances are a bit more stable, I’ll take the plunge and find a local artist who will work with me on my designs…
As Ani Difranco would say: “A tattoo is only as permanent as I am.”
Filed under: :: notes on being human ::, grab bag babble, photography | 2 Comments
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I have had this picture saved on my computer for awhile – as it is EXACTLY what I imagine in my mind’s eye when I think of the tattoo I want. When I found this picture, doing a regular google image search, I felt like I had stumbled across a friend I haven’t seen in years. This image was so familiar and moving, exactly what I had been searching for, down to the placement.
Today, I found this posting that explains what this tattoo means to you. It, also, is what I am trying to say – not to others, but to myself. I am so glad that I found this post.
I am not sure if it bothers you that there is someone out there using this image to hopefully inspire their tattoo experience. I hope that instead of feeling that someone has entered your personal space, you will feel that there is someone who feels much like you and wants to mark that journey in a similar fashion. If this is your original artwork – you should be so proud of yourself. I find this image to be so amazing. I wanted all of the original meaning of a phoenix, rising above past struggle/independence/freedom but with more of a feeling of peace than anger, confidence rather than cockiness.
Sorry for such a long comment, and I’m not even sure you are still reading comments from old posts, but I wanted to tell you that your art has really spoken to me. Thanks.
Hi Christian – Thank you very much for your feedback – I did not design the tattoo, but rather I found it in a book at my local tattoo shop. The design fit perfectly with what I was hoping to express (likewise, to myself more than to anyone else). It’s great to hear that the meaning of this phoenix translates so well to others. I hope your tattoo brings you a lifetime of joy!