My Tattoos are My Autobiography

Tattoos.

When I say that word, I’m sure it invokes a lot of different emotions for many people. Some people think they’re tacky, some people think they go against the Bible, some people think they’re only associating with criminals. Some people think they’re a waste of money. Some people think that people who get tattoos must just enjoy pain.

Some people love them.

Some people say they have helped them get through a hard time, memorialize someone or something they lost, show your love for something.

Whatever you feel about tattoos, they are a multi-million dollar business, and have been around for a very long time.

The earliest recorded tattoo was discovered in the Alps along the Austrian-Italian border in 1991 and dated back over 5,300 years. At one point they were used to mark what tribe you belong to or if you served on a ship and, yes, if you served time in prison. In recent history, though. they’ve become very mainstream. In fact, most employers now no longer care whether an employee has a tattoo or not. When it used to be if you had tattoos, you had to cover them up, or it might have kept you from getting a job.

I love tattoos. I’m just gonna be completely honest. I love them, I currently have 28 and I want more. I got my first one when I was barely 18 because I was old enough to do something without my mother’s permission. And like many people who have tattoos I fell in love with my new found form of expression and art.

I have discovered there are 2 types of tattoo people – the ones who have one or two tattoos and realized they’re not for them, but are glad they have them, and thee ones like me who have a jar in their room that is labeled “tattoo money.” It’s where she puts all her change and has an album on her phone of all the tattoos she wants in the future.

If you doubted until now, I love tattoos. I love my tattoos.

I’ve always said my tattoos are my autobiography. If you looked at my skin, they told a story. Everybody may not understand it, but if you look carefully you will learn it.

I have discovered that my reasoning behind some of them has changed as I’ve gotten older. When I first started getting tattoos, I could justify spending the money if they had some big deep meaning behind them. Now, in my 40s, I’ve realized I don’t have to justify to anybody and my tattoos have changed from I got this arrow with a lotus flower because it stands for determination and launching into something better, to this was a sticker, and I thought it was cool.

But they all tell the story of my life.

Like the memorial tattoo for my mom. Or the six little bats, because I just love bats and think they’re cute. They tell of my thoughts on life through my favorite quote from Criminal Minds. Of the love I have for Rocky Horror Picture Show.

They show you I love to read with my book themed tattoo. They tell you of what I survived with my awareness ribbons. And as I get more of the ones that I plan, they will tell you how much I love Doctor Who or that Maleficent is my favorite Disney villain. They will tell you that I am a huge Harry Potter fan, and that butterflies have become a huge symbol in my life after the passing of my mom. They are the story of what I’ve survived, what I love, what I cherish.

They are me.

So ask me about my tattoos. I love when someone asks, “What’s that for?” and I get to tell them that was my mom’s hand writing, and she used to say that to me all the time. I love when someone says, “I love that book tattoo” and I’ll tell you all my favorite books. I want to tell you about my sweet cat Chex that I lost. So ask me about my tattoos. Because they are the story of my life and I’m proud of every tattoo you see on my body.

Some of them are ones I’m going to cover up because they remind me of a time I want to forget, but then I get to cover them up with something even better. And I get to use them as symbols, to keep moving forward.

Just like in life, you keep going and you keep trying, there’s more chapters to write and you can turn into the series.

Because it’s your story, your autobiography, it’s what you make it.