Inked

One of my interests is tattoos. I have several. Each has its own meaning, though most have multiple meanings to me. I love talking about tattoos, including the ones I have, the ones I want, and other people’s.

I met an amazing woman and artist way back in 2004 when I got my first tattoo. My ex was adamant that only a woman could work on me. I went with it. It took calling a few different shops before I found one with a female artist. I took her next available appointment.

My artist, Angie, made me feel instantly comfortable. She took her time to explain the process, make sure the design was exactly what I wanted, and made sure I understood what the healing process would entail. I signed some paperwork and we got started.

Like many young women, I made a mistake. I got my ex’s name on my ankle. The tattoo itself was beautiful. Exactly what I wanted. However, I outgrew that tattoo when we separated eight years later (after fourteen years together). I found myself waking up at night clawing at my ankle. I realized I had to get it “fixed.”

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I was able to find the shop where I got the work done. I didn’t remember the name of it, but I did remember exactly where it was. I called them, and they were still there. Angie no longer worked there, though. By some miracle, the gentleman was nice enough to give me the name of her new shop.

I immediately called Fallen Leaf Tattoos and made an appointment to see her. I am so incredibly grateful for the chain of events that allowed me to find her again. I was so proud of how far she had come, as she had established her very own shop and made a name for herself with cover-ups.

I told her I wanted to turn my tattoo into something for my boys. One of them shares a name with their father, so it was tweaked to read both of my boys’ names with their birth flowers instead of “Mel’s Girl.”

That wasn’t enough though. I had a couple of ideas for some other things I wanted. That turned into monthly appointments to sit with Angie while she used her tattoo gun to leave her beautiful artwork permanently inked into my skin.

She designed an amazing anklet for my right ankle. It has seven charms on it. One for myself, one for each of my boys, one for my nephew, my mother, my father, and my brother. The number seven is also significant to me. Everyone got to choose their charm, within reason.

My oldest son’s charm is a panda, because that’s one of his favorite animals. The panda is holding a huge heart, because he is my sweetheart. My younger son’s charm is a lion, because he is a Leo and that is my favorite animal. The lion is wearing headphones because we share a passion for music. Together, they are my heart and soul. The back of the anklet is held together with a heart clasp, representing my love for them all. And my heart is definitely full.

I could seriously talk about each of my tattoos for hours, and explain their meanings. I have over eighty hours in so far, and have so many plans for more. Besides my ankles, I have a thigh piece on my right outer thigh, a small one on my left hip/abdomen area, a full back piece that comes up over my shoulders, both of my wrists, a piece on my right forearm, and just started a half sleeve for my birthday this year.

Unfortunately, due to the Covid restrictions it’s not even halfway done. The last time I got to sit in Angie’s chair was on my 40th birthday in January when we started my samurai – my birthday gift to myself. He’s waiting for some finishing touches and his geisha to be added.

By the way, most of my tattoos are incredibly feminie. I find that to be kind of ironic because I am not a super girly – girl. I like to do dangerous things, and have no issues getting down and dirty with the boys. I was always athletic and grew up around mostly boys, so I was tougher than most girls I knew. I’d rather play basketball or ride ATVs than gossip about boys. It was fun to beat the boys at something they didn’t think girls were good at.

I know that I could go on and on, explaining each of my pieces and what they mean to me. Or, outlining in detail the next few pieces I have up my sleeve. (hehe) If you want to know more, ask! If you have some artwork of your own, please feel free to share. I love seeing and hearing about other tattoos. The visuals, along with the stories behind them fascinate me. What do you have? What does it mean to you? What do you have planned next?