When
I was 18 years old, like every other American teenager, I was considered an
adult. With the passing of my
“adolescence” came the realization that the world was at my fingertips. I was now able to vote, open a checking
account, and leave the country without parental consent. As great as some of these things were, there
was one thing I was waiting for. This
activity I wanted so badly that I nearly jumped out of my skin once I was able
to participate, and that was tattooing.
Where I live, here in NY, state law prohibits anyone under the age of 18
to get tattooed, even with parental consent.
My mom would have chained me in the basement if I even considered asking
her to sign my flawless skin away, regardless.
Once I turned the legal age, it was game on. For those who aren’t tattooed, those who
don’t understand it or even those who reject the idea, I wanted to bring you
into my head so maybe you could understand why I was drawn to permanent beauty.
My
first tattoo I got when I was 18 years old.
It is the Chinese symbol meaning “friendship” on my left inner
ankle. Back in the late 90’s getting
Asian writing was all the craze and I figured it would be an easy first
tattoo. It was small, simple and easily
hidden. I chose friendship because I
believe it is the basis of all relationships.
Even though I wanted the tattoo, and I was of legal age, my mother had
forbidden me to ever get one. Since I
was still living at home, I decided that I would still get the tattoo but
conceal it. This was actually the case
for my first three tattoos but I’ll get into that later. I went to a local shop with the design in my
possession, showed the artist where to stencil it and I was all ready. 15 minutes later, with a minimal amount of
pain, a bit of blood and an endorphin rush, I had gotten my first ink. I loved it and at that moment that I knew was
addicted.
My
second tattoo is on my lower back, which was birthday gift from my older
brother Demian. It was Celtic and Egyptian
inspired and I designed it myself. Like
Asian symbols, lower back tattoos in the late 90’s were cool, so don’t
judge.
This
particular piece has a lot of meaning for me incorporating my family life into
it. The eye serves as a reminder to keep my eyes open to the life around me,
and the water inside a reminder of my childhood on the boat with my father. The design on the sides was inspired by
brother, because he loved all things Celtic.
My
third tattoo is on my left outer ankle on it extends to my feet. I grew up seeing one specific rose being
drawn everywhere I could see. My mother
loved to doodle them on loose papers around the house. I took this rose, extended the vines, and
made it my next tattoo. The two blue
roses represented my mother and me, and our indivisible bond. After getting this tattoo I finally came
clean with my mom that I had gotten multiple tattoos, after all I was 21 by
this time. Even though she was mad as
can be that I lied and defied her, the new ink was a dedication to her, so she
didn’t stay mad for long.
My next 4 tattoos were butterflies, hearts and stars on my feet, and wrists. I love girlie things with bright girlie colors so I continued to decorate my extremities with such sights.
My
final tattoo is on my right inner arm and it is simple script reading, “Je
T’aime Beaucoup,” which means, “I love you very much” in French. For Christmas 2010, my husband and I got identical
ink in identical spots. Instead of
buying each other gifts, this is how we decided to exchange.
Every
piece of art that I have permanently placed on my body has meaning to me, it is
a dedication to people that I love.
Tattoos are an expression of feeling, an outward statement of my love
and passion. Even though some people
might not understand the need to mark their bodies in such I way, I hope you
can understand why some might. My ink
is not just a decoration but also a living history of my life displayed on my
skin.
Check
me out on YouTube:
Http://www.youtube.com/user/Sammysmakeupcorner
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