For those of you with tattoos: What do your tattoos mean?(I need a little inspiration)?

Question

im not the most decisive person so i figured someone elses story might spark something in me.

Answer 1

I have 13, so bear with me... lol:

1. An ankh (life) on my shoulder
2. A sun on my tummy (sacredness of life. Warmth, nurturing)
3. An ohm on my hip (God's omnipotence)
4. The eye of Ra on my chest (left eye reflects feminine, lunar energy, and rules intuition)
5. A butterfly landing on a flower (new beginnings) on my other shoulder
6. An adinkra symbol "patience and tolerance"
7. A Ladibug on my ankle (spontaneous generation, new life, luck)
8. Another flower and butterfly on my ankle
9. A lion on my thigh (Might, awareness, immortality, bravery)
10. An adinkra symbol "only God can judge me" on my ankle
11. An adinkra symbol "wisdom" with 2 birds beside it on my lover back
12. An adinkra symbol "love never loses its way home" on my wrist
13. An adrinka symbol "the divinity of mother earth" on my neck

Answer 2

My first tattoo is a black armband. It's basically decorative and doesn't have any special meaning; when I designed it I was mainly thinking about my ideas in terms of what makes a good, long-lasting tattoo.

My second tattoo is just above the first, and in the same style; I retrospectively decided that the original armband could represent the earth, and did a design that relates to water, air, and fire, to go with it. However, these meanings are fairly subtle, rather than being glaringly obvious. So again, it's very decorative.

For my third tattoo I wanted something to remind me of the cycle of things - how things will be bad one minute, then good; how things always change and can't be taken for granted. I decided that a phoenix would represent this well, but I didn't want a straightforward tattoo of a bird, so I broke down the stages of the life-cycle of a phoenix instead. The tattoo is circular, and coloured blue and orange (because these colours are opposites on the colour wheel and therefore reinforce the idea of different factors in life). At the top there's an egg shape, moving round to several stylised feathers. This then leads into triangles (representing fire - remember science lessons at school?) which in turn lead into smoky swirls... taking the design back to the egg at the top. Again, all this is very, very stylised. It isn't obvious at all what it means or what it is - those things are private unless I choose to share them - but the design is interesting to look at. (I actually had a competition between my friends to see if they could guess what it was - my housemate eventually got it, but only after suggesting pretty much everything in the world ever...)

My most recent tattoo is a sort of snowflake or flower or star shape. Again, it's decorative on its own - people don't notice, unless I tell them, that the shape is made up of pen nibs and pencil points. I've studied both art and creative writing, and I wanted something to represent to myself what I've achieved so far, and to inspire me to achieve more, which is where the idea came from. Initially I thought about trying to do something incorporating the letters of the alphabet, to represent writing, but I was finding it difficult to make it work - they're decorative, but a bit difficult to make into something abstract! This worked far better.

I hope this gives you some insight into things you could take into account when choosing a tattoo design.

Good luck!

Answer 3

My very first tattoo, on my upper left arm, is of the tripple moon goddess- got it during a stage I was in years ago. My mother's side of the family is pagan. The tattoo on my upper right arm is of the vet. medical symbol, as I used to be a vet assist. I have a chocolate bar just above my bikini line, and chocolate was the term I used with a lover years ago rather than "i love you". I was too afraid to say it, so I had said "it's like you're holding up apeice of chocolate and asking me what it is...you already know what it is..." so, chocolate became I love you. Then i the chinese symbol for love on the back of my neck, and over my heart I have a blooming rose that has one petal beginning to fall, and only one thorn. That represents the changing life, relationships, and how even though a relationship can be painful (hence the thorn) it is stil beautiful.

Answer 4

I don't know the true meaning of my tattoo, but I see it as sexy and feminine. I have one purple flower, one blue flower, one orange flower and one red flower. They're tiger lily's, with green leaves and black "tribal wrap-around designs. It is located above my wrist bone and it doesn't wrap all the way around my wrist. If you were to measure it in length and width, it's about 4 inches long and 1 1/2 to 2 inches wide. It goes half way around my wrist. I wish I had pictures to show you, and I did but I deleted them off my computer because I printed the pictures out. Damn! But anyways, it's a very very feminine tattoo as well, and I also get tons of compliments! It looks awesome when I wear color clothes because it matches, and it really stands out and appears to be a bracelet. When I want it covered, I put on a normal bracelet and it covers it just fine, but I never cover it anymore. I love it!

Source(s):

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/ka3195...

Try viewing this link. It's a few pictures from my Yahoo! pictures. Maybe if you can zoom, you can see the detail. Good luck.

Answer 5

I am in the process of finding an artist to tattoo my back piece. I will start with a Celtic cross in the middle of my back, three roses(red, white, & yellow) and the motto of the Scottish Clan I belong to written in a lovely script on my lower back, on my right shoulder a tattoo of the Arch Angel Gabriele(protection), and last but not least a pheonix on my left shoulder blade( to remind me to get up again when I fall or get knocked down). Hope this helps.

Answer 6

I wanted a tat for years but couldn't decide what to get or where to get it. It's a big decision since it's a permanent mark on your body, so I figured the image would have to mean something really special to me. When my mom got sick & later died, I was devastated. We were very close. Her first name was the English version of the French name Marguerite or "Daisy". When we went to the funeral home to make arrangements, I just happened to cross my ankle over my knee and saw the cutest place on the inside of my ankle for a sweet little tattoo to remimd me of my loving mother whenever I thought of her -- I got a daisy, of course. Not a cartoon-ish flower, but more of a real botanical floral drawing in color. I love it. My dad's name in Italian mean's "sunshine", so when he passes (which I hope is many many years from now!), I plan to get a little sun tattooed over my daisy. Their marriage was long 60+ years and they were very very happy together. How's that for inspiration?

Answer 7

i have shooting stars that start at my collar bone and wraps around my shoulder blade onto my back surrounding a quote that i live by "the only happiness in life is to love and to be loved"

my 2nd tat is on my thigh and it is a heart with a skeleton keyhole in the middle of it with a ribben holding a skeleton key hanging around the heart and it states "beauty is a light in the heart"

as u can see they are self explanitory. both emphasize a rough period i was going through in my life. im not ugly but people still find something to try to tear u down with. and nothing in this world can bring u more joy than knowing u are loved, so thats why i picked those quotes.

Answer 8

Mine is a cherub flying and carrying a rose. It's in memory of my grandmother who died 10 years ago this past November. The angel is significant to me becasue the night she died (I was 9 years old) I was, by chance and complete coincidence, drawing angels. The rose is significant because, she was the only one I knew who always had the most beautiful rose bush outside her home, and also a month or so after she died (in december) my family and I found one rose encased in ice outside of our home. Being the spiritual people we are, we took it as a sign that she was around us still. I got the tattoo just a couple of weeks ago to commerate the 10th anniversary of her passing.

Answer 9

my first tattoo was a dragonfly with the symbols for 'woman' and 'infinity' worked into it - basically a feminist thing. i picked a dragonfly because i think they are beautiful, and fragile but strong.

my second tattoo was based on a sketch i bought at an anonymous art auction. it basically represents feeling like things are shitty when in fact there's a lot of beauty going on, but sometimes we can't see it or won't let ourselves see it. i got it when i finished my BA.

and my third tattoo is a half sleeve of nerdy stuff that i like. it represents i guess just being myself and being accepting of the things that i'm passionate about.

Answer 10

haha i have got one tattoo for things that have happened in my life.

i got my 1st a little pink and black design on my back because when i was 16 i decided to go visit my father in bc with my mother i hadnt seen the man for 6 years i thought it would be nice when we got to his door he answered it and said f*** off i dont want to see nether of your faces ever again and slammed the door i had always wanted one so i just turned around to my mother said get in the car and i drove to my uncle (hes a tattoo artest) and got my 1st

my second tattoo was a chinese symbol that says long life me and my mother got this one togther in the same spot (back of neck) because we had alot of problems as i was growing up and this was somthing to show that no matter what we are going to be there for eachother through anything and everything

my 3rd was a little star behind my ear this one represents my grandfather my best friend and the only one who listens when i need to vent me and my grandfather would go in the back yard with the banket and lye under the stars for hours just talking and stars were always our thing actually after i got this tattoo he went out and got the same blue star on the palm of his hand!

my 4th i got this one when i was 19 before i left canada for good i went with my aunt and my mother this one was just for me i loved the moon and stars again so i got a 1/3 moon and little blows of wind and some little dotted stars this one was just something for me at that time it had no meaning but now i think of it like this .... i left everything in canada behind family friends everything (mom came with me to dominican) as the stars are so far away so are my friends and the moon represents how much closer my family and i have grown although they are still far my love for them is still close (moon closer then the stars)

and my last but not least my cherry blossoms that are going to be done in a few weeks this represents how much i have grown up and how much i have learned from being in the dominican republic how beautiful it really is here and no matter how poor some of the people are they still see the beauty of this amaizing island

i hope this gave you some insparitan