Tattoo Idea - overcoming rough times

Tattoos are extremely personal in my opinion...when you find it....you will just know...that is what you want.....make sure you get a really good artist...it makes a world of difference in how it turns out...and how the ink will hold up.....you could always go to a good artist...tell them what you are going for..and they should be able to create exactly what you are wanting....

It's not as pretty, but the bat represents one who has gone through the long dark night of the soul and come out transformed--like the shaman who endures terrifying trials to reshape his consciousness.

No reason you have to incorporate it into a tattoo though.

My past is pretty similar. Really happy that you have found a safe harbor in life.

I'm also thinking of getting a tattoo when I reach goal weight. I've contemplated for many years since my divorce but never really found anything until recently. I found one that looks like an old skeleton key with a bow tied around it. I'm very "girlie" so I like the feminine touch of the bow but it will represent "my key to happiness". Wish I could figure out how to upload pics so show it!

I also recommend scheduling an appt with a tattoo artist and telling them what you want and they will help you decide or come up with an original just for you!

I've had this one pinned for a while:



You could turn it into whichever bird you wanted!

"Alis volat propriis" = she flies with her own wings

Bumping cause I want a Phoenix tattoo, and that first one posted is probably my fave so far!

I love those Phoenix's! Another idea is the lotus flower, The lotus flower starts as a small flower down at the bottom of a pond in the mud and muck. It slowly grows up towards the waters surface continually moving towards the light. Once it come to the surface of the water the lotus flower begins to blossom and turn into a beautiful flower.

Just be patient! You will find the perfect one when the time is right! I too suggest making an appt w/a tattoo artist and let them help you come up with the design! It's their passion/skill/talent, its what they love! Let them help you make your one of a kind design!

With tattoos, when you find the right design or idea, you just know. Before my first tattoo I considered so many things over and over and couldn't decide and then a week before I went I thought of my first tattoo and knew it was the right choice. It's still one of my favorites. Don't worry about uniqueness or whether other people will like it, get what you like! I have a tattoo of a chambered nautilus because (a la the poem by Oliver Wendell holmes) the shells chambers represent the idea of growing and moving forward in life but that you it'll rely on your past and that you must learn from it and grow from it. I have a small tattoo of a jellyfish to remind me to
"move like a jellyfish" or go with the flow sometimes. It was my motto in high school (from jack Johnson) and holds significance with my relationship with my brother. Another tattoo is an artistic rendering of a DNA double helix with the quote "crescat scientia" which is "let knowledge grow" in Latin. This tattoo reminds me of m love and passion for science and specifically DNA, and also my passion for learning. Smetimes I need a reminder of how much I love learning and how much I have overcome to get where I am today and for my future. Lastly, my fourth tattoo is three birds flying with the quote "learn to miss". It also has a small heart. The heart is for my great grandfather who passed about a month before I got the tattoo. The birds go with the essence of the quote which is from the hitchhiker guide to the galaxy and says "the knack to flying is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss". That quote really stuck withi me for about three years and I decided to model a tattoo after it. It makes me think outside the box and really took me aback when I read it because it makes sense but doesnt make sense, and sometimes in life that's how novel and innovative things are.

All of these tattoos I had lined up to get them at some point and got them all within three years. I knew that I wanted them and kind of felt like I was uncovering them and they were always there. They're just a part of me now. I don't regret an y of them, even if they aren't as relevant anymore, they represent something that was important to me at a specific age and snow now I have grown. They're like a photograph of the type of person I was at each time period.

If I were to get a fifth tattoo, it will be my biggest one yet, and my first one in color. It will definitely be a watercolor type tattoo because I think they are beautiful and it might not be anything of specific meaning but rather something the I find beautiful. I want a tattoo solely for its beauty next. But I am way poor and don't have any specific ideas yet so I will wait a while

Also my next best tip for tattoo getting is to get it in your abdomen somewhere, hip stomach ribs lower to mid back, side, etc. I've found that explaining my tattoo on my shoulder to everyone who sees me in a dress or tank top gets really annoying. You might feel the same way as you probably wont want to explain to everyone that the tattoo has to do with your abusive past. If it is on your abdomen then I twill only show when you want it to or when you're in a bathing suit.

Good luck deciding!!