Why did you get inked?

First one in memory of my mom getting cancer
Second one to redo/add to the first one
Third one in memory of a really good point in my life and all the experiences and people

I wish mine had stories, I just thought they were pretty. Still do!

Because I love the art and the stories behind them. Plus .. couldn't see myself any other way

Bingo!

I have three... all of them reminders for myself

1) A yin yang on the outer aspect of my left wrist (it goes under my watch face). Symbolises the negative and positive balance in life. I had this following the completion of cancer treatment & breakup of a 10 year relationship. It was to remind me (& still is) that life is a balance ... I often find myself touching it to remember when things are tough!

2) a tribal band of an eagle at the base of my spine ... commonly referred to as a shag tag in the UK, although this is not what mine symbolises & I don't care. It symbolises the freedom that came with being discharged from the oncology clinic after five years. I was free from cancer, from hospitals & doctors. Occasionally it peeps from under a shirt & someone will ask about it & I don't mind telling.

3) The Chinese symbols traced down my mid-spine of the name Benjamin - to wear the baby I lost right next to me. I miscarried a year after treatment finished. I wanted it large enough to see if in a skinny top so had it tattooed over my heart at the back (plus where I had radiotherapy at the front may not have healed so well).

I doubt I'll have any more... these are enough to wear with pride. So much so I don't notice them until I'm asked!

First one was just because I could (at 18) The second one I thought would be fun. It's Hobbes chasing his tail. I sort of want another one. I can't decide. I'd like it to mean something and not be something generic.

I always wanted them, I think it just suits my lifestyle.

just curious...what lifestyle is that?

Carefree, living life to the fullest.

word.

i wish i had waited a bit before i got my first one. in fact, i wish i had put more thought into many of them.
i've got some real garbage ink.

Me too. Out of my 8 tattoos, I have three that I actually put any real thought into.

They all mean something to me I'm proud of my tattoos...not proud of the rest of my body. 17 and counting

I have one that I'm getting when I get down to my goal weight, but so far I have none. I do have 12 piercings, though, and the tattoo will be a purely aesthetic decision, same as all of my metal :drinker:

First time? Back when I turned 18 (the legal age to get a tattoo in my town) it was 1995, and I was in high school, and it was considered super cool & edgy even if you just got flash - lol (again, in my town). So my best friend, her 20 yr old cousin, and I went downtown and got super random tats. Mine's a reddish orange (my favorite color) sorta beetle-looking ladybug on my ankle and I actually still like it, although if I had it to do over I would never have gotten a tattoo because I'm just not that into them. It does have really good detail & color, still, considering I got it 19 years ago and have never had anything done to it.

Second time...I was around 19-20 and still reallllly loved my ladybug tat at the time - I figured I would eventually get LOADS of ink. I had some extra cash for once, and wanted something on my calf (the spot where I now kind of regret getting a tattoo because it can be difficult to cover up). It's a good-sized poppy plant design out of an old gardening book (chosen for aesthetics not a drug reference) and it's just okay. It's all black but intricate, so it looks nothing like tribal and for me that's good because it suits "me" better than a chunky tribal piece would.

Last tattoo I ever got...it's a fairly ugly crown on my upper arm. That time I was around 22, I think, and going with my friend to get her first ever ink, and I decided to pick something too. This was another cheesy piece of flash. I honestly cannot remember my exact reasons for choosing it but at the time I think I was going through my phase of being like, "I'm a grown *kitten* woman and I am the queen of my home la la la" ;-) Fortunately (?) no one sees this except my husband or people at the pool because it's up pretty high and I tend to cover my upper arms in all clothing I wear. I've considered getting a cover-up of that one but I'm really not bothered to do so now at 37 since I am not a true-blue tattoo fan anyway.

Why? Because I can. And because I love the smell of tattoo shops and the buzzing of the gun..

My first one in 2011 was to Honor my Sisters Achievements in her life. She lost her battle with Kidney Cancer then.

My other 10 Tats since then, is cause I think my artist puts Crack in his ink. Addictive !

I always kinda wanted one small one, but there's much more to the story.

I had a crazy girlfriend in college. Not run-of-the-mill "My girlfriend only ate yellow M&M's, crazy right!?!" but as I would discover later professionally diagnosed "Borderline Personality Disorder" and had to be physically taken from my dorm room by the men in white coats to prevent her from harming herself.

Anyhow, before that happened and she was still transitioning from my first love to insanity nightmare and was doing a lot of controlling things to keep me from leaving her. One of those things was a 'miscarriage' over some school break. She really got me back in with that one, and it saddened me in a profound way. Shortly after returning to school she suggested that we get matching memorial tattoos. At the time it seemed like a good idea, and I had an idea of what I would get for a while anyway.
As a bonus, I was very naive and got it on the small of my back, not knowing that this was the 'tramp stamp' location, which feels very silly to this day.

TL;DR - I got a memorial tattoo for an imaginary baby that never existed.

PS - I bear her no ill will now, mental illness is a horrible thing and I hope you are well KH.

Mine is a memorial to my mom!

Well I wish I was that smart about my ink.....
My first one @ 16 and its Elvis Presley on my butt. And before someone comment....Elvis is still looking good
Yep I know......
But LOVE the guy.

Because I wanted to.

I originally was going to get my first at 16, but then the state I lived in changed their laws. Ended up waiting until my 20th bday to get my first one. It's beautiful and has some significance, but really I got it because I loved the look.

My second one is a bit more significant in that is represents the people I have lost but also the idea that life and death are all connected. You lose them on this earth, but not in your lives. I got this one when I was 31.

I am planning my third now, though it will be a little bit before I get it.