TattooZineMaster

What is it?
I went around Seattle and asked
both strangers and good friends to
tell me about their tattoos. I posed
two questions: What do you think
is the purpose of tattoos, and what
is the meaning behind/why did
you get your tattoos? I also talked
with a tattoo artist to get his take
on the profession. I snapped a pic
and recorded their answers and
this is a collection of what I found.
It was a really interesting experience.
For a lot of my friends I
got to know their story a little bit
better. When I asked strangers it
was a really opening experience
because I was asking them to
explain something very personal
(whether there was a deep
meaning or not) to a complete
stranger. Overall, it was a really
good experience to try and find
out more about this cultural phenomenon.
The following are the
transcriptions of what people said
about their tattoos.
Intro
History of Tattoos
Tattoos were found in Ancient Egypt: 4000-3500 B.C. on priestess
Amunet and other female mummies, which served a therapeutic role,
and functioned as a permanent form of an amulet during the very
difficult time of pregnancy and birth.
Tattoos found were also found in Ancient Greece. Greek writer
Herodotus c. 450 B.C., stated that amongst the Scythians and Thracians
“tattoos were a mark of nobility, and not to have them was testimony of
low birth.”
A 2400 year old Scythian male was discovered with tattoos of mythical
animals.
Traditional Japanese Tattooing is called Irezumi that takes its form normally
in full body tattoos done with traditional tools. This is a symbol of
suffering and coming into manhood.
The word Tattoo originated in Samoa culture. In Samoa, the tradition
of applying tattoo, or tatau, by hand has been unbroken for over two
thousand years.. The pain was extreme and the risk of death by infection
was a great concern. But to shy away from tattooing was to risk
being labeled a coward.

I have the big dipper on
my ankle and it’s my
favorite because 3 of
my best friends also
have it, and so it’s cool
that we all did that
together.
I think that they are an
expression of self and I also
think that they’re art,
and I don’t think
that, that necessarily
means they have to
be very deep, but
they can also mean a
lot to people too.
Maybe to signify events in
their life or maybe they like
something a lot and they
want to show everybody they
like it or something. Like I got
my Hawkeye tattoo because
I love Hawkeye. It was the
first book I ever bought, and I
bought it with my lunch money
from school, and I started
buying books after that.
The first one I got was this
shitty anime one when I was
18 years old. And then I got
these the same day my god
father got divorced, the same
day, , so that was really hard.
Then I got this one because
I like... a lot. I got Megaman
down here. I got a pheonix
because I am from Pheonix..
And then I got my favorite
on, my pizza slice because I
am an inner fat kid, and I love
to cook

“It symbolizes that you
had a chance to add a
period, you know, where
you could have ended
everything, but you
chose to keep going.”
I think that it is a form of expression, and a lot of it is, you know
your past and you get to express what you’ve been through and
accomplished in art. I know that’s why I’ve gotten them.
I got the one on my wrist that says
warrior with a semi colon to show... it was to emphasize
everything that I had been through and you know
there is a big semi colon movement that supports
suicide awarness and mental health. It symbolizes
that you had a chance to add a period, you
know, where you could have ended everything,
but you chose to keep going.
So, I think that was really
important, and warrior kind
of just shows everything
I’ve been through and
I’ve kept fighting, you
know, it just kind of
fits together
I feel like.
Well, I’ve had these the longest, they’re wrist
tattoos. I think they are pretty unusual, not too
many people have wrist tattoos.
The reason I got these is I really wanted to
remember that time in my life because I was
pretty wild and I was traveling around, and I was
trying to discover who I was and what kind of
person I was and I was very happy. Ya, it was a
happy time in my life and I wanted to rememer
that, and decorate myself. Just for ornaments
they are wrist tattoos so they are like bracelets
that I never lose.
That one is made with a needle and thread. You
thread a needle with cotton thread and you wrap
the thread around the needle and you dip it in
ink. It is a very old fashioned way to give... and
then you use the tip of the needle and the ink
goes into your skin. I think I was in highschool
and we were just like fooling around.
“It was a happy
time in my life and I
wanted to remember
that, and decorate
myself.”

So I got this one, and I have regretted it ever since because I guess if I
wanted to wear certain things it kind of looks like a butt through it. I have
had people ask me “Do you have a butt tattoo on your shoulder?” Haha so
that’s awkward right? It’s my only tattoo, and I am not really in to tattoos. I
just kind of did it because I was turning 21 so...
It is a really good idea (to think about it) because your stuck with it
forever. And now this is something like I went on to get married and had
kids and got divorced, and this is something that my ex-boyfriend from
highschool drew for me. And we are not friends, we don’t even know each
other anymore, and I am stuck with it forever. I am not going to pay to get
it removed because you can’t really see it most of the time.
I think for most people it is probably
a form of self expression.
So when I was in highschool I
had this serious boyfriend and
he wanted to be a graphic
designer, and he designed this
as kind of my logo. It’s
half moon, half sun, and
it just... I don’t know... I
thought it was really
cool that he had made
it for me. And we
broke up, but we are
still friends, and so
for my 21st birthday
I decided to get a
tattoo because I was
going to be super
cool,
Because they are fun.
The Homeland!
I don’t know... I got one because I was young and
dumb, and I thought it would be cool.
The other one I got for a year of sobriety after a long time and I figured I had
already marked my body, so I would get one to commemorate that, a year of
sobriety.
I got the Seattle skyline on my forearm, just the outline. I am proud to be
from here, so I thought it would be a cool one. And again I was on a
lot of drugs then, so that wasn’t as great.
It is a circle with
a triangle on
the inside and
it says “To thine
own self be true,”
which is one of
the AA mottos,
so.. just I figured
even if I relapsed
and died and
overdose or
whatever that
it was such an
important year
in my life that
it was worth a
tattoo.

“Because
you
like the
imagery.”
Because you like the imagery. Some people
might think it’s because of the rebellion factor,
depending on how they grew up.
I have a juke box on my arm and it’s kind of
in the style of Our Lady of Guadalupe. So
it’s a big jukebox with a skeleton underneath
instad of a cherib, and it has rays around it like
it is glowing, so it’s kind of like a traditional
Mexican Guadalupe. I like old music, I like
the juke box, I like big light, and old juke boxes
have all of that...
On my knuckles I have Rain City because I was
born and raised in seattle., and I got them with
my sibling when we were in Amsterdam.
“So it’s a big
jukebox with a
skeleton underneath
instad of a
cherib, and it has
rays around it like
it is glowing, so
it’s kind of like a
traditional
Mexican
Guadalupe.”
“A movement
or like
friendships,
bonds.”
A movement or like friendships, bonds.
Or just pride.
One’s a star, so my best friend and
his wife has the same star, and we all
lived together for a couple years so
we helped each other out. That’s why
I have that. The other one was just
my initials, you know stay strong, and
I didn’t like how I had their star and
I had nothing of mine personally, so
that’s why I got my initials on my left.
I think there are two reasons. Either
because they feel like they have
something really significant and they
want to remember it, or just because
of body art and it looks cool.
The one on my arm says Vevir Momento,
which means “Remember to
live,” in latin. And it is different than
live in the moment because you will
just do dumb things, but remember to
live as in don’t get caught up in things
that aren’t supposed to or like all
these other things that people forget
to do what they actually want to.
That one is a compass with an arrow
through it because I want to explore
the world.

I think it is like to symbolize an important part
of your life. I know a lot of people who have
them to commemorate someone they lost or a big
stepping stone for them.
I was in a terrible, abusive relationship. I was talking
to a freind of mine and she mentioned this comment,
fight for what you know is right, and it just
really stuck with me, and it helped me get out
of that relationship. I thought about it every day,
and it was just making progress of what I knew
to be right. After that relationship it changed
into something else, and every day it means
something different. I just really wanted it to
remind myself to not put myself into situations
that I know are wrong, or to do what I think
is right.
Kind of as an expression of where
they are in that point in time of their
life I think.
I had been wanting one for
a while and I wanted
something that meant
something to me, and
it took me a while to
decide, but that one
means long live the
future which I think
is poignant for
life in general.
Plus it’s nerdy,
it’s from Les
Miserables.
“she mentioned this comment,
fight for what you know is right,
and it just really stuck with me,
and it helped me get out of that
relationship”
I think so that they are reminded of
something like every time they look
at it, and also to tell a story.
I got my tattoo right before I left
Montana and its a montain range
in Montana and I just wanted to ...I
always knew I wanted to leave
Montana for a while, but I wanted
to keep a little bit of it with me.
The mountain range is my favorite
view. If you swim out from my dock
at Flat Head Lake like 25 feet you
can see the range from there. It is
from that view that I took a picture
and gave it to the artsit and she
drew it for me.

I think probably the current reason for people to get tattoos is kind of a self-expression idea, and individuality. For me when I got my
first one I was three weeks past my 18th birthday and I always wanted one, like always wanted one, so I got a small one, and liked it,
enjoyed it: I think the whole process.. Then I think as my story and my life developed, and I had major life events in the military,
for me it was a way to kinda start telling my story without writing it on paper. The whole story behind the sleeves
that I have: my left arm is all of my military and Marine Corps stories, not all of them but a lot of them, and then
my right arm is my post war, rebuilding, telling my life story of who I was when I got back to how I am progressing
through the post war experience, which is different for everybody, but difficult for all. One on my right arm is a tattoo
machine on a therapist’s couch, so 100% it is therapeutic for me. Not only the actual process, but like the process of
reliving the stories, coming up with the ideas with my artist, and then going through the physical pain of the process
for me is a part of the whole therapeutic process, so in my mind it is kind of like releasing the emotional struggle and
the emotional pain because a lot of this stuff is very heavy in terms o the stories. It has been therapeutic. I have told
my tattoo artist on a number of occasions that he is one of the reasons that I am still alive: his art and his vision and
his interpretation of my story through his art is one of the things that saved my life.
For the top half of this sleeve it was just black and gray originally, and it is a marine guarding the gates of heaven with
the world trade center towers as the pillars, and so it was just black and gray because that is how I felt at that time, and
eventually we went full color, and I originally had that idea and I have no drawing skills whatsoever. At all. Zero. And so I
had this vision of the tattoo, and every artist that I went to go pitch the idea to they were like, ‘Oh, really cool idea, why
don’t you put a $100 deposit down and we’ll schedule something and I will start drawing’, and it was the same story every
shop I went to. And then a buddy of mine in Portland recommended Jerry (my tattoo artist), and I told him the idea and
he was like that sounds awesome and grabbed a piece of paper and a pencil and did a 30 second sketch right there on the
spot, and it was the first time I saw the tattoo come to life, and I said, ‘Your my guy. Let’s start workin.’ That was 11 and a
half years ago, so we have been great friends ever since.
Ya, ummm... so this is a long story, so there was a helicopter crash on January 6, 2005 and hands down to date the
worst day of my life. It’s a really long story, so I don’t know if I can do it justice in the time frame. This one probably
I would say. So this is my symbolism in my mind for living with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and so it
is like the sands of times being carried by an angel wing and a demonic wing. And so it is like the tug and pull
between good and evil, positive memories and bad memories, and in perspective the angel wing is a little bit
higher, so the good is taking over the bad, and there is more sand in the top of the hour glass than there is in
the bottom and for me its like the best is yet to come. There is still a lot of life yet to live, like overcoming
the struggle of memories and experiences and stuff. That one is a big one for me.
The tree of life, like the idea of the tree of life, and then I have a dead leaf for the people in my life that
have been close to me that have passed away. So, everything honestly has tons of meaning. And it is
been really cool to see my artist progression as an artist because I think the first time he worked on me
he was like I think 2 or 3 years out of schooling for tattooing, and now I haven’t been tattooed in over a
year. So he’s been doing it for close to 15 years now, so his quality of art has gone way up.
So the theme of the arm is rebuilding my life, so hence the puzzle pieces you know kind of putting life
back together. The overall theme overall is rebuilding life through patriotism and body armor. So the story
behind the Captain America shield is you know the strongest alloy in the universe. And then I have another
shield up here that looks like it is kind of bolted on with… brother, mom, dad, sister, and then my last name,
and a cross- those components were already there for years and then we did the shield around it. This arm is
a collage, you can still kind of see the outline of individual pieces but the images itself go across multiple pieces.
This one is meaningful to me, and it will never be tattooed like it is just a free floating unconnected puzzle
piece, and so this for me it symbolizes no matter how much I put my life back together, I will never be who I was
before. You know that piece, I lost my worldly innocence. My perspective on life before was really small, and now
seeing a completely different world over there, whether it was combat related or not, you can never really un-see
those kinds of things.

I think that body art is a form of
self expression. I think that it’s a...
for me some of them are reminders to be
a certain way or do certain things that
just aren’t in my nature that I felt like if I
literally put them onto me or into me that
it would kind of get engrained in me, and
that has happened with some of them. That
was my original belief was that they all had to
have meaning, and that people who had tattoos
that were carelessly chosen, were kind of... I
didn’t like them... but as time has gone on, and
now I have three... someeone told me that once
you start getting that you get addicted.
I have gotten to the point where it’s not as big of a
decision now a days for me to get a tattoo because
it gave me a lot of perspevtive about my body, and I
might as well put tattoos on my self.
I would say it is a sign that they
want to remember something, or
something that doesn’t want to be
forgotten, or something that means
a lot to them, and hopefully it
would not change throughout their
life because it’s going to be there
forever.
“we have always
talked about
doing
something as a
family like
getting tattoos.”
The first one is a play/pause button. Music was and still is a very important part of my
life. I wanted something that was really simple, that if I wanted to get it fixed up later,
I could and it wouldn’t be reflective of any strange period of my life or anything like
that. It would just be like a simple tattoo. It also ties into that I have ADHD, and that
sometimes I need to stop and think and sometimes I need to go with it.
The seocnd one is the crown from Where The Wild Things Are, and it was going to
originally have my familie’s handwritten each a different word in it and be up and down
as the 5 points of the crown. I was going to be the middle one because I am exactly the
middle in my familly and there is a harmony. I was going to have my word be life because
I want my life to be surrounded by the words that I feel they have instilled in me.
Last year I wanted to get a tattoo that was a time peice. So not one that necessarily
I would be proud of my whole life, but one that would designate and mark a time in
my life that I really enjoyed. One of the biggest parts of me is my love for Chance the
Rapper, and he has a song called Lost, and it is really warm and a really happy song, and
if I could ever turn my personality into a song I would want to be that one. I also kind
of throw myself in whatever I do and get lost in things. Originally it was going to be
another quote that I scrapped, but also a Chance the Rapper quote. It is ‘Let’s Get Lost’,
and the quote I was going to do was, ‘ That’s Love.’
“I felt like if I
literally put them
onto me or into
me that it would
kind of get engrained
in me”
I got a roman numeral 5. It was with my sisters and we have always talked about doing something as
a family like getting tattoos. Last April once my twin and I were 18 we were all going to get a tattoo
together, and we were all going to get a roman numeural V because there’s 5 kids in the family. So me
and my 4 sisters, and we all got this exact shape, but different sizes and different places. I want another
one, I just want it to mean something because this is like I am always going to have my sisters, and we
are always going to be a family, and we all have this, so it’s kind of cute, but I definitely want something
that means so much and is more serious like a symbol or something.

To remember things, and influential events
in their lives.
It says “another wonderful day” in cursive on
my foot. My mom was paralyzed in 2010, and
when she was in the hospital for 3 months, and
when she was there we would go have barbeques
with our family and one time my aunt came. My
mom was a quadrapalegic, so her arms worked
but her hands didn’t, and so she couldn’t
grab. My aunt had an idea at one
of the barbeques we would
make a sign
for her out of
cardstock. She
gave each of us
two letters, and we didn’t
know what we were spelling out. So,
each of us had to tear this piece of paper
without using our hands into these letters. So,
we would use like our elbows,and our knees and
our mouth and stuff to tear this paper into letters.
I don’t know how we did it. We didn’t know what
it was going to say, and it ended up saying “One Day
at a Time”. And so that became my mom’s mantra
when she was paralyzed because it is really hard to be
paralyzes, and she didn’t have much hope. And so that
was a thing; people got her necklaces with that and
posters would come up in her hospital room while she
was there for 3 months..
another wonderful day
And then fast forward like 4
years, my mom passed away, and
I was reading her journal and
in the beginning of a lot of the
days it said another wonderful
day, and it reminded me of
the one day at a time, and
also at that time I was in
a hopeless place because
my mom had just passed
away. And so for me
kind of thinking how
am I going to make
it one more day, and
the verse that was really
encouraging to me at that time was that
God gives us new mercies every day, and so
the combination of my mom and her journey
and taking one day at a time, which in the
bible Lord’s prayer says ask for your daily
bread, not your weekly bread, or your yearly
bread, but your daily bready and God will
provide for that one day, and in the same way
God will provide mercy, He is also going to
provide what you need. And so that verse
for me was I get to start over, and I had just
become a Christian the year before, and so
I needed that mercy every day because I
failed a lot. The only way I could get back
up again was rememberig that verse, and
so I wanted that to be a tattoo because I
wanted to remember that I have another
wonderful day where I can start over and be
thankful and expect the mercy.
“And Todd was
my music teacher
growing up and
he ended up being
really a mentor in
my life. And then
he got diagnosed
with Luekemia, and
ended up passing
away. He created
this phrase.”
I would say most people probably get them as a form of expression, so
whether it has a meaning or doesn’t, it always has a meaning personally.
So, I think it is a way to express yourself, or if you have something
meaningful for you a way to show it.
It says “Together Keep Going” and it stands for the initials: Todd, Kelly,
Garrett. And Todd was my music teacher growing up and he ended
up being really a mentor in my life. And then he got diagnosed with
Luekemia, and ended up passing away. He created this phrase. We did a
lot of benefit stuff for him when he was sick and he created this phrase
to use as sort of a slogan for everything we did as Together Keep Going,
and also because Kelly is his wife and Garrett is is son. I knew since a
couple of years ago that I wanted to get something to remember him, and
this phrase was just perfect. Someone could look at it and say oh that’s
cool in itself, but then it has a meaning behind it for me personally. To
me getting another tattoo, it has to have a lot of meaning, and it has to
be something very important to me, and I don’t have anything else that
I would be like let’s get this as a tattoo. It would have to be something
very important to me.

I think that they often serve as reminders of your values or
of something that’s important to you, or something that has
impacted your life. And I also think they can be spur of the
moment fun things too, but I really have respect for intentional
tattoos. It’s also an artistic expression to wear, and I
think there is beauty in permenance, as there is in impermanance,
but making a commitment to something. People are
often anxious like that they could never be ok with a symbol
forever, but for me if I am not ok with it forever, is that the
end of the world? If it is meaningful to me now?
This tattoo is the symbol for National Eating Disorder
Awareness, so for me I have it as a reminder of where
I’ve been and the work I have done and where I want
to stay. To me it symoolizes grace, and incredible
grace. It’s a symbol that God has got me through it
all and a full life and a reminder of what a full life
means to be able to engage with the world and
live freely and allow myself to love others fully
and genuinely and to allow myself to be loved. It
is on my pulse because my eating disorder has
affected f my heart , and so I wanted it to be like
pulse of life. And it’s for me to look at, not for
other people.
I have this one on my wrist “All my
love,” and my grandma passed away
and she used to sign all her cards,
“All my love,” always, and I wanted
to get something that I would always
remember her by. She was someone
I was always really close to, and I
wanted something simple. I didn’t
want something huge, but everytime
I looked at it , I would think of her.
I took one of her cards in that she
signed, and they traced over it, so
it is her handwriting, which I think
is the coolest part, and my mom
actually got the same one in the
same spot.
This one says, “It is in herself she will
find the strength she needs.” That
one it was actually a spontaneous
decsion, and I happened to have
money in my pocket, and my friend
wanted to get a piercing, and I said I
would go with her and get a tattoo. I
was just looking at stuff, and I found
this online, and I was like, I can
relate to that. You don’t need other
people, I feel like, to find strength in
yourself. Even if you don’t feel like
it, you always have it.
I think the purpose for most people is that they find something that is important
to them like something that their relative said, or they find a phrase that
they think they can relate to. I feel like tattoos are very
symbolic, whatever it is.
“my grandma passed away and she used to sign all
her cards, ‘All my love,’ always, and I wanted to get
something that I would always remember her by.”

I have three stars. The whole point of it is that they are the three stars you
find on the left and right hand on every page of the Harry Potter books. I
remember when I was getting it I was like oh my gosh I am going to be one of
those Harry Potter freaks that has a Harry Potter Tattoo, but it also meant so
much more to me than that, and it is completely for me and it looks cool and
I love Harry Potter, so whatever! They are kind of my priorities. The big star
represents God, the second star represents self help, and self love because that
is always something that I struggled with, and the third star represents the
people in my life that I love and kind of am in service to them. It also actually
represents how the Harry Potter books reinforced a lot of lessons my mom
taught me when I was growing up about love and friendship, and it sounds
super cheesy, but it is such a deep story, and there’s so much within the story
that I think really relates to the bible and my faith and how I view living life.
So, I think that story was just so important to my developement as a child,
and I got the tattoo on my 18th birthday, so for me it was a representation of
my childhood leaving a mark on me, and moving forward in life as an adult.
It was also the first day I could get it on your own without anyone else and
that kind of a ceremonial thing getting the tattoo, and the fact that it was a
childhood story that I had grown up with and leaving that mark on me and it’s
close to my heart.
I think it definitely
depends on the
person, but if
your going to
generalize, it tends
to be an individual
statement like as
to something that
means something to
you individually, but
I think it depends
because some people
just like tattoos.
A form of personal-expression. Sometimes it’s the show of your
travels or of family heritage. Other times its a quick impulse when
you have $100 in your pocket.
As a kid I was always into more of an escapism mentality like
playing video games and fantasy books, things like that. They kind
of took me to a whole different barscape of a world. The linguistics
involved in the one on my chest here is from Lord of the Rings.
And then I got the Zelda, and this one. I also have the arm band on
my arm and a paradise lost piece on my shoulder.
They kind of took me to a whole
different barscape of a world.

Tattoo artist
Most people traditionally do an apprenticeship for about two years and some people will remain at
that shop for a while if they like the owner and they are doing well. It really depends. There’s actually
an uproar right now especially in Oakland and Portland because there’s a bunch of people that made
these tattoo schools, and they are releasing people into the profession that don’t really know how stuff
works, and they aren’t very good. It is creating an oversaturated market, which the market is already
oversaturated, so making a living if you are a decent tattoo artist like you can tattoo well, but you can’t
draw really well you can still make a living. That’s not really the case anymore. The big problem with
that is when it was apprenticeship based as I think it should be because I think it’s an important part
in becoming a tatoo artist because you learn some humility. What’s been happening is that people that
want to be tattoo artists and they don’t get approved for an apprenticeship they will just go to one of
these tatoo schools and open up a shop right after. Just because they’ve got some money and they want
to be a tattooer. Where it used to be more internally controlled. The people that would allow you
to learn how to do it like I would... personally if I were to apprentice someone today I would be much
more concerned with their attitude than their art skills because you can fix art skills. You can’t really fix
being a shit head. That’s the last thing the world needs is another ass hole tattoo artist.
If your doing a big project your best bet is just to go to a tattoo artist and tell them this is what I want
and let them go crazy. But for stuff like this well is my job to talk you into something insane or just do
the f***ing tattoo? I have the skill to make this happen, so it’s a service.
I always enjoy doing creatures and anything that is alive in anyway is always fun. Just trying to make
things really come alive on skin is pretty cool. I always say I don’t mind doing any tattoo as long as I
can make it look cool. Like I will do your.... and make that shit look dope. It’s not my thing but I will
try my best to make it cool.
I did my first one on myself when I was 17. I did the 206 on my ankle, which was stupid. I didn’t
even do it when it was fashionable to get your area code to get your tattoo on you. I have some
areas left that I have some plans for, like most of my chest is still free, so I will want to get something
specific there. But most of the time if I see somebody I work with or sombody I know has a talent for
something like your good at pinups or your good at whatever, I will just get some of that. I will just
look through somebody’s sketchbook and say let’s do that. And once you get enough of them its like
whatever.

My Tattoo?
I have gone back and forth on whether or not I want a tattoo. Recently, I was thinking about getting
one, and that is what inspired me to start this project. The sketches on the next page are a preliminary
idea of what I would get. It always scares me to put something permanent on my body, especially since
I change my mind all the time. I can like something and the next day or week I don’t. The permanence
is the danger and the thrill for me. Going through the process of this project has definitely helped me
narrow my thoughts, but I can’t say I will be getting a tattoo anytime soon. I am surrounded by them in
Seattle, and I don’t want to get one because I am now conditioned to like them becuase everyone has
them around me. I want to get it because I want to get it, so I decided I am going to wait a little while
before making a huge permanent decision.
There are some things I have gone through in the last year that have made marking my body with a
permanent reminder seem like something I want to do. I am also a fan with Pirates of the Caribbean, so
if I wanted to be like a pirate… Pirates have tattoos. My tattoo would remind me of a few things. First
the nature of it would be a permanent reminder of my commitment to and love of God. I would want
to get it on my left wrist because it will be an image for myself to look at and no one else. It is also my
watch wrist so if I ever wanted to cover it for something it would be easy.
I would get an olive branch. The verse that is really important to me that goes with this is John 15.
This was the verse when that changed my life, and it is the one I constantly want to be reminded of.
This was the verse that I was reading when I dedicated my life to God, and so the tattoo would be
the mark of my commitment I made when I was 18. This tattoo will be a permanent symbol that I
am never alone, and feeling alone is something I struggle with. God is always with me no matter how
alone I feel. I am reminded by this passage that I have unique talents and purpose, and I need to love
myself and love others so that I can bear fruit. The passage talks about a grape vine, so I chose an olive
branch, a similar biblical symbol, but to me more aestheticly pleasing.
John 15:1-17
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every
branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit
he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean
because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain
in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine.
Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you
are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much
fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me,
you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are
picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my
words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves
to be my disciples. “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now
remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my
love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I
have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may
be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you
servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead,
I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father
I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you
and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will
last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.
This is my command: Love each other.