I get questions and comments about my tattoos online and irl a lot, so here's the run-down. People often ask me what my tattoos “mean” so I will explain them the best I can, but overall a tattoo for me is a tribute to the person I was the day I got it. Tattoos are expensive, beautiful, and forever. They take a lot of planning, pain, time, cash, and healing. Getting a tattoo is something I do for myself and it’s not always about what the art itself ends up being.
VIDEO HERE
0 right forearm: my first tattoo
I got my first tattoo at 17. It was related to my upbringing, my mom took me to a tattoo shop in the mall and signed the waiver. It was ugly, poorly done, poorly motivated, and hurt me to see it for years. It’s covered now.
1 left forearm: 3 chemical structures
Next tattoo at 19. I was deeply depressed and feeling out of control emotionally. To make myself feel better, I learned about what emotions are and where they come from and how they happen. They boil down to chemicals in your brain called neurotransmitters. You’ve probably heard of at least two of the ones I got tattooed: acetylcholine, dopamine, and serotonin. I chose them based on what they do, to remind myself that often what feels like catastrophe is just chemicals. It's 13 years old and starting to fuzz up, and now that I've learned more about tattoos and how they age I wouldn't get this piece again. I still love it though, and love the girl who got it 13 years ago.
2 left ankle: sun
Age 20. New bestie and I decided to get not-matching matching tattoos and both got different sun tattoos. She got one on her inner arm in a totally different style from mine, which went on my ankle bone (hurts!). Doing the same thing in our own style was actually so us of us but we didn’t know that yet. She’s still deeply bestie.
3 right ankle: moon
Age 21. I went with same bestie from tattoo 2. You’ll notice I like symmetry, my right ankle was feeling bare. Also the romantic tragedy of the sun and the moon is compelling as fuck to me.
4 left tricep area/back of upper arm: ghost
Age 23. I love my ghost so much. I got it in an amazing historic tattoo parlour with the same bestie I was with to get tattoo 1. We were celebrating a beautiful trip to New Orleans, “Most Haunted City In America!” I just love her design, it was a flash piece at the shop. I don’t get to see her often because she’s behind me! I love getting to see her in pictures.
5 right upper inner arm: pinky promise
Age 25. I had a new best friend who felt like she was teaching me how to love. I’d never felt connected to someone like this before. We got matching pinky promise tattoos because we thought they were cute and we wanted something together. We got married 4 years later.
6 right forearm: rose
Age 25. I found an amazing artist whose style I admire who talked about loving coverups! You wouldn’t know it’s a coverup unless you’re looking for it, and why would you? It’s beautiful on its own. I love it very dearly. It hurt very much and healed gruesomely because it’s solid ink all the way through, to cover the work behind it. The parts that look shaded are with white ink.
General tattoo etiquette PSA:
It doesn’t bother me to say my tattoo is a coverup, because I think knowing there’s another piece it’s hiding adds to the accomplishment of what a beautiful job the artist did. When I say it’s a cover piece, the first question is often “What’s it covering?” That’s rude. All they know about it is that I disliked it enough to cover it, and they want to pry into that? It makes them seem like they’re eager to embarrass me with a bad decision I made when I was younger. I’m perhaps overly sensitive because of hurt feelings around my first tattoo, but I maintain it’s not a considerate thing to ask.
7 right tricep/upper outer arm: mint plant
Age 26. Symmetry! I had just moved to the city of my dreams, a Mecca of incredible tattoo artists, and fell in love with this artist’s style. (https://linktr.ee/Sluggysnailpoops) She did botanical work, I wanted a mint plant. It represents survival and persistence to me. This one is easier for me to admire in a mirror occasionally, and I do because it’s a gorgeous piece and it hasn’t aged a day since healing!
8 sternum/ribs/underboob: moth
Age 28. This moth design is by the artist, based on Luna and Atlas moths but not exactly either. I just love moths, I think they’re beautiful. I’ve always liked them much better than butterflies because of their fuzzy antennae and legs, they’re cuter to me. After getting the tattoo I learned moths are common symbols of hope and persistence, their being attracted to light literally taken figuratively. I like that, but it doesn’t carry that meaning for me. I just think she’s pretty!
9 left outer thigh: stylized Jennifer’s Body frame
Age 29. I fell absolutely in love with this comic/pop art style piece from my favourite movie in the universe, Jennifer’s Body, when the artist posted it as part of her Halloween flash. She’s in Toronto and I’m in Vancouver so I couldn’t get it. She announced a guest spot in Vancouver that winter and when I asked about it she said no one got it and she would be so stoked to do it. It took so fucking long and hurry so bad because of the solid black but I love her!!!
10 left upper arm: Matisse's The Dancers (kinda)
Age 30. This is a an original by the tattoo artist (Vin https://www.instagram.com/watercryptid/) stylizing the dancers (the titular dancers…) as devil women. I’m in love with this piece and have been from the moment I saw it. I’m so proud to have claimed it.
11 right outer forearm: false vampire bat
Age 30. I got Earnest (named for The Importance of Being Earnest) the same day as the Matisse Dancers, by the same artist! He’s so cute. I just love bats. I got both tattoos as a birthday gift to myself when I turned 30.
12/13 back of each calf: a tiger walking through a portal
Age 31. This diptych is my idea and my amazing artist Amanda’s design and work (she's the one who did my coverup rose! https://www.instagram.com/meowzen/). The tiger is walking up the stairs on my left leg and into a portal, and is exiting the portal on my right and walking down the stairs. It doesn't mean anything it's just cool! It's my first ever colour tattoo!
14 right shoulder: ace, king, queen, and jack of hearts and a couple flowers
Age 32. Another Meowzen piece! This one does have a meaning! My 3 brothers and I talked years ago about each getting a Ace, King, Queen, and Jack respectively as a set of sibling tattoos because we have spent thousands of hours playing card games in our family. No one ever actually got our card tattoos and I figured they forgot about it. I decided to get all 4 cards with the Ace leading the way because 1) an ace isn't very interesting to look at on its own 2) as the eldest, I like being in charge 3) I thought it would be both cute and funny to get their cards before they did. I was right, they were jealous. Also now I'm the ace up my own sleeve!
15 right outer thigh: a bear and a fox in love
Age 32. Another with a meaning, this tattoo is for my baby cats. Oscar is my little teddy bear and Vincent is my little feathery fox, and they've been in love for ten years! They're each a little piece of my heart that walks around my home and love me unconditionally. I didn't want to get text or portraits and pondered over a good symbolic piece for them for a long time. I'm soooo happy with it!