Fresh Ink
In lieu of a rather unphotogenic June that was essentially full of photo shoots for the site and plenty of packing up house, I thought I’d skip out on our monthly Instagram recap. Instead I wanted to share some new ink I got a few Fridays ago. In fact I got two new tattoos on the same day (not the first time that’s happened), and both are very meaningful designs that I’ve been wanting for awhile.
My Grandpa (not Pete, the other one) had a huge hand in raising me. And for the life of me I can’t seem to put into words just how big of a spot he holds in my heart. And just how much it gutted me when he passed away when I was 17. Swallows are the bird of remembrance, and this one is based on Julia Rothman’s Daydream wallpaper for Hygge & West. I had my tattoo artist add a little touch of original tattoo style (sometimes called sailor style) in honor of my Grandpa’s Navy days as a gunner’s mate. Once he left the service and went to work in the steel mills of Pittsburgh his nickname actually was Sailor, so it felt all the more fitting.
The second is a super simple design that I did in about 2.5 seconds. As my moving date looms ever closer and this phase of my life in Oklahoma comes to an end, I wanted to commemorate it. The first time I moved here I was 18, a kid in an adult’s body. Now I’m 34 and the number of ways I’ve grown and changed as a person are too numerous to count. If you haven’t guessed what it stands for yet I’ll share – a rudimentary tornado. Not only are they an ever present threat each spring, but in this case a symbol of destruction and rebirth. (And as my friend pointed out, when I bend my arm up it looks like a Delta symbol. For change.)
These two tattoos bring my total to seven, though the swallow is the first I’ve gotten that will be seen on a regular basis. And of course I’m already planning the next one – they’re addictive like that! So how about it, have any tattoos of significance on you?
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