Will I regret my tattoo? - The reason behind my tattoo

Coming to you from the pool side…

When the word ‘tattoo’ gets heard in a conversation some people will say something like, “You’ll regret it in 20 years” or “Your body is too precious.” Some other people will say something like, “Your body, your choice” or “You must be openly expressive.”

I can see all points of views on tattoos, the good and bad. I agree on some, and disagree on others. I can see how they can be regretful but I can see how they can be preserving a memory for a lifetime. I can see how our body is the best canvas for forms or expression but I can see how tattoos are not for everybody. 

A tattoo could mean anything to anyone, but it is up to that individual with a tattoo whether or not they are content with sharing their tattoos ‘greater meaning’ or whether they don’t want to reveal it was a drunken mistake. For many, getting this permanent ink for eternity is much more than a name of a family member on your wrist, a random flower on your ankle or a dragon on your thigh. It can be about closure and can be a healing gap for something you have experienced. It can represent a loved one or that time you went on holiday. Tattoos are on the surface, but they go beyond skin deep. 

The many people that do have a tattoo or many tattoos are going to ink which ever body part they like in any style, shape, form and colour they wish. They do this for self expression because their body is a canvas and they honestly do not care if you are able to ‘appreciate’ it or ‘accept’ their decision. A tattoo can be a rash decision, or a hard thought planned tattoo. “You’ll regret it”, “You ruined your body” or “You’re too young” or even “What a waste of money”, comments like these can be taken into offence or can be agreed upon. Their ink may be close to their heart and you have just called that flower that represents her dead mother a “waste of money”. “I bet you regret it” is said to a guy with the name of his first girlfriends on his chest but you just put him down even further than he already felt. It all depends on the individual and the reason behind their tattoo/s. Yeah they might regret it. Yeah later on in life that might think they were too young at the time of their first tattoo. Yeah they might have spent a little too much money. But how does that effect you in ANY way? You aren’t inside their body, you don’t have to feel their regret. We are all born with our own bodies and what we decide to do with them should not matter anyone other than ourselves. 

Do you honestly think that planning an idea, creating a design and enduring the pain of the ink on us that we are “wasting our money” or “ruining our body”? I see this as love and passion at some point or another. Just because someone does not understand your reason behind a tattoo does not mean that it is not worth getting. I find tattoos the most beautiful way for self expression.

So, why did I get my tattoo? I got it for a long list of reasons, some too personal to share and some are quite obvious to those close to me. After I explain the symbolism behind my tattoo, you may have a greater understanding at what I am getting at:

On my back I got inked the symbol of a lotus flower and a symbol of an unalome. The wavering ovals are the human desires that distract us and as the ovals decrease moving towards a straighter line pointing downwards it signifies the path to enlightenment; reaching for Nirvana. For the lotus flower, this represents rebirth and purification of the spirit, the unalome is the path to this. 

Now, you are probably thinking, well why on earth did you get this, Tylah?

Well, I got this permanent decision done because those ovals are the ‘distracting’ things that I’ve experienced in my life, like getting emotionally attached to people, thinking less of myself than what those close to me perceive me as and the many challenges I’ve faced. 

This tattoo represents the journey I must undertake in order to end up where I am destined to be. It is there to remind me everyday that I must move on from my past distractions, current distractions and distractions that I may face in the future because they hold me back from the journey to finding who I am and making the most of this life I have been given. 

I will carry this tattoo with pride and joy as this is something I am proud of and to reflect what I want out of life. Someone very close to my heart said to me this morning, “Most people will never understand your tattoos intricacy. But will still think that it’s beautiful in multiple senses despite. The people who do understand it love you for the person that you are and what you represent, which is the same with your new ink.” In a nutshell, this is how I want people to view my decision of this tattoo that I now have on my back for the rest of my life. 

My experience: I got this ink done in Bali by my Dad’s tattooist who is recognised as a high quality artist who has tattooed skin all over the world. I don’t think I will have anyone tattoo me other than him. His work is incredible and he shows his talent. Obviously I knew getting this done was going to hurt, and it did. But you’d be surprised when I was under the needle that it wasn’t even that bad, even while I was very sunburnt. Especially for such a big piece for my first one. I was expecting more pain, but I clearly get this pain tolerance from my Dad who has many, many tattoos. This tattoo was worth that hour and a half and I really enjoyed getting this done.