Tattoos?!
- Lauren Fran
- Jan 24, 2017
- 4 min read
Tattoos.
A slightly taboo subject among the old and young alike. Some people love them, some hate them. There are very few people in between.
I've currently got six tattoos, five pretty small and one a little larger. I got them at a few different shops, all, I thoroughly researched. One healed pretty badly, and in the photo you'll see the outcome. In this post I'm going to quickly show you photos, and explain significance personal to me. If anyone would like me to, I'll do a further post on pain, healing time, how to find a reputable shop, etc. Just give me a shout!
Enjoy -
Now, as you can see, I've shoved a filter onto them. This isn't for any sneaky reason, it's simply because 1. I hadn't shaved and I wasn't digging the hair issue, and 2. monotone makes it very very easy to make out details of tattoos. Normally, these look a little less defined, a little more 'settled', as it were.
The two final symbols, the book and the yin and yang, are little flash tattoos I got on a bit of a whim. I don't regret them at all, but they mean less to me than my other tattoos. Currently, I'm studying History and English Lit at University. I got these two in the town where I'm studying, so it has that significance for me, and the book is clearly because of the topics, and I also because I am, and always will be, an absolute book worm. They're part of my day to day life, I love them, and they're very important to me. The bookmark looks a little funny, that's because it's actually red, and shaded. This is tiny, not bigger than a £1 coin so I hope you can appreciate that there is very little detail, but I love it, and how small it is. The Yin and Yang is even smaller. Slightly larger than a 5 pence piece. This one was an absolute bastard to heal, and I've been left with patches where the ink didn't settle at all. Again, if you'd like to know about that just let me know. I've included the photo of my tattoo anyway, because I still do like it.
Getting a little more significant now, is the deathly hallows tattoo, underlined with a pretty simply black line. (This image is really distorted. It's on the front of my ankle area thing, and it's really hard to get a photo of. The lines are pretty much perfect, when you look at it in person). I got Harry Potter because throughout my childhood, this was a very, very important series to me. It got me through a lot, kept me up when I was at my very lowest, and for that reason, no matter how old I am, it will always have significance to me. Underneath, is a line, parallel to one of the lines in the symbol. These two lines together symbolise equality. =. It's a very well known sign of equality because it's an 'equals' sign, and I simply wanted it integrated with my other tattoo.
Another tattoo you can see above, is 'The Rest is Silence.' This is the last line that Hamlet speaks in the play. I got it soon after I went to see Hamlet on the stage, and again, it will always be important to me due to my love of books, plays, poems, etc. I also have a mad love for Shakespeare, and the many ways this last line can be interpreted.
Penultimately, I have this longer tattoo. 'Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread, but give us roses'. This has a really long history. It was in an important speech inspired by a poem, and was later developed into a song. I first heard this version from John Denver, one of my Father's favourite musicians, and as I considered a line I could get, out came Pride (2014) that confirmed to me, with great passion, that this was a good decision. It was used in the movie quite perfectly, sung during the mining strikes during Thatcher's reign. This simply confirmed my intentions, particularly because of my love for this movie, support for a friend of mine, and significant personal reasons.
Finally, we get to the 'big one'. It's bigger than I ever intended, but I am in love with it. In the circle, there are aspects from images myself and my Dad have taken over the years. Primarily, these images are from the Lake District, my second home. I'm in love with that place, and I always will be. The other images that are integrated, were from Ghana, one of the most important places in my life. I want another tattoo, purely for that beautiful place, but to have it integrated with my favourite place at home was incredibly important to me. I'm in love with simplicity of this tattoo, and the artist pulled out all the stops, and did everything to my exact specification.
Now for a little disclaimer. These images aren't the best. Not all the tattoos are the greatest. But I am in love with each and every one of them. I have no regrets, no concerns, and I certainly won't for the foreseeable future. I'm very, very happy with all of them.
If you don't like tattoos, that's cool, you don't have to get them. If you do like them, great! Any focus on slightly off placement, lines, words, letters, is likely due to the image being distorted, I'll take clearer images next time. If you'd like to ask any questions, just drop me a line under 'contact me'.
Thanks for now.
Lauren.
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