Being Unique

Today, I got my first ever tattoo. Now I don’t expect everyone to love or appreciate tattoo’s full stop but to me, this piece of art means so much more than what it would appear. It’s truly the representation of my ‘recovery’. I’ve wanted a tattoo since I was about 16 yet wanted to wait and make sure that I had decided fully on the design and location. For my 21st I had been inspired by something I’d seen and my brother whom has tattoos said he would pay for it for my birthday…a coming of age tattoo if you will.

So where did I get the inspiration?
I’m a fan of Pinterest….a social media site. Which basically you can ‘pin’ things to boards which you like, want to try out e.g. crafts or quotes. I also followed boards relating to mental health. I loved following quotations; it must be the literary influence in me. Anyway I found a few quotes which really resonated with me. The Buddhist proverb says; ‘The lotus flower blooms most beautifully from the deepest and thickest mud.’

So with this in mind I decided that I wanted to get a lotus flower tattoo with this quote in mind. I had also decided that I wanted to get a ‘unalome’ tattoo which is the representation of a person achieving enlightenment. The path starts in the centre of the spiral and you continue along your path in light when you reach the top (the straight line) you have reached enlightenment the best person you can be.

Again relating to my journey, which isn’t always straightforward and clear. This idea also resonated with me and I wanted to create something that beautifully combines the two.

I honestly couldn’t be more happy with my tattoo. I just wanted to share my personal insight into what and why I got this tattoo done. I’m not going to say that it didn’t hurt because it did and I’m sure that the healing process won’t be easy but it is so worth it. I am in love with my tattoo and the personal meaning behind it.

The finished product.. (please bare in mind that it was only done today so in a few weeks it will be much less sore-looking.)