Craving Some Ink

Let's take a departure from my morose commentary from yesterday. I adamantly refuse to be unhappy today. Let's talk about tattoos instead. I've currently got six of them and I really, really want to get my next. It's been a couple of years since my last one which means I'm way overdue for another one. Here's the link to pics of ones that I already have, a few I'm contemplating getting, and even a couple that I've drawn for other people:

http://www.ancalagonmorgans.com/Tats.html

I know a lot of people are still vehemently opposed to getting tattoos. They can't get over the old negative stereotypes that tattoos conotated in the past. They still summon up images of Hells Angels, drug dealers, and drunken sailors when it comes to tats. That kind of thinking is close-minded and stupid, but whatever. That's their perogative... Fortunately, tattoos have become much less taboo in recent years, so more often I run into people who just don't "get" the whole tat thing, but they are at least fairly accepting of it.

I don't know that I can explain my fascination with getting inked, but I'll give it a shot. It's not a rebellion thing. I didn't get my first one because my mom told me I absolutely could NOT have a tattoo. (Although she did tell me that. Words like "disowned" came up when I first mentioned my desire to get a tattoo. It proved to be a hollow threat. Six tats later and I still seem to get invited to Thanksgiving dinner.) I guess the easiest explanation is self-expression. Every tattoo that I have is symbolic of some aspect of my life, of who I am. My first ink was based on a Celtic design depicting the horse goddess Epona. Anyone who knows me knows that if there is one defining aspect of my life it is my horses. They have always been a force in my life and they always will be. (If you think I'm crazy now, you should see me when I don't have a horse in my life to "balance" me out.) My dragon tattoo reflects my belief in fate and the fantastical. I've always had an obsession with dragons. They are magical and powerful and ethereal. My dragon is wrapped around a wheel of fortune (like the one on a tarot card). He is there as a symbol of the magic that exists in my world and the idea that all fortune (good and ill) is tied to fate and that as much as we would like to control it we can't. The wheel will stop where it does, when it does, and the best we can hope for is that we have a guardian looking out for us. This blog is starting to get a little longer than I had planned so I'll wrap it up with my blue tiger tattoo. Like dragons, I have always loved tigers. They are strong and beautiful and no one fucks with them. They are masters of their domains. Tigers have always been symbols of strength and protection. I figured I need all the help I can get, so now I've got a tiger to watch my back, so to speak. He is blue with green stripes because I hate for things to be common. An orange tiger tat would have been boring and I detest boring. In my head tigers should be blue and there are stories in Sumatra of rare blue tigers stalking the forest. They are the stuff of legend and I'm a sucker for a good fairy tale :)

So, there you go. A little insight into why I have some of the tats I have. Anyone who has them will tell you they are addictive. You can't just have one. I know they are not for everyone and that's fine. As I've said many, many times before, I am a dreamer. I prefer to live somewhere on the edge of normal. My tattoos are a reflection of that and I foresee several more in my future. They are part of the travelouge of my life and I hope the journey only gets more interesting from here...