Tattoos

I remember my mother telling me that I couldn’t get a tattoo until I moved out. She has tattoos, so I always thought this hypocritical, but I respected her rules and I waited. I didn’t rush into getting a tattoo, I waited until I’d settled on one that I really wanted and had a significant meaning. Don’t get me wrong, random tattoos can look amazing and you don’t need your tattoos to tell a story, but I want mine to. Each of my tattoos are meaningful and I’ve previously tweeted that I take more care of them than some people do their children (which I still stand behind).

I have to be careful where I get tattoos, because even in 2021 they are frowned upon in the legal field. They can actually stop you from obtaining a job, which I’d understand if I had an obscene tattoo on my face, but a non obscene arm tattoo should have no effect on a job position.

My First Tattoo

I knew that I wanted a quote, but it took me a while to settle on the perfect one. I’d heard of this saying, but it hadn’t crossed my mind to have it as a tattoo. I then saw it on a poster in a friends room and knew this was the quote that I had to have tattooed on me.

People have asked me what it means and I guess it could mean different things to the individual. For me it has two meanings:

1. Despite the fact that I tried my hardest to be straight until I was 21, I knew that I wasn’t and if I truly wanted to be happy all I had to do was remove my “mask”.
2. By identifying your mask you can heal from past anguish and build stronger relationships. Putting on a front builds a barrier and prevents growth. Everything I need is within me and I should not forget who is under the “mask”.

Tattoo No.2

Throughout everything that has happened in life my mother and sister have always been there, so I wanted to get a tattoo dedicated to them. I thought about getting an image that represents the three of us, but instead I decided to get their birthday’s in roman numerals.

I chose to get the tattoo on my back just below my neck, so that even if I was wearing an outfit that didn’t include a shirt you couldn’t see my tattoo. It was painless until they tattooed on my spine and then I wasn’t sure if I could continue. After a minute or two the artist carried on and it was pain free after that.

Tattoo No.3

My Grandma is an amazing woman, she is strong, resilient, caring and beautiful. Her house has been the most consistent home that I have. I spent a lot of my childhood roaming the hills near her house, playing tennis in her garden and just basically growing up. I visit her more than I do anyone else, obviously that’s not been a lot in the past year, but she is first person on my list to visit as soon as I’m allowed to leave my house. For these reasons, I got a tattoo dedicated to her – her house coordinates.

Not that I should have to justify my tattoos, but I get asked a lot about this one. The main question is, what if your grandma moves? Well my memories won’t die, the house that she has lived in for over 25 years will still be the one consistent home that I had and the village that the house is in will still be an important place to me. So, who cares if she moves, that house, my grandma’s home for over 25 years will always be a part of my story.

Tattoo No.4

I wanted to add to the script on my ribs, so when I was in LA, I did just this. I only had black script tattoos up until this point, so I wanted to pick the right design to add to it. I had finally come to terms with my sexuality, so I decided to add to the meaning of my script and fully commit to a pride tattoo.

I researched tattoo artists located near our apartment, spent a few hours deciding on the exact birds to get tattooed, called an artist and within 24 hours I had a new tattoo. The only thing I hadn’t thought about was how hot LA was and how that would impact the healing process. Luckily we flew to San Francisco within 3 days of me getting the tattoo and the weather was a lot cooler.

I want to add watercolour to it and have the birds flying through a rainbow type design. However, I haven’t found an artist that I trust to do it yet and I also don’t have £300+ spare to splash on a new tattoo. Getting this tattoo finished isn’t high on my priority list at the moment, but it is always in the back of my mind, so who knows it may get finished sooner than I originally planned.

Tattoo No.5 & No.6

I got these tattoos on the same day. They are my cheapest tattoos and the only ones done by an artist I had not researched. I got them on the back of my arm so that if I’m in a meeting, a job interview or court then they will not be visible (well to anyone standing in front of me).

I drew this for my sister when we were kids to show that no matter where we are we’re still connected. My favourite colour is blue and my sister’s is purple so we incorporated these colours into the tattoo.

I’m still shocked that a picture I drew for my sister over 10 years ago is tattooed on my body, but I’m glad that she picked this design as I love the meaning and I smile every time I see it.

Most people think this is a basic tattoo, but I chose it to symbolise me getting a first class law degree. I knew what I wanted to achieve, I put in the hard work, funded myself through my degree and hit my target. I didn’t want a bullseye tattoo so this was my next idea.

Future Tattoos

I would love a sleeve tattoo – I’m a complete sucker for them. I want my entire right arm covered from my shoulder to my wrist. As it currently stands this wouldn’t be acceptable for a solicitor, but I’m hoping that one day this changes. If not, who knows I may just go and get one and show everyone in the legal field that tattoo’s have no impact on my ability to get the job done. On second thought I may just wear long sleeve shirts whenever I’m in the office or at court.

I wouldn’t mind a calf tattoo, I just haven’t decided on what to get. I thought about a ying and yang tattoo to symbolise my current relationship, but I’m unsure whether I’d prefer to get that on my back or my side.

I have a lot of ideas, but if I stick to the premise that they all have to be hidden then I will eventually run out of space, so I need to think carefully about where to put them.

Regrets?

I will never regret a tattoo because it obviously meant something to me at the time of it being inked. All of my current tattoos and my future ones will help tell my story, whether it’s a time in my life I’m trying to forget, a memory that pains me or a happy event.