Jane's Story
Finally, I am back on here. I cannot even begin to describe how crazy this week has been with schoolwork, assignments for my internship and outside distractions that have left me speechless and really considering what is important in life. And all through this past week, I have thought about the two tattoos that I am going to tell you about, because they are inspirational, impacting the way I look at life in this world.

First off, let me reintroduce you to my friend, Jane, who was the second person that I ever posted about on this blog. She is now up to 14 tattoos (I believe), and I just can’t get over the beauty and the importance that each tattoo holds.

But her two latest tattoos are probably some of my favorite, the one because it is inspiring with its boldness (in look and in message) and the other because of the humility it represents.

One of the tattoos Jane added is a branch of steel magnolias, which stands out with crazy detail (including some hints of white ink). Then to accompany the flowers, Jane added the text “Live boldly and bloom.” She said that, at first, when she was conceptualizing her tattoo, she was hesitant to add text because she already has a lot of script (so some people were joking that she could become a walking quote). But Jane loves texts (as do I), so she finally decided on “Live boldly and bloom,” which she sees as embodying who she is.

She said this aspect of the tattoo representing who she is as a whole sets her new tattoo apart from others, which have been inspired by other people or particular points in Jane’s life. However, the idea for having steel magnolias be a part of the tattoo came about from Jane reading the book “Girls Gone Wise in a World Gone Wild” by Mary Kassian. While reading through this book with our friend, Amy, Jane was struck by a quote about steel magnolias. Kassian wrote: “The steel magnolia melds beauty with perseverance, softness with backbone, delicacy with durability, sweetness with stamina.” What a great representation of the women God calls His “daughters” to be!

The other tattoo, that so perfectly represents appropriate meekness, is a “greater than” symbol on Jane’s wrist, with the open end by her palm. Underneath the symbol are the Bible references for John 3:30 and Philippians 2:3. To paraphrase, these verses say “Christ must increase and I must decrease” and “consider others greater than yourself,” respectively.

Jane said that these passages are such great reminders in her life because she is studying to go into social work. With that, she will help many people that are considered to be in low places in general society’s eyes. Nonetheless, Jane knows that as a believer in the redemptive work of Christ her Lord and Savior, she is to consider those people better than herself and show them the love of Christ, if not explicitly then implicitly in her love for them. And with that, in order to have the sensitivity and wisdom to love people appropriately, Jesus Christ and all the qualities He embodies must grow in Jane’s life and any selfish desires or misconceptions of people must fade away.

Now for the story behind her tattoo experience itself:

Over the summer, before coming back to school, Jane made an appointment to get these two tattoos. She went to a shop she had not been to before, one that was recommended to her when she commented on the tattoo of someone she ran into at her workplace (and she said that it is rare for her to comment on someone else’s tattoo!...I bet she’s glad she did on this occasion, though). When she initially called the shop, she learned that the tattoo artist she had been referred to was booked up for the month; but this artist had an apprentice who was available. What struck Jane (and me…and others, I’m sure): this apprentice is a girl!

Jane said that she went in and looked at numerous portfolios of the apprentice, Laci, and decided to go ahead with it. This experience was different because with Laci being an apprentice, Jane had to sign off on paperwork, saying that she was aware Laci was an apprentice, which Jane said was kind of nerve-wrecking.

Jane said that Laci did really well, but she took a little longer than a more experienced tattoo artist. However, Jane said that in comparison with other tattoo artists she has had, Laci had a more gentle touch. (And at the bottom of the post I put a link to an article I found about female tattoo artists and how their typically gentle touch could be an advantage to them in the field!) Also, Jane said how she appreciated how talkative Laci was. Along with having a female artist for the first time, Jane experienced another first: getting color (white). Lastly, Jane said that pricewise this tattoo experience was “phenomenal,” because tattoo apprentices cannot charge full price for tattoos. There are some things to consider if you ever plan on getting a tattoo!

I hope you all appreciated these tattoos and stories as much as I did, and let me know what you think about Jane’s tattoos or female tattoo artists. If things don’t get too crazy around here, I hope to be back blogging next week. Thank you all for reading. Have a great week!

[Here is the link to the article I mentioned: http://columbianewsservice.com/2010/04/as-tattoo-artists-do-women-have-the-upper-hand/ ]

Stephanie's Story


I am so excited to share this story behind the ink with you, because it revolves around two of the people I am closest to — my sister, Stephanie, and her daughter, Addison.

As I’ve shared before, my sister, two of our friends and I all grew up drawing temporary tattoos on each other, and that time in our life must have been influential because now we all have tattoos.

Stephanie (or Steph, as a lot of people call her) was the last in this group to get a tattoo; she got hers this past weekend for her birthday, and I was happy to be home on Labor Day break so I could share the experience with her.

She says that she first knew she wanted to get a tattoo when she was 13, but it was only about a year and a half ago that she started laying the framework for what she really wanted; she knew she wanted it to pertain to love, because, at that time, she was expecting my beautiful niece Addison (or Addi).

What Steph finally decided on getting was an infinity symbol with the word “love” written in the bottom right quadrant of it, which I think has a pretty self-explanatory meaning. Then she personalized the tattoo by adding Addison’s name and birthday above the left side of the symbol.

Because the story of Steph’s tattoo basically tells itself, I would like to tell you all about her tattoo experience (which I got to experience right beside her).

The one thing that stood out about Steph’s experience in both of our minds was the fact that she had a female tattoo artist. Steph’s tattoo artist pointed out that though the industry has been notoriously dominated by men, girls today may have more opportunities than she initially did because women have earned their ranks in the business. This is seen in one of the most famous female tattoo artists (in America, anyway), Kat Von D, being seen on the reality television shows Miami Ink and, more recently, LA Ink. (If you are interested in checking out her highly acclaimed work, here is the link to her site: http://www.katvond.net/ …and I would definitely recommend reading her bio; it’s super interesting!)

A picture of Steph's tattoo artist hard at work.

Aside from being able to relate with her tattoo artist on the level of being a woman as well as a mom, Steph had an overall good experience. She says the first prick of the needle was less painful than she had expected, but as the needle moved more toward her stomach (and other little spots that are more sensitive) it got pretty painful, but she handled it like a champ. In fact, it oddly enough made me think back to her 34-hour long labor that she handled with grace just a little over a year ago.

And with that in mind, Steph says that her favorite part of her tattoo experience was being able to show the tattoo to the little expressive, loving bundle of joy it is for — Addi. Addi is such a smart baby that I don’t think it will take her long to learn that the tattoo is going to be there forever.

Side note: little kids blow my mind with the things they can pick up on both cognitively and socially. I know that may sound really random to some of you, but for those of you who don’t know me personally you have to understand that I absolutely love children, and I have especially loved watching how both of my nieces and my nephew have interacted with my tattoos...that and I'm taking a course in Child and Adolescent Development right now and we talked about the incredible capabilities of newborns in class today. It all just makes me so excited for the day when I will have kids of my own to get inked for!

Anyway, I hope you all have enjoyed this story behind the ink and will join me next week as I talk about my friend, Jane, who recently added to her impressive “resume” of tattoos, with what I believe are her 13th and 14th tattoos. Thanks for reading; I’d love to know what you think, so feel free to leave a comment below!

Heather's Story
A couple weeks ago I blogged about Lisa, the mother of three who now has three tattoos. And after I got her story up, her daughters especially were interested in telling me the stories behind their ink. So now things have finally settled down with heading back to college and stuff that I get to tell you all Heather's tattoo stories.

Heather says that when she was younger she was not a huge fan of tattoos. But after seeing her friends and both siblings get them, she decided it was her turn.

The first tattoo she got was an Italian flag on her foot, because she is half Italian (on her dad's side). And when her maternal grandmother saw this tattoo she insisted Heather get something for the other side of her family, so she added the shamrock for her Irish roots. Not only is Heather's love for her biological family represented in her ink, but also her love for and acceptance of members of her distant family. She added the Slovakian flag into her foot tattoo for her mom's boyfriend's roots, because he has been a significant figure in her life for years. And after that, she added the Puerto Rican flag for her cousin's wife who is not accepted by some members of Heather's extended family.

 

After she finished her foot tattoo she got the Scripture reference for Isaiah 40:31 because she says she has been through a lot. This verse talks about how when believers in God are burdened they can go to the Lord, and He will renew their strength, so they may "run and not grow weary...walk and not faint" (in especially the spiritual sense). Heather says that this verse is so relevant to her life because she is very involved in sports, so she can definitely relate with  feeling worn down. So with that feeling in mind, she (and many others) find great encouragement in the analogy the author of the Scripture passage puts forth when he says that with our Lord we can carry on, even when this world's "logic" says we should be defeated; we can believe in something greater than ourselves, something more! (And is there any better expression of belief in that hope than getting it put in permanent ink on your body?!)

I hope you all have enjoyed hearing those stories behind the ink, and maybe this blog has worked to even challenge or encourage some of you out there. I would love to hear from you in the comments below! Thanks for reading. I'll be back here next week with some more edifying tattoos that have really impacted my way of looking at life. Have a great week, everyone!

Sara's Story
Sara, her sister Lindsey, my sister Stephanie, and I all grew up loving tattoos—and that is obvious with Sara having four, Lindsey (featured in my post on March 11) and I each having two, and Stephanie planning to get her first in a few months. So since I have already shared my and Lindsey’s stories, I figured it is now time to tell you Sara’s!

Though the four of us girls started drawing temporary tattoos on one another from an early age, Sara really knew she wanted a tattoo when she was in high school. She says a lot of this decision came from her exposure to tattoos with her brother and guys in the fire department she served in. But she knew she had to wait until she was out of the house and able to pay for her tattoos on her own.

So, while down in Pensacola, Florida, for training, she got her first tattoo, an extensive piece on her side with flowers representing each one of her family members. The first sitting for the tattoo took two and a half hours, then she went back the next day for color and shading which took another two and a half hours—hardcore for a first tattoo! She says that this tattoo means everything to her because it represents her family, so it is her favorite by far.

Her next tattoo was also related to her family, in that she got it with Lindsey when Lindsey visited Sara in Japan. The tattoo is of a cherry blossom, an 18 (because they are 18 months apart in age), and the Japanese symbols for “older sister” (whereas Lindsey’s says “younger sister”) on her hip.

Sara's hip tattoo...



...Lindsey's hip tattoo!

Likewise, her third tattoo is for another family member that had a significant influence on her—her grandmother. Sara’s grandmother gave her a cross necklace when she was younger. And after breaking the chain six or seven times, Sara decided to put the pendant on her dog tags. Then about a year ago, she put the replica of that cross in permanent ink! Along with the tattoo being special, Sara says that she also really enjoyed the experience of getting this tattoo; first, it was in her/our hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania, and, second, because the artist she went to had also served in the U.S. Navy in Japan, so they had lots to talk about.

Lastly, her fourth tattoo is also for someone—her fiancé, James. They decided that though they wanted tattoos together, they wanted to get something silly, not so serious yet. So, because they were stationed in Japan together at the time, they got Digimon characters, with Sara’s character being the mate of the one James has on his arm.

Along with the four she already has, Sara says she does have at least two tattoos in the works! One tattoo she is thinking of is a scorpion with swirled lines in the background, because James’ sign is Scorpio and Sara’s is Aquarius. Secondly, she is hoping to get her rate in the Navy—a pair of wings with a parachute coming up from it. As of now, all her tattoos have come from different tattoo shops, and she is thinking about continuing that trend because she says it is pretty cool.

I hope you all enjoyed those stories behind the ink. I would love to hear what you think in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

Lisa's Story
I have been going to church with Lisa for about ten years, and she is one of the coolest adults I know — she is down-to-earth, stylish and fun; and most interesting to me, she has tattoos!

Just a few years ago, Lisa was completely against tattoos, but her mind changed when one of her kids got a tattoo and she went along. They went to the same place where I (and many other Erie natives I have talked to) went to get mine—Buddha’s Body Art & Exotic Piercing. When Lisa saw how clean the shop was and how friendly and talented the artists were she decided to get a tattoo. She says that after she got her first tattoo she was hooked, and now she has three.

Lisa has two tattoos on her left arm. Her first was of the Hebrew word for Jesus along with an outline of a cross and a shamrock. She got it in the middle of her forearm because she heard that was a crucial area of the arm when it comes to blood flow, and because Jesus is her “lifeline,” it just seemed appropriate that the tattoo would go there. Then she added in the shamrock to further symbolize who she is because she is half Irish.

The other tattoo on her arm is her latest one — a staff of music with “make a joyful noise” written underneath along with the Scripture reference of Psalm 98:4. Lisa says she got this tattoo because she has always had music in her life, and it reminds her that music is a connection she has with God.

And her other tattoo is of two hearts, one filled in with the look of an American flag and the other resembling the Puerto Rican flag. Lisa says she got this tattoo to show her solidarity to her nephew’s wife who is from Puerto Rico. She says that even though some of her family has ostracized her because of her support of the couple, she still stands beside them because her nephew’s wife and her family are wonderful, loving people.

Lisa also told me that she plans to get another tattoo. Though she is not completely set on a design, she knows that it will stand for her reliance on God, especially as He has grown her and brought her through some tough long-term circumstances.

Sorry it has taken me so long to get a story up here, but I hope Lisa’s stories behind the ink were worth it; I know I enjoyed learning about her tattoos. I’ll try to be back here next week. As always, thanks for checking out my blog, and if you have any tattoo stories for me to write about, feel free to comment below or e-mail me at

kimberlygarlick@cedarville.edu.

Joel and Tracy's Story
I was introduced to Joel and Tracy back in May while I was at college for summer session. What stood out first to me was their passion to serve God. This passion led them to recently move into the southwest quadrant of Springfield, Ohio, an area with a marred past but a hopeful future.

And Joel and Tracy as well as ministries, churches and organizations in the area are the ones bringing such hope to the community. Joel and Tracy’s focus in their outreach is influencing young people for the Lord. To do this, they plan to start a ministry of their own to encourage and enable youth in the area to express themselves in art of all kinds. Joel says this type of outreach is important because when the economy is tough in areas, one of the first things to be pulled from schools is art. He also said this is tragic because for many talented youth, art is their way out of such hopeless circumstances.

With trying to reach out to teens in tough situations, Joel and Tracy know it is important to be relevant. Joel especially can connect with youth because of life experiences he has had as well as his talents in hip hop, painting and drawing. Another thing that makes them relevant to the area they are in is their tattoos.

When Joel met Tracy, he had one tattoo. Though Tracy wasn’t a huge fan of tattoos, she says she didn’t mind the one. The tattoo was of the words “agape love” (which is a biblical concept of God’s unconditional love for mankind) and a dove. Joel says he got this tattoo because before he became a follower of Christ he treated people poorly, so he wanted a reminder of how he should treat people, to contrast how he used to be.

Then when Tracy started warming up to tattoos, Joel says he took advantage of the opportunity by getting a few more, including one he actually got with Tracy. So now Joel has six tattoos and Tracy has one. The tattoo they got together was the monogram of two superimposed Greek letters, chi and rho, because these are the first two letters for the Greek word for Christ. Joel and Tracy say this symbol is important to them because it was a mark used by early Christians persecuted in ancient Rome as a sign of brotherhood/sisterhood in their devotion to Christ.

Joel's other tattoos (all of which he designed) are as follows:

He has a cross with "YHWH," the Hebrew name for God of the Bible. Joel says he got this because he is a fan of the Bible and theology (which is appropriate considering he is in seminary).

He also has the Bible reference of Song of Songs 2:2 on his forearm for Tracy. The verse reads, "Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the maidens." He says he chose this because he wanted something different than her name on his body and because it serves as a conversation piece with other guys, in that he is able to explain how women should be treated in relationships--with love, respect and honor.

Next, Joel got the words "Jehovah-jireh," which is the anglicized way of expressing "YHWH will provide." Along with the name is the Bible reference of Genesis 22:14 where God provided for the Jewish forefather Abraham. Joel says he got this tattoo after a time in his life where he had to "swallow his pride" and just trust God's ways of providing for him.

Lastly, Joel has the Latin phrase "Sola Scriptura" on the inside of his left bicep. This phrase was the rallying cry against the Catholic Church during the Revolution, in that the Protestant reformers held to the doctrine that the Bible contains all knowledge necessary for salvation and holiness. Just like with Joel's YHWH tattoo, his love for Scripture influenced him to get this tattoo.

Joel says that if it were up to him, he would be covered in tattoos from his waist up to his neck, down to his fingertips. But since he has a wife, her family and others to consider, he is going to get one more, oddly enough at his mother-in-law's insistence; she thinks seven tattoos is better than six because seven is the number of completion. He is still trying to figure out what to get, but he thinks it will probably relate to the ministry he and his wife are going to start.

I hope you all enjoyed those stories behind the ink of a sincerely godly couple. Next week's post is even a surprise to me at this point, but I will try to get something up. Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you back here!

 

Paul's Story
Paul and I grew up in church together, but it has been years since we last saw each other or talked. Still, when we caught up a week or so ago, we found we had something to talk about—tattoos!

Paul says he always wanted a tattoo growing up, especially after seeing a Christian fish tattoo on a mentor of his, Mal Beall. But even somewhat to Paul’s surprise, he now has four, and he had major input on the designs of his first three.

He got his first tattoo about a year and a half ago after he completed boot camp. It is a Celtic cross with four words around it: “God” in Russian, “corps” in English, “family” in Gaelic and “friends” in German. He says these words symbolize what is important to him as well as his heritage.

The next tattoo Paul got is a soldier’s grave with the words “never forgotten,” which Paul says represents his respect for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in serving the United States.

Then about a year ago he got his third tattoo—a wolf on his arm. Paul says his uncle really loved wolves, and he rubbed off on Paul.

Most recently, Paul got a tattoo of his family crest on his side, which he is still waiting to finish. And he says that once that tattoo is colored and shaded that it will be his favorite, though at this point his favorite is the Celtic cross.

Besides having his family crest finished, Paul is not sure if he will get any more tattoos, though he says he may get one for his kids someday or something.
Sorry this story behind the ink was kind of short, but I am glad to be back into telling the stories behind tattoos themselves. I'll be back next week with another story, and I hope you all will join me!