10 Inspiring tattoos with deep meaning
Meaningful Tattoos
One of the beauties of tattooing is symbolism. This is used in many different ways to represent any number of things to the person wearing the tattoo. When a person is going through a hard time in their life it can be a useful way of pulling them through. A little light in the darkness so to speak.
Sometimes a tattoo can be a reminder the kind of person you would like to be or how you would like to live your life.
This is what I was going for with my thigh tattoo. It is a hand mirror with the script "let us be more simple and less vain", a quote I found online by Jean-Jacques Rousseau an 18th Century Philosopher from Geneva. It summed up what the mirror represented to me nicely. In a time when the world is so obsessed with how we look it is held in higher regard than who we are on the inside and how we as people treat others, I wanted to remember to be happy with who I see when I look in the mirror as apposed to what I see. I also want to pass this on to my children, not only to apply these standards to themselves but also to hold others to the same standard and not be shallow or superficial.
Worker Bee
Aster Casser got this worker bee as a tribute to all who suffered as a result of the Manchester bombing, an event that shook the second city and the UK to its core. Aster, herself a resident of the city, said:
"The next few months that follow are why I got this tattoo. I didn't leave the house the next day because anxiety attacks were happening one straight after the other and I was in no fit state to be in public. But the next day my entire college was on lock down and the entire city seemed to be still in shock."
The symbol of the worker bee has been associated with Manchester since long before this horrific event took place, the reason being the hard working background of the city. The textile mills of the 1800s were referred to as "Hives of activity" and compared the workers to bees, this is why the symbol was born. It was the Mancunian togetherness that inspired Aster to get this tattoo.
"This bee, this tattoo, is more than just a symbol of Manchester, it's a symbol of bravery and unity in the face of fear, and in those few months I had never been so proud to be a part of my city."
A number of the tattoo artists in and around Manchester were offering these worker bee tattoos with all the proceeds donated to support the victims of the tragedy.
Touching Tribute
Wayne Ryall got this blue hand tattoo as it is the emblem for Erb's Palsy, a condition caused by nerve damage at birth that can lead to paralysis of the arm. Wayne's son was affected by this condition and Wayne now says
"I wear it with pride".
This is a lovely way to spread awareness and show support of loved ones and others going through the same or similar.
Well done Wayne, we salute you!
Karma's a Bitch
This lady (who chose to remain anonymous) got this tattoo as a little reminder to herself.
It represents the end of her marriage,
"It's the story of the break up of my marriage
involving another man. Only to find out the
other man had a girlfriend."
So this is why this particular lady got the word "Karma" the meaning of which is "the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences"
So in other words what you put out there is
what you get back.
This is not the only reason she chose this tattoo, or more specifically this location for it, though, as she went on to explain:
"It hurt so bad I felt like I wanted to self harm which I haven't done since I was a teenager, so I thought I would just have this right on my ribs where it would hurt."
One of the best parts of being tattooed is the feeling a new tattoo brings. That is a much healthier expression and an alternative outlet for many.
Backstabbing Best Friend
Grace Beaverstock was going for a different kind of meaning when she chose this olive branch and arrow tattoo. The idea for the tattoo came from Grace's favourite song by Nick Jonas, Olive and Arrow.
"The song describes how someone can be nice and extend an olive branch like a sign of peace but then turn around and stab you in the back with the arrow."
She went on to explain that when she had gone on holiday her best friend had slept with her boyfriend! Think that definitely counts as a back stabbing.
Betterware do you get tattoo inspiration?
So this tattoo is an interesting choice. Kayleigh Wright decided to have this tattoo as a tribute to her deceased father. The poem reads,
"Our family chain is broken,
And nothing seems the same,
But as god calls us one by one,
The chain will link again."
Which I think you will agree is quite beautiful. Kayleigh then went on to explain:
"The tattoo receptionist commented on how beautiful it was and then the whole shop proceeded to laugh their arses off when I said it was from the betterware catalogue."
Didn't see that coming!
I might be reaching for my home goods catalogue next time I need inspiration for a new tattoo!
Devoted Sisters
Emily Maxwell and her older sister had matching sister
tattoos and here is why:
"Well me and my older sister have matching "sisters" tattoos. This is because when we were growing up my older sister raised me. She's 7 years older than me. My mum wasn't really active during my young years and so my sister had to take care of me. We were always so close. My sister moved out when she was 16 and due to a family fall out I wasn't allowed to see her, no contact whatsoever. My mum decided to move to Scotland and because I was only 16 I had to go with her. We moved up to Alness. Her marriage to my stepdad failed and he left us to go back to England. Less than a year later I knew I'd saved enough money to come back to England so I messaged my older sister on Facebook and I got on a train back down. My sister is my biggest hero, my worst fear and my best friend. We've been through so much to be together and now if we ever lose touch again I know she'll always be part of me."
This obviously a close bond and a touching way to mark that.
Tell Me When It Kicks In
Following on in the theme of family tattoos, Sasha-Leigh Hazlewood got this tattoo in honour of her brother who won his battle with cancer.
"Waited for years to get "Tell me when it kicks in" tattooed for my brother after his fight with cancer, for his treatment (chemotherapy, blood transfusions, antibiotics, radiotherapy) kicking in."
It can be awful for those who are affected by this terrible illness! Sasha chose to express the hurt through her tattoo. Not only this but she also linked it to a song that got her through the tough time.
"Not only that it's my favourite lyrics from one of my favourite songs that I relied on to calm my nerves for the years Brandon was in and out of hospital fighting and beating cancer. Getting this tattoo really puts his and our family's journey into perspective."
That's a happy ending to the story for Sasha and her brother Brandon.
Roses Are Red, Yellow And Pink
Another family tattoo comes in the form of this beautiful rose tattoo that belongs to Lucy Morris Marpole. The three roses represent her, her mother and her grandmother. In symbolism, the rose means love and conveniently it is the three ladies' favourite flower.
The final tattoo is something a bit different, the patterns on Emily Haynes collar bone are actually sound waves.
One of the beauties of tattooing is symbolism. This is used in many different ways to represent any number of things to the person wearing the tattoo. When a person is going through a hard time in their life it can be a useful way of pulling them through. A little light in the darkness so to speak.
Sometimes a tattoo can be a reminder the kind of person you would like to be or how you would like to live your life.
Out of all the stories I received a huge number of them were meaningful and really gave something to the person sporting them. It shows that tattooing can be used as a form of therapy giving a whole new aspect to this already diverse form of expression. Here are some of the stories shared with me.
Worker Bee
Aster Casser got this worker bee as a tribute to all who suffered as a result of the Manchester bombing, an event that shook the second city and the UK to its core. Aster, herself a resident of the city, said: "The next few months that follow are why I got this tattoo. I didn't leave the house the next day because anxiety attacks were happening one straight after the other and I was in no fit state to be in public. But the next day my entire college was on lock down and the entire city seemed to be still in shock."
The symbol of the worker bee has been associated with Manchester since long before this horrific event took place, the reason being the hard working background of the city. The textile mills of the 1800s were referred to as "Hives of activity" and compared the workers to bees, this is why the symbol was born. It was the Mancunian togetherness that inspired Aster to get this tattoo.
"This bee, this tattoo, is more than just a symbol of Manchester, it's a symbol of bravery and unity in the face of fear, and in those few months I had never been so proud to be a part of my city."
A number of the tattoo artists in and around Manchester were offering these worker bee tattoos with all the proceeds donated to support the victims of the tragedy.
Touching Tribute
Wayne Ryall got this blue hand tattoo as it is the emblem for Erb's Palsy, a condition caused by nerve damage at birth that can lead to paralysis of the arm. Wayne's son was affected by this condition and Wayne now says"I wear it with pride".
This is a lovely way to spread awareness and show support of loved ones and others going through the same or similar.
Well done Wayne, we salute you!
Karma's a Bitch
This lady (who chose to remain anonymous) got this tattoo as a little reminder to herself.
It represents the end of her marriage,
 |
involving another man. Only to find out the
other man had a girlfriend."
So this is why this particular lady got the word "Karma" the meaning of which is "the sum of a person's actions in this and previous states of existence, viewed as deciding their fate in future existences"
So in other words what you put out there is
what you get back.
This is not the only reason she chose this tattoo, or more specifically this location for it, though, as she went on to explain:
"It hurt so bad I felt like I wanted to self harm which I haven't done since I was a teenager, so I thought I would just have this right on my ribs where it would hurt."
One of the best parts of being tattooed is the feeling a new tattoo brings. That is a much healthier expression and an alternative outlet for many.
Backstabbing Best Friend
"The song describes how someone can be nice and extend an olive branch like a sign of peace but then turn around and stab you in the back with the arrow."
She went on to explain that when she had gone on holiday her best friend had slept with her boyfriend! Think that definitely counts as a back stabbing.
Betterware do you get tattoo inspiration?
"Our family chain is broken,
And nothing seems the same,
But as god calls us one by one,
The chain will link again."
Which I think you will agree is quite beautiful. Kayleigh then went on to explain:
"The tattoo receptionist commented on how beautiful it was and then the whole shop proceeded to laugh their arses off when I said it was from the betterware catalogue."
Didn't see that coming!
I might be reaching for my home goods catalogue next time I need inspiration for a new tattoo!
Devoted Sisters
Emily Maxwell and her older sister had matching sister
tattoos and here is why:
This obviously a close bond and a touching way to mark that.
Tell Me When It Kicks In
Following on in the theme of family tattoos, Sasha-Leigh Hazlewood got this tattoo in honour of her brother who won his battle with cancer. "Waited for years to get "Tell me when it kicks in" tattooed for my brother after his fight with cancer, for his treatment (chemotherapy, blood transfusions, antibiotics, radiotherapy) kicking in."
It can be awful for those who are affected by this terrible illness! Sasha chose to express the hurt through her tattoo. Not only this but she also linked it to a song that got her through the tough time.
"Not only that it's my favourite lyrics from one of my favourite songs that I relied on to calm my nerves for the years Brandon was in and out of hospital fighting and beating cancer. Getting this tattoo really puts his and our family's journey into perspective."
That's a happy ending to the story for Sasha and her brother Brandon.
Roses Are Red, Yellow And Pink
Another family tattoo comes in the form of this beautiful rose tattoo that belongs to Lucy Morris Marpole. The three roses represent her, her mother and her grandmother. In symbolism, the rose means love and conveniently it is the three ladies' favourite flower.
"The red one represents my Nan, the yellow is my mum and the pink one represents me. It’s all of our favourite flowers"
What a lovely tribute to family love through the generations!
What a lovely tribute to family love through the generations!
Multidimensional Tattooing
"Collar bones tattooed with sound waves, left collar is my fathers voice and right is my mums voice both of them saying ' I love you ', I got these a week before I moved to Norwich for 2 years so they were always with me saying what I love the most."
These amazing tattoos can actually be played using a mobile phone app. “mobile application and artist platform network for augmented reality tattoos” was founded by Nate Siggard, a tattoo artist who invented these tattoos made up of people's voices, pieces of music or even your dog barking! Pretty incredible!
So, there are so many different meanings behind the tattoos showcased here. One thing however is true to all and that is how much they mean to the people that have them. This can be said of many art forms but only in tattooing is the image permanently there as a constant reminder. People's stories etched in their skin to keep them going, give them strength or remind them how lucky they are. The possibilities are endless.
Comment below if you have any tattoo related stories. Next weeks blog will be about the dreaded scratchers! Including gems like this, so don't miss it!
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