Leap Into Ink

I have wanted a tattoo since I was a ‘tween listening to grunge rock and metal in my bedroom with my cousin/best friend. We used to buy magazines and watch MTV and we really thought we were cool. You would think that as soon as I turned eighteen, I would have been in the tattoo shop getting inked up. But I didn’t. 

The reason I didn’t is because I saw so many of my friends getting fairies and butterflies and not really putting any thought into what they wanted or the fact that this is going to be a permanent part of your body for the rest of your life. I wanted my tat to be special. I wanted it to represent something. I felt a need to really put some thought into my piece.

I’m from Texas and lived in Oklahoma for a long time. I thought about getting something to do with the Texas flag or a yellow rose. Nix that idea when I realized that I would really look the redneck part (even though, deep down inside, I probably am a bit of a redneck). Then I thought I would get some sparrows after looking at flash online for hours. After I had settled on that, I started seeing everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, getting the typical sparrow tattoo, so that idea also went out the window.

Five years went by and I realized that this was something I really wanted to do and wanted to do soon. About that time, I moved back to Texas and got engaged to my boyfriend of five years. I thought perhaps I should wait because my old fashioned parents would inevitably freak out and wasn’t sure how great a tattoo would look with a white wedding dress. Then everything went crazy and I almost broke up with my boyfriend and called off the engagement. I decided it was time for a change.

With this decision, I settled on the piece that I wanted. I love traditional tattoos. I like sparrows but didn’t want the traditional one because everyone and their dog has one. I knew whatever my choice was the colors had to be vibrant and bold. Growing up in West Texas, I am also a lover of all things Mexican. Their food, language, literature, and art are all things that really make me nostalgic. One thing that always intrigued me was the Dia de los Muertes (Day of the Dead). This is a Mexican holiday celebrated typically on November 1 and 2 of each year in which the dead are honored and revered by family and loved ones.