Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Tattoo Tuesday

For those of you who follow Sometimes Sweet, you must be familiar with Tattoo Tuesdays!

As it is Tuesday (right?), and I have some tattoos of my own, I thought I'd share them with you, as well as plans I have in mind for future tattoos.

Hello, there.
Showing off my tattoos makes me a feel a little vulnerable, can you tell?


My newest addition is the separation of Pangaea. On one end, all of the continents are conjoined to form the land mass Pangaea. As you follow around the band on my arm, you'll watch Pangaea begin to separate until you find the continents in their present placement.

As our world becomes more and more globalized (in good ways and bad), we humans find ourselves further and further connected to each other (in good ways and bad). This tattoo represents that change. The distance and differences we perceive between people from around the world are only an illusion. Yes, we have experiences that are unique and we are socialized by distinct cultures, but really, to our core, we are the same. For me, Pangaea represents the link between us all.


My next tattoo, which I saw in a dream and planned for years before I actually inked it, is a lightbulb with a brain inside. Some of you are aware of my love affair with the human brain and neurology. This tattoo is a token of those affections and a tribute to the amazing and mysterious powers of the brain. To think that everything we see, hear, say, feel, touch, taste, think, perceive, and experience takes place in our brain totally astounds me. We have so much to learn about human experience and behavior. I believe these answers will come from the brain. As Fiona Apple said, "He said it's all in your head, and I said, so is everything, but he didn't get it."
I get it, Fiona, I totally get it.


This set of symbol tattoos is a doosy. I didn't get them at the same time and the meaning of the symbol I got first has changed significantly for me.

The infinity symbol came first. A now ex-boyfriend and I got the infinity symbol on our wrists together, to represent the length of time our love would last. How foolish and naive were we? Our relationship ended not long after we got the tattoos, but I can say that I will care about him deeply forever. The kind of love I have for him has changed a lot.

Hence, the delta, or the triangle, the symbol for change. I got this tattoo next, paired with the infinity symbol, to represent the idea that the only thing that lasts forever is change. Reminding myself of this has helped me through a lot of tough times.

The last two symbols have fairly simple explanations, as they represent my belief in and struggle for the equality of all humans, no matter their gender, sex, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion, class, etc. Also, my rejection of the dichotomies of sex (male-female), gender (masculine-feminine), and sexuality (heterosexual-homosexual) is represented here.


The last and oldest tattoo, located between my shoulder blades, I got spontaneously when it was finally legal for me to do so. Embarrassingly enough, this tattoo design can be found in White Fluffy Clouds, a collection artwork and writings by Brandon Boyd. That's right. The same Brandon Boyd of the band Incubus. I was a total fan girl throughout high school. I still love the design, but nowadays I usually explain it away by my trip to India. Shh, don't tell. What I did learn from getting this tattoo, is that I will probably never get another that I didn't design myself. There you have it.


I wanna see and read about your tattoos, too! Send me a link to a picture or write a blog post to share!

<3

4 comments:

Roxanne said...

I love them Morgan! I have quite a few and plan to get many more. The brain/light is amazing.

elycia said...

hi classmate! nice to meet you! i wish i had a tattoo to share :(...someday. i also like the brain/lightbulb one.
i play a lot of instruments, piano, drums, bass, guitar, trumpet and i'm learning viola. i started with piano when i was young and kept picking up more and more! i love making music.
i have never tried the autoharp, it looks so neat!
thanks for stopping by my blog! talk to you soon,
elycia

Sarah said...

Your tattoos are awesomeee. The Pangaea one is really beautiful!

And I still like Incubus haha, is that lame? :( I think it's a beautiful design!!! Though I totally get the bit about wanting to design it yourself.

Started getting some stuff together for your mail today, eeeeeeeee. <3

Anonymous said...

I love your tattoos! And it's very cool to hear your stories behind each of them.

I have yet to get my first one, but I definitely plan on designing it myself.