I’m really hoping my mother is not reading this column, because I’m sure she doesn’t want me to get one, but I want to get a tattoo and have wanted to for quite some time.
The problem with this, aside from the shame I may or may not bring in the eyes of my mom, is actually deciding what it is that will be permanently inked into my skin and displayed proudly as years go on.
I can imagine my mother saying, “Fine Andrew, get a tattoo, but when you hate it in 10 years time, don’t come crying to me.”
That’s one thing I want to avoid with a tattoo. I want it to mean something to me for the rest of my life and not just be something that I think is cool at that moment.
I know a lot of people say every tattoo has a certain meaning to them, and I’m sure that they do. I just know I have been putting a lot of thought into what represents my life from the past, as of right now and also in the future.
So this is my rant on what I have been mulling for the past couple of years. What is extremely important to me and what can I do to make my tattoo different from every other tattoo out there?
First thing I figured I should do when picking a tattoo is lay out some ground rules on what I don’t want my tattoo to be.
Rule number one was an easy one for me: no names or script written on my body. I understand I’m probably get a little hate for this one, but how many people have gotten a tattoo of their significant other to later find that special someone isn’t as special as they used to be?
Don’t get me wrong. If you are proud of your family and want the names of your kids, wife or husband, or you have a passage commemorating a family member who has passed away, and you want that inked on your skin, that’s great that you love them that dearly. I’m just not the kind of guy that would want to display my loved ones’ names in that way. Written tattoos just aren’t for me.
Secondly, I know I do not want to get any form of tribal tattoos, barbed wire, snakes or anything else that can wrap around my arm. I am not from a tropical island and I was not a teenager in the 1990s.
Another thing I definitely want to avoid is a mural of an actual person. Something about that is just weird.
Finally, I know I don’t want the logo of one of my sports teams because everyone under the sun can get a tattoo like that. Diversity is key to me.
So knowing what kinds of tattoos I should avoid, what works best for me? I want a tattoo that tells a story, one that someone has to ask what the importance is behind it. I want a tattoo that will resonate with me for the rest of my life.
Some ideas that I have kicked around include something pertaining to my roots in Manitoba, maybe something to do with the shape of the province because it’s distinctive on its own. Or something that matches my personality.
Growing up my nickname was Moose, so a tattoo that’s a subtle call back to my nickname could be an idea. Or perhaps a hybrid logo of all of my favourite sports professional sports teams.
As you can tell I still have a lot to mull over before I make such a big decision, but whatever my decision is, I want the tattoo to be my design and mine alone.
