Tattoos are amazing. They're a fun way to express what you love and are fun for both yourself and other people.
Over the summer, I got my first tattoo. It's simple and I got it in a place that I can't see it, in case I decide I hate it later. Stupid, right?
It took me months to finally decide what I wanted. I mean, of course it would. Getting a tattoo is a big decision. You're deciding what you want on your body for the rest of your life. It makes sense to be skeptical, but I wish I could be like the people who suddenly decide to get a tattoo and not have any meaning behind it. I have to give myself a reason for getting it - why I want a piece of art on my body forever.
Initially, I decided I wanted a mockingjay and I wanted everyone to be able to see it. The symbol from the Hunger Games that we're all familiar with.
When I first came up with this idea, I was excited. I couldn't wait to get this thing on my body and stare at it. But creeping doubt hit me after I had already set up my appointment. "What if I don't get hired for a job?" "What will people think?" "What if I look back on this time in my life, in 50 years, and say 'What the hell was I thinking?'"
I started searching online for something small, something easier to start out with. I got an ampersand, or rather a '&.' It has a deeper meaning to it than a mockingjay.
But I was still hesitant to get anything at all. It's an arduous process, really, trying to decide what parts of you you'd like to represent forever. More so than arduous, it is nerve-wracking, constantly making you change your mind until you've decided to bite the bullet.