Getting a tattoo is a huge deal; whatever you get inked into your skin will be there forever. Not only do you have to really love what you want to get, but also be sure that you’ll love it for the rest of your life. When you are totally committed to and in love with your ink, though, it is transforming. Knowing that this beautiful, meaningful marking will always be with you is powerful stuff.

Many people plan their tattoos way in advance of actually getting them, and most tat plans are very significant to the person. It be to commemorate an important event, time or person, or an image, lyric, quote or symbol that really connects with you. Not to say that spontaneous or “I don’t know, I just like it” tattoos aren’t equally as powerful to their wearer. Despite having numerous tats planned (and diagrammed…), the two I’ve gotten so far were not on that list, rather chosen the week (or night…) before. However, when something inspires you to such a degree that you’ll pay an artist to repeatedly stab you in the flesh to wear the colored scars forever, it’s meant to be.

That level of commitment can be empowering in itself, however. You have to really trust yourself, and trust your artist. It’s actually quite a self-confidence boost to go through with getting a tattoo—it’s obviously not a comfortable experience to actually get it, so there’s that rush, but more so that you’ve trusted yourself and your interests so intimately that you’ve made a permanent alteration to your body. And if the tattoo is particularly significant to you, being able to look down at it can remind you of what it means to you (someone special, artistic prowess, survival, freedom, whatever applies to you), or remind you of the good things about yourself that got you that tat: strength, self-trust and intimacy, and confidence.

And let’s not underplay the importance of tattooing as artistic expression overall. Just like your hair, clothes, or room, the ink in your skin can say so much about you. You’re wearing your priorities, aesthetics, and ideals just as proudly and artistically just like you’d display on your walls. However, unlike walls or clothes, this type of self-expression can’t be torn down or shrunk in the wash. They may have to be hidden, usually from jobs with conservative dress codes or non-supportive parents, but you know they’re there, and once you’re off shift or away from home, the things most important or pleasing to you will always be there for you to share with the world.

And when those things do mean the world to you, tattoos are worth needle-induced hurting (and aftercare itching).