“My body is my journal and my tattoos are my story.” -Johnny Depp

Two weeks after my 18 responses...

Thus I will respond now as an advocate for my fellow inked people.

1. “You? Get a tattoo?”Tattoos. Plural. Naturally, I understand that I look like a twelve year old (I’m twenty years old). And I have an overall small frame, but I don’t think that’s what made people question my legitimacy on this matter. Along with my tiny stature, I also had a 4.0 GPA, held multiple leadership positions, and excelled at being the obnoxiously busy student. Was I too weak to get one? Was I too “innocent” to get one? Who knows.It is a known fact that one can not completely know a person. That is why I have majority of my tattoos in concealable places. That’s right kids, symbolism. As a tattoo adic-I mean lover, I’ll be getting more as I get older. Some in more visible places as to represent the world and myself getting to know me a little better.
2. “YES GIRL DO THAT”GIRL YOU KNOW IT. Support is always and will always be appreciated. In all forms; comments under my posts, retweets, or the traditional face-to-face. But it should be known that this wasn’t a decision I made in a single night. I spent years contemplating what type of art I wanted to decorate my body. This isn’t the way for everyone of course, but just remember the human body is a canvas. If you want a stick figure on your canvas then so be it. Just make sure you really want it.Tattoo removals are expensive.
3. “So…you don’t want a job?”Actually I want a career. Assuming that my passion for tattoos is correlated to my desire for a successful career is like assuming a person eating an ice cream is correlated to their desire to a healthy life. You can eat ice cream and successfully pursue a healthy lifestyle. You can get tattoos and pursue a successful career. Astounding, I know. Believe it or not, I’ve had quite a few prospective employers compliment me on my tattoos. At least the ones they could see. And then we moved past that and continued with my interview since they were more curious as to if I was qualified. Not my tattoos.

Tattoos have been in existence for thousands of years. Many monks actually practice the art of tattooing. I think it’s safe to say they can’t be that bad if peaceful monks participate in tattooing too. It is an art form and a way to carry art anywhere and everywhere. My tattoos are pieces to a story that is nowhere near finished.