Tattoo.
So my dad finally found out about the big one the other day. It must've been peeking out under my shirt. I'm pretty sure he knew about the smaller celtic cross on my back. I mean he had to, we'd been to Hilton Head and at the beach and pools. But I got the Koi fish after I had already been out of the house for a year.
"How many tattoos do you have?"
"2..."
PAUSE
"Are they fake or real?"
I laugh. "They're real."
He just kind of shakes his head and walks away.
Not disappointed or anything, I think the money aspect was probably running through his mind. To him paying a big chunk of change for ink would be stupid. And I'm sure he was thinking about how it's going to be on me for life. But he's cool about things. Ever since I turned 18 I've been able to live my life with minimal interference from him.
My room's messy, but they're the only decent pictures I have right now.
The reasons I got it? Well first, I've always thought Koi fish were pretty fish. After I had thought I might want to get a tattoo of a Koi I looked up what they symbolize. The meaning weighs in a lot more than the actual image to me.
According to Japanese legend if a koi succeeded in climbing the falls at a point called Dragon Gate on the Yellow River it would be transformed into a dragon. Based on that legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.
More generally, the Japanese associate koi with perserverance in adversity and strength of purpose. Because of its strength and determination to overcome obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals.
The Koi Fish is symbolic in the Buddhist Religion, representing courage. Humans 'swim' through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear, just like a fish swims through water.
The Koi is symbolic with family. On Childrens Day Koi flags are raised, Black Koi the father, Orange/Red mother, Blue/White for a boy, red/pink for a girl.
A homonym of the word "koi", in Japanese, means "love, affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship.
Personally, the struggle of mine was my mother's death. Especially at that particular point in my life. The "adversity and strength of purpose" points toward working through my grief process and coming out the other side. I'm not there yet, but one day I hope to be. The family and love references fall in with everything else.
So long story short, the tattoo is a memorial tattoo for my mother. The only color in the whole piece are her initials, "LK", that are written in red inside the star on my hip.
I'm supposed to be having my first photo shoot with the Dolls Of Evolved within the next few months. So when there are professional photos of me and the ink up online, I'll be sure to share them here.
"How many tattoos do you have?"
"2..."
PAUSE
"Are they fake or real?"
I laugh. "They're real."
He just kind of shakes his head and walks away.
Not disappointed or anything, I think the money aspect was probably running through his mind. To him paying a big chunk of change for ink would be stupid. And I'm sure he was thinking about how it's going to be on me for life. But he's cool about things. Ever since I turned 18 I've been able to live my life with minimal interference from him.
My room's messy, but they're the only decent pictures I have right now.
The reasons I got it? Well first, I've always thought Koi fish were pretty fish. After I had thought I might want to get a tattoo of a Koi I looked up what they symbolize. The meaning weighs in a lot more than the actual image to me.
According to Japanese legend if a koi succeeded in climbing the falls at a point called Dragon Gate on the Yellow River it would be transformed into a dragon. Based on that legend, it became a symbol of worldly aspiration and advancement.
More generally, the Japanese associate koi with perserverance in adversity and strength of purpose. Because of its strength and determination to overcome obstacles, it stands for courage and the ability to attain high goals.
The Koi Fish is symbolic in the Buddhist Religion, representing courage. Humans 'swim' through the 'ocean of suffering' without fear, just like a fish swims through water.
The Koi is symbolic with family. On Childrens Day Koi flags are raised, Black Koi the father, Orange/Red mother, Blue/White for a boy, red/pink for a girl.
A homonym of the word "koi", in Japanese, means "love, affection" and koi are therefore symbols of love and friendship.
Personally, the struggle of mine was my mother's death. Especially at that particular point in my life. The "adversity and strength of purpose" points toward working through my grief process and coming out the other side. I'm not there yet, but one day I hope to be. The family and love references fall in with everything else.
So long story short, the tattoo is a memorial tattoo for my mother. The only color in the whole piece are her initials, "LK", that are written in red inside the star on my hip.
I'm supposed to be having my first photo shoot with the Dolls Of Evolved within the next few months. So when there are professional photos of me and the ink up online, I'll be sure to share them here.