Even the Chapel Has Stained Glass

I never really thought I would get a tattoo, much less, seventeen of them.

Yeah, seventeen.

Quite contrarily, I was always one of those people who, when it came to tattoos, immediately thought of the scripture in 1 Corinthians that reminds us that our body is a Holy temple.

And well, while I can’t actually say that I stopped thinking of that scripture, I will say that my interpretation of it shifted a bit…because, even the chapel has stained glass, right? That’s probably a bad reference, but, that’s where my mind went with it. And thus, began my dabbling in the vast world of tattoos, at the ripe age of 18 years old.

Yeah, eighteen.

At that age, I wasn’t making the best decisions, and definitely wasn’t mature enough to be making decisions involving something as permanent as a tattoo. So...needless to say, at the start, I wasn’t getting tattoos that meant something to me, I was more into word play and being, what I thought was at the time, clever.

If a picture is worth a thousand words, be prepared for information overload, 'cause you’ll be getting a little of both.

#1-Wasscawy Wabbit
Where: Chest

I can remember sitting at my desk one summer while ‘working’ for my grandparents in Oklahoma, and deciding that I wanted a tattoo. My grandfather, a pastor, would not have been a very happy camper with my going through with such a thing on his watch, so I decided I’d wait until I returned home to Alabama to bring this new desire to fruition. At some point during that summer, sitting behind my desk doing not much of anything, I thought of how ‘clever’ it would be for me to have the Playboy bunny tattooed on my chest, but instead of the word “Playboy”, I’d get “Playful”. I know you’re shaking your head right now…and I know this, because I’m shaking mine. What a stupid idea. Surely, I didn’t go through with that one. Surely, at eighteen, in my awkward, tomboyish state of being, I would not go through with the idea of getting the international icon for “sexy” tattooed on my caramel kissed skin, right? RIGHT?! Dot…dot…dot…WRONG. When I returned to Alabama, that’s exactly what I did, and I did so with absolute confidence, there wasn’t a person in the world at that moment who could have swayed me from making a complete asshole out of myself. And so, I did.

I’d like to say that I got a little smarter, but, I was eighteen, afterall—you don’t really expect an eighteen year old to be that smart…but I guess you don’t expect an eighteen year old to be that dumb either.

My next tattoo was another feeble attempt to demonstrate my innate ability to be witty. Except, I wasn’t. At all.

It’s true what they say, once you get ONE tattoo, your mind is instantaneously flooded with endless possibilities of tattoos that you SHOULD HAVE gotten, or, COULD get...and that, is how you become addicted. It wasn’t much longer after my first ink faux pas, that I went through with the next.

#2-Hotstuff

Where: Lower/Right Side of Back
At the time, there was a phrase, possibly only used in the urban community (which, by way of attending an HBCU, I was, for the first time in my life, becoming acquainted with), and it was: THAT FIRE. In laymen’s terms, one would use the phrase ‘That Fire’ to refer to something that was “awesome”, “the bees knees”, “overwhelming”, “remarkable”, “breathtaking”…and well, you get the point. So, again, I thought…how clever would it be if I got the Chinese symbol for ‘fire’ and had the words “Dat Fiya” tattooed beneath it”…WHERE WAS MY GUIDANCE?! It probably would have helped had I actually SOUGHT guidance before going through with such nonsense. ...and its location on the lower right side of my back, makes it especially classy.

Thankfully, after tattoo #2, I started to realize that my tattoos should mean something to me, as, they would in fact be a permanent extension of me...so, it gets better going forward.

#3-Ahnk You, Ahnk You Very Much Where: Base/Backside of Neck
The Ahnk is the Egyptian symbol for life (aka 'Key of Life', crux ansata). It looks a lot like a cross, but with a loop at the top. The stem represents male, the loop represents female, and the two side posts represent offspring. I chose this one for a pretty simplistic reason, because I believe life, and the cycle of it, is precious, every bit of it...

#4-Pleasure Principle Where: Abdomen/Below Belly Button
A slight departure from the meaningful. I mean, it does mean something, but I sort of ventured back to witticism (or maybe irony?) with tattoo #4 and its placement. It's the Chinese symbol for the word "Pleasure". Hey, it is, what it is.

#5-The Lotus Flower Where:Pelvic Area
The fact that it's a flower and placed so closely to my...well, there's an obvious correlation there, but nevermind placement, it's all about what a lotus represents. Zhou Dunyi said it best when he said "I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is unstained." In case you're unfamiliar, a lotus' roots are planted in the bottom of a pond/river and its leaves float on the water's surface, and its flowers blossom above it. Symbolically, it actually reminds me a lot of a poem by rapper, Tupac Shakur:

I sort of feel that despite circumstances, situtations, and surroundings ...I maintain. So the lotus was an appropriate choice. Aside from that, in many cultures, the lotus represents several other things, feel free to familiarize yourself a bit if you like.

#6-At the Cross
Where: Back of Left Shoulder
This one is simply to remind me that Christ bore the weight of the world on his shoulders...his death, gave us life, and that's something that should never be forgotten. There is a banner draping the cross that says "Live" ...as in, live life.

#7-Butterfly in the Sky
Where: Right Hip
Most people have a hard time even determining what this one is, so, I'll just tell you (that's what I'm here to do, afterall). It's a butterfly with the wings folded back behind it. Now that I've cleared that up...have you ever seen a butterfly trapped inside a jar? It's just not natural...I mean, butterflies are beautiful little creatures (after they get past that creepy, crawly stage anyway) that are supposed to fly free. I don't fit inside glass jars, boxes, or cages...so this one symbolizes freedom of self and I decided to add a trailblaze marking the path.

#8-Poca Flaunt This Where: Top/Right Foot
This tattoo symbolizes part of my heritage. I know, I know, eeeeverybody's Native American (and isn't it funny that the tribe is almost always 'Cherokee')...but I really AM. I was born in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in northeast Oklahoma...aka, Tulsa. Anyhow, my granny Pearl was 100% full-blooded Creek (aka Muskogee) Indian. I got these feathers on my foot in rememberance of her, and as a representation of my heritage.

#9 & #10-'Music to My Ears'

Where: 1 Behind each Ear

...the phrase says it all.

#11-Nevermind Redbull, Music is What Gives Me Wings
Where: Left/Hip
I designed this one myself, a heart with angel's wings, with a G-clef symbol at its core. It basically represents my love for music.

#12-Family Ties Where: Inner/Right Wrist
Family is very important to me. I'm closer to some, than others, but all of them have played some role, no matter how small, in me becoming the person that I am today. One family member that I'm closest with, aside from my mother, is my younger cousin, Maurice. He's actually more like a little brother to me, that kid is my heart. We decided we would get a tattoo that both symbolizes our bond, and our love of family. I chose the word 'Family' (the F is the one popularized by the 'Famous Stars & Straps' logo) accented with 2 back-to-back R's--one for Robyn, and one for 'Reese', which is what I call him for short. I got mine first, on the inner side of my wrist and some time after, he got his on his forearm.

#13 & 14-Oh.My.Stars
Where: Left/Right Abdomen
I always wanted nautical stars, but when I finally decided to get them, it dawned on me that in the tattoo world, they were a tad overdone. And so, I decided to be slightly different, mine are tribal stars. Each of the 5 points represents something different: one love, one life, one destiny, one heart, one soul.

#15-Artist's Monogram Where: Inner/Left Wrist

You know how an artist signs their artwork? I decided that I am my mother's work of art, so, I had her permanently sign me, accented with my birth year and the copyright symbol.

#16-Heartstrings Where: Chest/Shoulder
I was most excited about this tattoo. You know why? No? Well, I wrote about it once, some of my best work...complete w/video, take a pause and read about it HERE

#17-Why the Long Face? Where: Left Arm
After my first trip to City of Ink, I knew it was the only place I ever wanted to get ink from again. One trip to the shop, and I knew that each and every artist there was just as talented as Miya. The second go-round at City of Ink, my tattoo artist was Sophie C'est La Vie.
I knew EXACTLY what I wanted...sort of. There's a quote by author/poet, Maya Angelou, that I fell in love with years ago, "music was my refuge, I could crawl in the space between the notes and curl my back to the loneliness"...I love the quote because it sort of embodies how I feel about music...no matter what kind of mood I'm in, it just always has a way of speaking to, understanding, and consoling me (click HERE for the 'napkin review'). Anyway, I walked in with that quote and I said to Sophie, "I want this quote, but I don't want words." She understood, and left me for about 20 or so minutes, when she returned she had her visual interpretation of the quote, which I happened to love.

...and, well, there you have it.