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lately i've been giving a lot of thought to my next tattoo. i only have one right now, which i got exactly a year ago. it symbolizes my great adventure of moving clear across the country to san francisco after college, without knowing anyone, having a place to live, nor a job.  i sold everything and went.  i completely started over as an independent woman and wouldn't you know it, i survived!  i now have a tree swallow on my upper back/lower shoulder to remind me of that part of my life.  i have plans for a couple others {it's true what they say, once you get your first, you'll definitely want more}, but nothing has been solidified yet.

{clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4}

when i was in thailand on the elephant ranch we worked side by side with the mahouts {elephant trainers}, who were a bunch of rough guys who spoke absolutely zero english.  they gave me one look and figured they had nothing in common with me, that i was just another tourist... until, that is, they saw my tattoo.  oh how their faces lit up.  they began rattling off what i imagine to be "you have a tattoo, just like me!" in thai as they rolled up their sleeves and raised their shirts to show me incredibly gorgeous tattoos, most of which were done by buddhist monks {it's very spiritually significant to get a tattoo in thailand}.  it was such a beautiful experience to be able to bond with these men on the other side of the world {from the back of an elephant no less}.  i made meaningful connections in a way that i would have never been able to do had i not gotten my tattoo, which just made me love my tattoo even more than i already did {you can see my tattoo towards the end of this post, as i took part in a buddhist ceremony in thailand.}.

yes, i love tattoos.
i love that they tell a story,
i love that they can serve as reminders of important things in our lives,
and i love that there are so many beautiful, sweet, and feminine tattoos out there.

{clockwise from top left: 1, 2, 3, 4}

for those of you who may be thinking about getting one, i have a few words of advice for you...

1} if you're on the fence, have someone draw the image on the part of your body where you want {or several places if you're not sure about placement}.  leave the drawing on for a day or so and see how you like it.  i thought i knew exactly where i wanted my tattoo until i drew it on and discovered i hated it.  you should always give yourself a trial run of anything that will become a permanent part of your body.  

2} research your artist! i can't stress this enough.  never just walk in and get it done.  sure there may be people who had good experiences with that, but the risk far outweighs the exceptions.  the other issue with this is that every tattoo artist has their own twist, their own style, for each drawing.  you want to make sure that you find an artist who is not only very talented with a needle {because you know, it's permanent remember?}, but is also in tune with your style.  it's also important to find an artist who can work easily with you as a person.  openness is key.  you never want to feel like you're being pressured by your artist.  instead, you should be able to ask for what you want and have plenty of time to get your artwork and placement exactly how you want it, even if that means redoing it a hundred times before the needle is used.  your tattoo will represent YOU, and should reflect everything you're wanting it to be.  your artist should create the kind of atmosphere where you are free to make those important decisions on your own.

3} take your time.  there's no rush in getting a tattoo.  give the design, body placement, and artist plenty of thought before taking the plunge.  i was planning my tattoo for a couple years before i got it done.  i had several ideas over the course of those years, but there was one that i kept coming back to.  if i hadn't allowed myself that time to really think about it, i might have gone with some random idea of the moment and missed out on what i really wanted. 

overall, i think if it's meaningful to you, and represents an important part of your life, you won't have any regrets.  people get scars all the time, stories that we don't get to choose.  but with a tattoo, you tell your own story, and that's really beautiful.

{clockwise from top left: 1, lauryn's awesome new tattoo, 3, 4}

do you have any tattoos? if not, would you ever want any? 

what story do they/would they tell?

and if you'd like more tattoo eye candy, you can check out my pinboard.