Inking for Positive Thinking
As the TikTok trend goes “Don’t be sad go get a tattoo”.
TRIGGER WARNING: Self-Harm and Suicide
by Holly Miles
There are many reasons that people choose to get ink indelibly etched onto their skin, whether it be commemorative, connective or darn right comical. A rising trend in the world of tattooing is to get tattoos that acknowledge your mental state.
A commonly regarded trend is to have a semi-colon tattooed somewhere upon your body. This is symbolic of the semi-colon’s meaning. Effectively it represents a sentence that the author could have chosen to finish and didn’t. Project Semi-Colon is an American Not-for-Profit group founded in 2013 dedicated to suicide prevention through education and awareness. Created by founder Amy Bluel as a tribute to her father who unfortunately died by suicide. Since then, art such as the semi-colon and lavender tattoos have become prolific around the world in their significance for communities of people struggling with their mental health. This is hardly surprising given a study undertaken in 2016 that showed that those with tattoos are much more likely to struggle with their own mental health. The correlation speaks for itself. The study undertaken on 2,008 adults in the United States noted that those with tattoos were more likely to: have mental health and sleep difficulties, be smokers, have been in jail and to have had a higher number of sexual partners in the previous year. This is probably why tattoos seem to have such a shady association. Their traditional connection to crime gangs is as interweaved as their connection to tribal warpaint. So, with all this past connection to violence, this new demographic of tattoos is really bending the curve and changing the demographic for the first time in generations. This is perhaps the reason that tattoos are becoming ever more widely accepted. In a recent study 73% of people said that they wouldn’t consider tattoos a reason to deny someone employment.
Another trend that has recently grown. A prominence is to cover self-harm scars with tattoos, sometimes even incorporating them into the design in some way. Allowing survivors to reclaim their body as their own is cited as a key reasoning behind these types of tattoos which are also often undertaken by those who have scars from surgery. These often serve as a visual reminder for people that have self-harmed as well as covering the scars and enabling people to start afresh free of the burdens of their scars. It can act therapeutically as the sensation whilst having the tattoos can feel healing for some that have hurt themselves in this way. Whatever their reasoning the popularity of tattoos such as these is personally significant to those with them.
I am in fact a case in point, as both of my two only current tattoos are related to mental health in significance to me. The tattoos lovingly inked by the rather talented @miamelleo_tattoo are significant to my journey to mental wellness as they are of the botanical plants: valerian flower and lavender. Whilst both significant to me for many other reasons, a large part in choosing them was due to the connotations with having a calming effect. Having been diagnosed with an anxiety disorder in my late teens, it has come to play a huge role in my life. However I wanted to find a way to acknowledge this side of my life in a positive light. I chose to have these two tattoos inked in a period in which I particularly difficult struggled with my own mental health and I chose to get these tattooed as a reminder to calm myself in stressful situations as well as them becoming a useful grounding aid in the midst of panic attacks.
Now approaching their first anniversary I love them perhaps even more than I did upon first ink. For me they have become part of me. A secret reminder of the struggles overcome and battles won. When asked nowadays if I feel tattoos should hold some deep unquestionable meaning my answer is no. It is rather more simple in my eyes. The designs you choose are those that you carry on yourself and whilst it becomes a reflection of you and your choices, what’s more important is that your tattoos bring you joy in some way. Whether that’s superficial or not, just as tattoos can be at the end of the day. Many people advise against getting tattooed stating that it will reduce your employability or “you’ll regret them when you’re old”. My thoughts here are that the opinion on tattoos are massively changing and many CEO’s of large corporations now have tattoos themselves, so this is unlikely to be something you need to worry about as the years go on. My perspective is that if someone is largely overly sniffy about my tattoos when hiring me, that I wouldn’t want to work for someone who makes such Surface Level decision anyway. With regards to future regret, I believe that if you choose something you are truly happy with then regardless of design it’s unlikely to be something you regret in the future. If anything it’s likely to be a loving reminder of your past and what you were like in the exact moment you were inked.
As a tattooed person many people ask for tattoo advice and suggestion and there are only a few pieces of advice that I always give without a doubt wholeheartedly. Backed by research the following lessons are more likely to be learnt the heard way than any other with people regretful of their tattoos stating the following reasons for this regret. The number one most commonly regretted tattoo according to research is to get someone else’s name inked. This is not surprising given the somewhat changing nature of relationships oweing to many misguided tattoos seeking laser removal or cover ups. Along similar lines is seeking a tattoo written in a language that you can’t understand because you will have no idea whether your tattoo really means what you want it to mean or not. My most important piece of advice that I can give with regards to getting tatted is to thoroughly research your tattoo and studio prior to seeking your tattoo. A reputable studio might cost more money than others but will be very willing and open about their hygiene and healing procedures and keen to get you a tatt that will last. A final piece of advice that I always share with everyone and that is key to making to right decision is to think wisely and take time and consideration to establish whether you definitely want your dream design etched or not. Before having my first tattoo I considered my design for a good year before having it inked. This was key for making the best decision because it allowed me to sit with the idea for a good while and get used to idea beforehand. Before any first tattoo you are of course going to be nervous but your gut instincts should serve you along the right path for the majority of tattoo making decisions. If not then it can be a comical reminder of times that you can look back on in years to come.
