Tattoo on the mind

I’ll never forget the way it felt the first time.

The dark delight my inner rebel felt at the idea of it.

The sharp and unforgiving pain as the needle pushed itself through my skin’s barrier to deposit its permanent mark.

I’ll never forget how thankful I was when the pain stopped, but how I immediately wanted more.

I have ink dreams.

The colours and designs play with my brain during the wee hours of the night. Even the pain has become something I crave.

The permanence of the memories drawn across my body forces me to acknowledge the journey I have come through. The journey has made me who I am. It gives a sense of closure to the past while honouring it – allowing me to look to the future.

Many of you share in these ink dreams of colour and permanence. They represent more than just the images you see on the surface; they are a magnifying glass on particular points in your life story. 

Tattoos provide stability. No matter what society defines as the next fashion trend. No matter how you dress at work versus the weekend. No matter where your clothes come from, tattoos never change. 

They are always with you, to ground you and remind you of your sense of identity. It’s self expression that no one can take from you. Even if you chose to cover them during your working hours, the tattoos are there, living under the layers, giving your walk a certain confidence.

Like most dreams that want to become a reality, an experiment is usually the first step. My first tattoo was small and purposefully concealable. The words “forever bound” neatly scribed in the Urdu language live forever on my right lower back – symbolizing the bond to my longest friendship.

I didn’t know what it would feel like or how my skin would react. I didn’t trust myself to commit to something bigger for fear I wouldn’t like it as time passed.

It wasn’t until years later that I started to add. It seems the happier I am, the more I want to document it on my body. But that doesn’t mean that all tattoos symbolize something joyful or even symbolize something at all.

Sometimes an image speaks to me for unknown reasons, so I allow my artist to bring it to life. Some permanently inked bonds are for broken or lost souls; others are created in memory of those who have departed.

I have one tattoo that captures a relationship no longer intact. It serves as a beautiful reminder of what was and a hope for a future in which the ink represents a current bond once more.

I have ink dreams of colour and delight. I’m represented through all the stages of my life through the art that covers my body. I am also a professional in the workplace; I am a friend, a sister, and a wife.

None of my ink takes that away. It only enhances the visual journey of my life.

These ink dreams are spilling over into reality more and more as our world has no choice, but to accept what was, the unacceptable.

What are your stories told through ink, or the ones you would like to tell? If not ink, what are the ways you express yourself and the journeys you’ve been on?

Being born gives you the right to share. Don’t shy away from showing the world how amazing you are through any method you choose.

We all deserve to hear and see your story.

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.