breathe
I have started to call my left forearm my depression forearm because when I decided that I had to have the word breathe tattooed onto that arm, that not only would I tattoo it there but I became excited dreaming ahead to all the places that part of my arm will take me and what else I will feel the need to put on that section of my body along the road, down the paths my depression takes me.
This was not one of my already planned tattoos. This one just popped into my head and given what the last almost year presented to me I knew it had to go on now.
For anyone who has ever wondered or hasn’t had me explain it to them, the gerbera with the petals falling off of it through a fan of blue to embody the water represents my struggle with depression - through my favourite flower, our wedding flowers and the only flowers that people who know me buy me because Gus has anti inflammatory bowel disease and can’t eat nothing but cat food or she barfs and she has a penchant for plants and leaves, little brat, and gerberas don’t have leaves YAY! - it symbolizes a storm of sorts the flower is being torn apart likely through the tempest that is my temper.
I have added breathe as a reminder that I have to breathe through every storm. Breathing exercises really do work however cheesy they seem and are sometimes all I have to get me through a moment alone when I am freaking out heading towards the destruction of something and most likely something I really did not want to destroy in the first place. I have gone with the typewriter font because I love old typewriters, we have one, it is Adam’s, we use it, it was built between 1941 and 1943, although it needs a new ribbon we are just lazy about ordering it, and it is a font and style that begs to sit where it is typed with little symmetry.
July 11th, 2008 at 7:48 pm
Awesome. She seems really chill too.
July 11th, 2008 at 9:17 pm
ink fever! You tattoo your eyelids and we are through!
July 12th, 2008 at 1:35 am
Awesome
July 12th, 2008 at 3:01 am
It looks really good.
July 12th, 2008 at 3:27 am
When you get a tattoo, are you ever worried that someday you won’t like it anymore? That’s what’s always held me back from getting my tattoo.
‘Course, I’m not suffering from depression so much as just a general sense of unease and fear of change. Normal crap.
Nice to hear Gus is still about. Is the cat well? You were one of the few to come commiserate with me when my old friend Odo the cat passed a couple years ago.
My tattoo? I know this sounds wierd, but I wanted to get a bar-code representation of my social security number on the nape of my neck. I’ve never done it though…. fear of change and all.
July 12th, 2008 at 7:56 am
NICE!
It turned out real swell.
July 12th, 2008 at 10:04 am
A lovely reminder for all of us to breathe.
July 12th, 2008 at 12:08 pm
It’s shocking how well breathing works, isn’t it? I love the old font.
July 12th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
very, very nice
July 12th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
so great. I want some new stuff ASAP. I have something in mind that is also about my depression- I’ll describe it to you soon.
July 13th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Sa-weet. Very pretty. Remember to stay out of the sun with it, as you are not supposed to use sunblock for a month while it heals.
Who did this work on you?
July 14th, 2008 at 2:51 am
I’ve been told to wait out any tatts i’m planning until i’m next in Vansterdam.
This guy told me and was all like “have you ever seen any Canadian ink?” and i was all like “no….wait shit yeah I have!!” and he was all “I bet it looked fuckin’superwickedawesomerad” and I was all like “shit yeah it looked f!uckin’superwickedawesomerad”…… and it does and I will and so it was…..
xo
July 14th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
i’m breathing….:) this is a great way to mark a milestone.
July 15th, 2008 at 9:06 pm
Is that Trish! She did my tattoo. I”ve been trying to find her (she left Electroladylux). Where is she working???? I want her to do my next tattoo.
email me.
air
July 17th, 2008 at 7:12 am
It’s amazing that one word can say so much. All my best dear.
July 21st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I love the winding type.