It is no secret that I am an admirer of anyone who is brave enough to use their body as the foundations for a beautiful piece of artwork to be embedded on their skin, telling a tale of one aspect of a person’s life for the remainder of that body’s existence on this planet. However, there are some people who disagree with these beliefs of mine.
No more have these beliefs become apparent to me than over the past fortnight, this past fortnight having been the first one I have spent with my new baby…ladies and gentlemen, I give you the latest addition to my collection, making my tattoo total equal the mighty number 2 (okay, I know, bit of an anti-climax…give me a break, I’ve only been legal for five months or so).
Needless to say, my initial reaction (an emotion which remains even two weeks after completion) was one of sheer admiration, love and amazement at the fact that someone (Mr. Martin McKeown of The Human Canvas Tattoo & Art Studio) should have such a talent for creating this amount of detailed artistry on the human body after a few hours spent with some ink and a needle. Tattooing is an art form which will never cease to fascinate my quizzical mind, which is jealously lacking in such creativity.
That being said, whilst 99.999% of outsiders’ reactions to my tattoos have been complimentary and positive on the whole, they have always tended to be clouded with a mask of doubt and an undertone of disapproval. Look, I know you’re trying to be complimentary with the ol’, “Oh, like, I wouldn’t get it done, like, I don’t like tattoos but, I mean, you really suit it, like, you’re very brave”…but you must try harder.
Nevertheless, I shan’t be deterred. And do you know why? No? Well, allow me to tell you why I am insanely proud of my tattoos.
On my back, not my navel, in case you were concerned…
I find it extremely difficult to deny the overwhelming beauty of my tattoos when I consider the symbolic significance of what they both mean to me. I also find it extremely difficult to verbalise this significance, an emotional barrier forbidding me from ever truly revealing this sacred secret to many people beyond the realms of my closest circles. But I’m going to try my best.
I have never treated my body with the respect it truly deserves. I have subjected it to the most extreme punishments, ranging from starvation and malnutrition to excessive exercise, in order to achieve a level of inner peace through the medium of the “ideal” body image. At this precise moment in time, I continue to pursue this enigmatic end goal, invisible as a result of having no decided concept of what this “ideal” really is. What is the “ideal” body image? If you hold this holy grail of answers in your grasp, please feel free to forward me your knowledge on a picture postcard.
The “ugly” aspects of my body are a result of my own actions. The downy hair. The dry, dull skin. The goosebumpy flesh. The brittle nails. My less-than-feminine figure. The really yucky protruding coccyx which is prone to getting bashed against things, resulting in lengthy periods of being unable to find a comfortable sitting position (I type this whilst drowning in a sea of cushions and balancing awkwardly on my Dennis The Menace knees). All of these things I have done to myself.
So, if I accept the “ugly” things I have done to my body…why shouldn’t I take unquenchable pride in the artwork with which I have adorned the vessel that I have admittedly mistreated for such a long time? My tattoos are a gift to my skin, an attempt at apologising for all of the wrongdoings. THIS is why my tattoos are the most beautiful aspect of my body.
At 18 years of age, about to embark on student life and begin a brand new chapter of my life (…hopefully, results permitting), some wise old people may accuse me of being naive, of being too young and brash to make decisions with such permanency which I may regret in the future. I disagree. As I take these first baby steps into adult life, I vow to do my utmost to establish a truce between my mind and my body. My tattoos are the white flag.
-Niamhy xx
High Priestess Resurrected 