I have been thinking alot lately and would like to get a tattoo of something that symbolizes health, well being, perserverence, or strength. I want it eiether very small on the inside of my wrist, inside of my bicep, or my ankle.


I need ideas though. something tasteful and appealing to look at...


this is a huge part of my life and i want it to remind me every day when i see it why i do what i do and that its importnant to me....


im just having a hard time trying to think of ideas! i do not want a chinese symbol... want something neat


PLEASE!!!! IDEAS! pictures!!! post em up!!


( ps- please do not waste our time with your reasons why you hate tattoos and so on. I like them hence the reason i am asking the question )

I would try and do something that means a lot to you *duh* or whats super important in your life, or like a challenge you've over come. I know a lot of people do like their initials of their name or someone in their family or friends that have inspired them. Or like an inspirational quote. If you dont want words, try and jst do a google search of some type of symbol or picture that represents something about you.

For example, when I was younger I could NOT be seperated from my stuffed minnie mouse and so whenever I think of my childhood I automatically think of Minnie Mouse, its sort of a symbol to when times were simpler.

Anoter symbol I was thinking about getting is a heart chakra. When I was getting over my ED I studied a lot of meditation techniques and learned to balance my chakras to cope with stress. The heart Chakra is a symbol for love and acceptance. I finalyl have come to accept myself for my weight and who I am. Thats my next idea for a tattoo.

I dont have any pictures or anything, but what were thinking about so far? Cuz then itd be easier to help if you had any idea

I spent a lot of time looking at art for my tattoo. The year I got mine, my husband and I separated, I lost 50 lbs, and I turned 40. So the tattoo was very much a symbol for me of a lot of things.

I wanted to include the symbolism of change, and I also wanted to honor my heritage which is mixed Irish and Native American (Cherokee and Creek). So I did a LOT of research, looked at Irish symbols, Cherokee symbols, etc.

Finally what I settled on was a dragonfly. In many NA cultures the dragonfly symbolizes renewal and is considered a messenger.

Then I spent about a month looking for the RIGHT dragonfly - and I found a more stylized design that I fell in love with. I had it done behind my right ear ... and now that I've had it for nearly 3 years, I still love it.

I'm planning on getting another one done when I reach my goal ... and it will also have quite a bit of symbolism. It will be a reminder of what I've dealt with the past 3 years ... and my ability to move past it. I'm still working on the design and the location but I think it's going to incorporate Ogham script in some way.

Attached Images

 

Oh, btw, I used this site a LOT for ideas and thoughts.

Tattoo Design Gallery - Downloadable Tattoos - Free Ideas for Tribal, Butterfly, Dragon, Fairy, Flower, Star, Celtic, Lower Back, and More Tattoos

You can buy their designs if you want, but I just used it as a stepping off point for my own design - the one above is the template from their site and then my artist tweaked it a bit and shaded the colors some ...

Hmm... it's kind of difficult to think of a suggestion 'cause it has to be something -you- permanently want on yourself. But I guess the main thing that came to mind for me was a butterfly... but that's sorta-kinda similar to Kara's dragonfly idea.
I have a butterfly tattoo so I might be a bit biased, but I love the meanings you can take from them. Beauty. Metamorphosis (Change). Freedom.

And I definitely recommend you designing what you want whatever it is you decide on to look like. Then it becomes even more personal and unique to you. I drew my butterfly and just assumed that the tattoo artist would re-draw it, but he thought mine was just fine so he got me to redraw it as just an outline. It's pretty cool to be able to say "I designed that and I drew that." But if you totally can't draw, you could try and explain it to someone...then it's still your design ^_^

Edit: Oh, I don't have any photos but if you do decide to go with a butterfly (or dragonfly) or something else that's real you can always look at -real- photos and then take your design from that. I loosely based my butterfly on a real photo of a butterfly ^_^

Well, that's my 20cents or so haha
(I obviously like tattoos and have been tossing the idea around about getting a tattoo when I reach goal. Unfortunately the tattoo I've been planning for a while now (wings on my back) is a bit pricey o_o we'll see though! )

Thanks for the input so far. It needs to be something i LOVE... not going to put something just to say i did it.

My heritage is german... too bad all their words sound like you are hocking luggies when you say them hehehe Not pretty at all!

i want something that represents wellness and a new page in life.... like... i come first.

and i can come first... no kids for me right now... and nothing else except taking care of me is more important at this time.

I'm getting one on the bottom of my foot. It's an old english word, (I'd have to dig it out) it means, always moving forward. I've had a lot of trouble with moving forward in my life.