Meaning is overrated

A question I usually get from people after they see my tattoo is “what does it represent? Does it have any meaning?” followed by the commentary “I didn’t expect YOU to have one”. I have an established answer but I actually never say what they want to hear: why did I make it in the first place.

Let’s start answering the two first questions. Does it have a meaning? Does it represent something? Yes, it does. When I was a little boy, my mom used to write down some anecdotes with some fable characteristics of his days, which implies my days. On those stories she chose to represent me into an animal: an Owl. So now you know it has a meaning and it represent a bond with my mother and who I am in his eyes.

It also represents some characteristics that I found in a book she had about this animal in particular, but is not about its biological ones rather spiritual and psychological. The owl is the representation of wisdom and patience, it is known also as the presence of change having a couple of features: intuition and the capacity to see through masks and falseness. All of this characteristics are some that I really feel can describe me. So there you go, it has a meaning and this is the answer I give everybody.

If the question they ask is “Why did I make it?” the answer is the same. But this time it’s a lie.

I actually did it, because I really wanted to get a tattoo, just because I think tattoos are pure art and there’s nothing I would love more than having a masterpiece of art on my body. That’s the truth. Why I think tattoos are art is something I have considered as a post on itself, so I’ll probably write down about it in the future.

Well, that’s answer why I did the tattoo. But it’s still false that I made the owl because it meant something to me (other than “the first tattoo experience”). It didn’t right away. Actually I want to make a half-sleeve on my right arm, but it was too much as a first tattoo. So I wanted to find a beautiful tattoo that could give me a sense of what it feels or how much pain can I tolerate.

The original stencil found on Pinterest.

Searching just “Tattoos sketches” on Pinterest I came across this beautiful sketch and after my classes were cancelled on a Wednesday I told myself: This is just a divine intervention so I can make this happen. So I called the tattoo artist (that I researched for months to be the perfect one) and I finally got inked.

I had the fake answer of “Wisdom” prepared in case someone asked the usual questions. But it was just after a couple weeks that I remembered that “spiritual Owl” book and what my mom used to write about. Now this piece of art in my arm is not only beautiful, but meaningful and I’m sure this will happen for every tattoo I get. Because, baby, this is just the beginning.

Freaek ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

#ThinkCreative