I got my first tattoo 2 weeks after I turned 18 and that was in 2000. My brother on the hand got his entire back tattooed at the age of 43. I'm 41 now... and I have 13 tattoos. I was supposed to get a 14th but I had surgery and the risk of skin infections is high with me so I decided to give it a rest a while. I have a dragonfly on my right forearm and then flip my arm over and there is a feather arrow and stars signifying (to me) the musical sharps of moonlight sonata. Plus a treble clef and a gray kitty semi colon. I have numerous cats and a dragon on my back along with the a perfect circle symbol and a star on my foot and cardinals on my ankle and the original weeping rose that started it all. I'd like to think my tattoos give me super power and for today-- I'm going to think that way. Bravo to you for bringing that to mind and for finding ways to signify your book releases and publishing. I love it. ❤️
As for my brother he has a baphomet on his back and I think it brings him super powers in his own ways too. What a new perspective you have brought to my eyes and I'm grateful for it.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Laura. As long as you're not jumping off buildings because you believe your tattoos give you the ability to fly, why not believe they give you super-powers? Belief is a pretty powerful thing.
Thanks so much, Christine. So cool to have been able to hang out with Barb a little bit at one of the contributor gatherings and at the reading next month.
Thanks for the shout out to Matriarchy Report, and glad it resonated! I’m going to be thinking about the “ritual” of being weighed at the doctor from now on…
You're very welcome! That was a great interview. The idea of medical practices as rituals comes from Barbara Ehrenreich's book, Natural Causes. When I read that idea, that so much of what doctors do is ritual rather than science-based practice, it blew me away. She was such a great thinker.
Thank you so much for explaining why you get tattoos. I don’t have or want tattoos but I’m fascinated by people who do. I can understand the “portable art” attraction. One of my yoga instructions has really lovely tattoos on her arms which from a distance make her look like a wood nymph 🙂 (Her tattoos, for the most part, commemorate her children’s births.) Years ago I read a lovely but bittersweet story about a woman who decided to get flowers tattooed on her chest after she had a double mastectomy. The story made me cry for the sheer poetry of how she chose to live with such a radical change to her body ... like she was taking control.
And congrats on your publication in the anthology! By the way, I believe sociologists 🙂
You're welcome, Marie. I think people get tattoos for all kinds of reasons. I was really hung up for a long time on the idea that the tattoo had to MEAN SOMETHING. And then I realized that tattoo artists really are artists and it can be about nothing more than having that portable art. My last two tattoos, I just say to my tattoo artist, "I want something sort of vining on my arm," and she does the rest. And it's beautiful.
That’s wonderful. I had no clue just how much an art tattooing is until a friend’s granddaughter started dating a tattoo artist. He gets invited to various tattoo venues around the country to demonstrate his art. Very cool 🙂
It truly can be! I grew up Catholic so I grew up believing some wild things too. Was there a Black Mirror reference there as well? Wasn't sure if I read that correctly. 😊
Any Black Mirror reference was unintentional. My husband and I tried to watch and couldn't get past the very first episode of the very first season, which was shocking at that time, and now, not so much.
I plan to get my first tattoo after I publish my first novel, too! I'm 42 now. If it's the novel I hope it will be, I already know what I'll get and where I'll put it. It's a memento from the story. 💜
I feel the same as you about alternative medicine. I see a chiropractor and a massage therapist because when I go to them, I feel like someone is paying attention to me and they're addressing my problems directly. Doctors want to throw pills at everything and usually they're not the right ones or even addressing the source of the problem. I also hate that I have to reintroduce myself and rehash my entire medical history every time I visit the doctor's office. They type it all into their little computer while not looking at me and then by the time I come back, all that history I fed them has magically disappeared and needs to be collected again. Makes me want to just make shit up one time and see if they notice. 😉
That is awesome that you've got your first tattoo all planned out. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Yes, exactly. I want to be treated as a unique human being, as a person, by the people who are trying to heal me. Not as a series of medical codes in your computer system. My last doctor's visit I went because I could barely move my index finger. The doctor kept going on about my cholesterol and a test for colon cancer and I'm like, right, but can you do anything about this very stiff and painful finger? She gave me some pills that did nothing to help. And yes, they never look at you, only at their computer screen! It's infuriating. We should just start making stuff up.
Omg, I so relate to this: “I also hate that I have to reintroduce myself and rehash my entire medical history every time I visit the doctor's office. They type it all into their little computer while not looking at me and then by the time I come back, all that history I fed them has magically disappeared and needs to be collected again.” For YEARS after I had a total abdominal hysterectomy at 43 due to cancer, I had to explain at every annual visit why I was no longer getting my period 🤦🏼♀️ Disheartening to say the least.
Oh wow. I've seen them all but haven't loved every one of them like I did season 3... and I meant the interactive movie. Because that literally happens... crazy show... not as great as others I've seen recently like Fall of the House of Usher. That was good but dark as it's supposed to be but I didn't find it scary so much as fun to watch and see what happens.
I got my first tattoo 2 weeks after I turned 18 and that was in 2000. My brother on the hand got his entire back tattooed at the age of 43. I'm 41 now... and I have 13 tattoos. I was supposed to get a 14th but I had surgery and the risk of skin infections is high with me so I decided to give it a rest a while. I have a dragonfly on my right forearm and then flip my arm over and there is a feather arrow and stars signifying (to me) the musical sharps of moonlight sonata. Plus a treble clef and a gray kitty semi colon. I have numerous cats and a dragon on my back along with the a perfect circle symbol and a star on my foot and cardinals on my ankle and the original weeping rose that started it all. I'd like to think my tattoos give me super power and for today-- I'm going to think that way. Bravo to you for bringing that to mind and for finding ways to signify your book releases and publishing. I love it. ❤️
As for my brother he has a baphomet on his back and I think it brings him super powers in his own ways too. What a new perspective you have brought to my eyes and I'm grateful for it.
Xoxo.
Thanks for reading and commenting, Laura. As long as you're not jumping off buildings because you believe your tattoos give you the ability to fly, why not believe they give you super-powers? Belief is a pretty powerful thing.
Loved this, Robyn! Congratulations on the anthology and your story! & I’m a fan of Barbara Shoup’s work and her Substack too. 📗
Thanks so much, Christine. So cool to have been able to hang out with Barb a little bit at one of the contributor gatherings and at the reading next month.
Thanks for the shout out to Matriarchy Report, and glad it resonated! I’m going to be thinking about the “ritual” of being weighed at the doctor from now on…
You're very welcome! That was a great interview. The idea of medical practices as rituals comes from Barbara Ehrenreich's book, Natural Causes. When I read that idea, that so much of what doctors do is ritual rather than science-based practice, it blew me away. She was such a great thinker.
Amazing. She really was.
Thank you so much for explaining why you get tattoos. I don’t have or want tattoos but I’m fascinated by people who do. I can understand the “portable art” attraction. One of my yoga instructions has really lovely tattoos on her arms which from a distance make her look like a wood nymph 🙂 (Her tattoos, for the most part, commemorate her children’s births.) Years ago I read a lovely but bittersweet story about a woman who decided to get flowers tattooed on her chest after she had a double mastectomy. The story made me cry for the sheer poetry of how she chose to live with such a radical change to her body ... like she was taking control.
And congrats on your publication in the anthology! By the way, I believe sociologists 🙂
You're welcome, Marie. I think people get tattoos for all kinds of reasons. I was really hung up for a long time on the idea that the tattoo had to MEAN SOMETHING. And then I realized that tattoo artists really are artists and it can be about nothing more than having that portable art. My last two tattoos, I just say to my tattoo artist, "I want something sort of vining on my arm," and she does the rest. And it's beautiful.
That’s wonderful. I had no clue just how much an art tattooing is until a friend’s granddaughter started dating a tattoo artist. He gets invited to various tattoo venues around the country to demonstrate his art. Very cool 🙂
It truly can be! I grew up Catholic so I grew up believing some wild things too. Was there a Black Mirror reference there as well? Wasn't sure if I read that correctly. 😊
Any Black Mirror reference was unintentional. My husband and I tried to watch and couldn't get past the very first episode of the very first season, which was shocking at that time, and now, not so much.
I plan to get my first tattoo after I publish my first novel, too! I'm 42 now. If it's the novel I hope it will be, I already know what I'll get and where I'll put it. It's a memento from the story. 💜
I feel the same as you about alternative medicine. I see a chiropractor and a massage therapist because when I go to them, I feel like someone is paying attention to me and they're addressing my problems directly. Doctors want to throw pills at everything and usually they're not the right ones or even addressing the source of the problem. I also hate that I have to reintroduce myself and rehash my entire medical history every time I visit the doctor's office. They type it all into their little computer while not looking at me and then by the time I come back, all that history I fed them has magically disappeared and needs to be collected again. Makes me want to just make shit up one time and see if they notice. 😉
That is awesome that you've got your first tattoo all planned out. Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
Yes, exactly. I want to be treated as a unique human being, as a person, by the people who are trying to heal me. Not as a series of medical codes in your computer system. My last doctor's visit I went because I could barely move my index finger. The doctor kept going on about my cholesterol and a test for colon cancer and I'm like, right, but can you do anything about this very stiff and painful finger? She gave me some pills that did nothing to help. And yes, they never look at you, only at their computer screen! It's infuriating. We should just start making stuff up.
Omg, I so relate to this: “I also hate that I have to reintroduce myself and rehash my entire medical history every time I visit the doctor's office. They type it all into their little computer while not looking at me and then by the time I come back, all that history I fed them has magically disappeared and needs to be collected again.” For YEARS after I had a total abdominal hysterectomy at 43 due to cancer, I had to explain at every annual visit why I was no longer getting my period 🤦🏼♀️ Disheartening to say the least.
Yup. They ask me every time if I've had any major surgeries. Two c-sections. They can't remember that???
Ugh.
Oh wow. I've seen them all but haven't loved every one of them like I did season 3... and I meant the interactive movie. Because that literally happens... crazy show... not as great as others I've seen recently like Fall of the House of Usher. That was good but dark as it's supposed to be but I didn't find it scary so much as fun to watch and see what happens.