I don't know what was the first thing that attracted me to tattoos. But as long I can remember, I've always wanted be filled with tattoos, permanent art. I consider my body to be a church and I'm just decorating it with stained glass. To me, tattoos are just a way of marking important chapters in my life. I have four tattoos and they ALL have meanings to me.
The first one was done in August of 2004. On my upper back, "No Regrets" with a heart as a period mark, in red ink and in a way that it looked like somebody cutted me. Approaching that tattoo, I was dying for something done. So I just kept thinking of what to get over and over until I walked into a shop. Right there, I wanted "No Regrets" because that is how I look at life. If you make a mistake, learn from it. Do not regret it because its already in the past. The past is the past, its over, but what you can do instead of regretting it is to learn from it and not doing it again. Sort of what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. As soon it was over, I had no idea where I would go with tattoos. Now, there isn't a day that passes by without thinking about going under the gun and getting inked. "
...my body to be a church and I'm just decorating it with stained glass."
My parents didn't react too well to it. My mom basically got disappointed in me. She felt that I was falling in the wrong direction. She just needed time and she would get used to the idea of me getting inked. My dad just completely shut me out for a few days, didn't even mutter a word to me. I'm still like that with my dad with tattoos. My dad loves me to death, he just doesn't like tattoos. But as long I'm on the right track with my life, my tattoos won't bother my parents.
The second tattoo was done in May of 2005. "I write" on my right wrist in black ink. I got it because that's what I do and plan on doing with my life. I plan on being a writer because I feel that its a way I can truly express myself. Althought its all faded now, it still has the same meaning. I feel that it being faded gives it character, showing age. I've had a passion for writing since high school. I even wrote a poem for a contest to speak at my high school graduation. It was so good, people felt that I would win. I didn't win because a teacher thought I copied it somewhere. She thought it was impossible for me to write something that good. Ohwell.
"I look at life as one big gamble."
The third and fourth would be done over the summer of 2005, both within a month.
The third is a gambling theme piece on my upper right arm. A old-school design heart with a crown and flames, four aces in the back, two dices in the front, and "Life's A Gamble" in a banner in an old-school font. I look at life as one big gamble. If you don't take risks, you're not gonna get far. To win, you gotta take risks. I live life like there's no tomorrow. James Dean once said, "Dream as if you'll live forever, Live as if you'll die today." Its true, you never know what's gonna happen tomorrow. Live life to its fullest.
The fourth is on my lower left side. Bold outline of 15 with "miracle" in the 1 and a backward % . I got it a week after my mom told me that I only had 15% chances of surviving when I was born. I was born with a diaphragmatic hernia. Basically my organs were all messed up. My diaphragm had a hole in it, causing my institnes to push upward and pushed my lungs and heart to my upper right chest. My left lung was underdeveloped due to that. I was born on the brink of death. I was not breathing or crying. Within five hours of my life, I was already in the emergency room. The doctors did an experimental surgery and treatment on me. During the 80's, there were probably 1 in 1,000 or 1 in 10,000 odds of a baby surviving that. The doctors told my parents that if I were to come out of the surgery, I would only live a few months. If I made it past those months, I would come out with serious health problems and not see the terrible two's. I spent the first month of my life in the NICU hooked up on oxygen machine. I drove the doctors crazy, because sometime I would be depending on the machine very little and there would be times where the machine would be doing all the work. I could have gone blind from too much dependency on the machine. The doctors told my parents to get ready in case I didn't make it. One day, I just stopped using the machine and did everything on my own. Its like I thought, "Fuck you machine, I'm strong enough to do it all on my own." That day the doctors told my parents I was coming home was Thanksgiving Day 1985. I grew up without any serious problems, beside becoming deaf due to unknown reasons and my left lung smaller than normal size.
All four tattoos have deep meanings to me. And I have plans of getting more.
I'm planning on getting a half-sleeve to complete the gambling piece. A slot machine with 6-1-9 showing where I grew up, San Diego. I was born and raised in the 619 area code until I moved to another one in San Diego, 858. No matter where I go, I will always be "6-1-9" in heart. Add massive amount of coins in the background showing that I've hit the jackpot. I'm living the life I love, I'm a happy man.
"Fuck you machine, I'm strong enough to do it all on my own."
On my right forearm, I'm thinking about getting a old fashioned pen and sword crossed to show that the pen is mighter than the sword. Actions might have strong impacts on people, but words speaks VOLUME.
There is something I want to do for both of my arms. My right being filled with old-school drawing, all black and white. My left being filled with new-school designs, with bold lines and colors. Its like the hearing and the deaf worlds to me. I grew up in the hearing world, so its old to me and I'm more experienced in the hearing world. The deaf world is completely a new experience for me. It has a big impact on my life since I entered Gallaudet University, the only deaf university in the world, in the fall of 2004. I made friends that I never thought I would make, I joined the Kappa Sigma Fraternity at the Mu-Iota Chapter, the first deaf chapter for Kappa Sigma. I am building a big network in the deaf world, something I never thought I would do.
Also I'm addicted to tattoos. Just the feeling of the tattoo gun putting permanent art in me gives me a better high than any drug in the world. Tattoos are like stories to me, a picture showing thousand words. I look forward to the next time I will get another tattoo, its the best thing I can do.
inked.
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