Adornment
I love tattoos.
As a kid, I was always drawing on myself. Anything I could make with a Sharpie, I did it: stars, hearts, clouds, smiley faces– at the time, I believed my artistic abilities were limited. My mother hated it, mainly because she didn’t want the ink seeping into my veins and poisoning me. But what can I say? I loved the aesthetic that tattoos and piercings provide.
The alternative look was so exciting to me, and my Tumblr reflected that. It wasn’t until I pierced my own ears that my Mom decided to give in to my indulgences and take me to get piercings she felt appropriate for a teenager. She even paid for my first tattoo. At that moment, I never appreciated her more.
Over 9 years, I have gathered 18 tattoos and have been pierced 18 times as well. Luckily, piercings can be removed, and tattoos can be covered up. Some things I have changed my mind on, and others I am happily reminded that it’s there. But for me, it has always been about self-expression– expression of pain, happiness, or boredom. Before, I collected tattoos because I had the money and felt an itch for the needle to hit my skin. There was very little thought of how I wanted my pieces to represent me, other than the fact that I liked them and felt content with them being on my body. But now?
Now I am a bit more intentional about my tattoos. Blame it on the frontal lobe, blame it on maturing, blame it on whatever, but I am not so quick to get a tattoo as I once was before. Not because I am afraid of it limiting my job prospects, but I find that body modifications feel like a Spiritual process for me now, and I want to ensure that whatever I add feels right with my Spirit rather than what I am feeling in the moment.
Across the world, tattooing was a practice used to foster connection. Connection to those in the physical and metaphysical realms. In Indigenous cultures, tattooing was used to distinguish which tribe one belonged to, as well as historical markers, ceremonial practices, and Spiritual advancements. Even in African American cultures across the country, tattoos were used as a form of protection, personal power, reverence, and guidance from the Ancestors.
The policing of body modifications is a form of colonization that withholds the person from the benefits of adornment. Some may find it tacky and mischaracterize others as unpleasant to the eye, but me? Tattooing has been a marker of my Spiritual journey and the growth I have made throughout my years. There’s a story to be told, even if the tattoo was “just because”, it is a marker in time of our lives that reminds us of where we once were.
As I build my physical portfolio, I want to ensure that my markers are a representation of not only myself, but my connection to Spirit itself. These are constant reminders of my personal power and who I was created to be.
How do you adorn yourself, and how does it bring you power?
