Why did you get a particular tattoo design?

[buddha]

I'm curious as to why people have gotten certain tattoo designs done.
When my Dad was dying of cancer in '90 I started having these dreams about a Grizzly Bear. I would always be in a different location and the bear would be after me. The locations were strange, once was on a riverboat like what used to run up and down the Mississippi River. In the dreams the bear never caught me but was relentless in chasing me and would, at some point, find someone else to kill. On the riverboat I had gone up into the ceiling in a room on the boat, the bear was tearing the door apart, and I was trying to pull a young girl up into the ceiling to get her away from the bear before he got in the door. She panicked as he was coming through the door and stopped trying to get away and just became dead weight. I tried to pull her up using just my own strength but the bear grabbed her and pulled her away from me and killed her right before my eyes. The look on her face as he got hold of her was upsetting for me because it was a look of sadness and resignation. She had reluctantly accepted her fate.
I was having this kind of dream every night and they continued on even after my Dad had died. I would wake up from these dreams in the middle of the night startled and not be able to get back to sleep for a while and was exhibiting extreme symptoms of sleep deprivation. I tried sleep aids, meditation, guided imagery for sleep, etc. Nothing worked. I had these dreams for a couple of years.
During this time I spoke to a friend of mine who is a Blackfeet Indian shaman from Montana. I asked him what, if anything, he thought I could do to abate the dreams. He told me that I had to make the bear my ally. I asked him how I would best accomplish that and he told me he had no idea.
One day I was sitting inadvertently meditating about the bear and it came to me to get this bear tattooed on my body so he would know that I was honoring him. I went that very day and made that peace offering to the bear by getting his vicious countenance tattooed on my upper right arm. That night, for the first time in two years, I did not dream about the bear and I have not had one of those dreams since.
That is the reason for the bear. I'm interested in reading about the reasons that some of my sly bros have for getting their ink.

[tomgallagher]

You should let a screenwriter have a crack at that Buddha. Very interesting story.

[Mikekoz13]

Man, what a great story Buddha!

For many years I had a of of bad luck in my life... a lot of it my own doing. Two failed marriages, a lot of unsatisfying relationships, you name it. Then after my second wife and I split I had a good serious sit down with myself. I looked long and hard at myself and what it was that had caused me so many problems in my life. it basically came down to a lot of bad choices.... too much drinking, too much softball, too much fighting, too much Hell raising, too much womanizing.... just too much of all the things I liked in life. So I vowed too myself that for one year.... no serious relationship with women, and I owuld change all the other things about me that I felt were a problem. For years i had continually crawled out of the hole only too be dragged right back in. I figured if i could get myself straightened out, other good things would fall into place for me.

So for one year i kept my word.... I worked on myself. And I worked hard at it..... and I was true to my vow. And long before that year was over I had pushed all the past demons away.... they weren't dragging me back in the pit this time.

Not long after that year was up, I met my wife Cheryl. The day I met her my change was complete... and 13 years later life is better than ever.

So my tattoo really depicts me being helped out of the pit of past downfalls by an Angel. The Angel really is my Faith pulling me up and out. The arms really represent all those bad things trying to pull  me back in again.

I took years for me to get that first tattoo and it is VERY special to me. Check out the avatar.

[Jdogs Better Half]

I'm curious as to why people have gotten certain tattoo designs done.
When my Dad was dying of cancer in '90 I started having these dreams about a Grizzly Bear. I would always be in a different location and the bear would be after me. The locations were strange, once was on a riverboat like what used to run up and down the Mississippi River. In the dreams the bear never caught me but was relentless in chasing me and would, at some point, find someone else to kill. On the riverboat I had gone up into the ceiling in a room on the boat, the bear was tearing the door apart, and I was trying to pull a young girl up into the ceiling to get her away from the bear before he got in the door. She panicked as he was coming through the door and stopped trying to get away and just became dead weight. I tried to pull her up using just my own strength but the bear grabbed her and pulled her away from me and killed her right before my eyes. The look on her face as he got hold of her was upsetting for me because it was a look of sadness and resignation. She had reluctantly accepted her fate.
I was having this kind of dream every night and they continued on even after my Dad had died. I would wake up from these dreams in the middle of the night startled and not be able to get back to sleep for a while and was exhibiting extreme symptoms of sleep deprivation. I tried sleep aids, meditation, guided imagery for sleep, etc. Nothing worked. I had these dreams for a couple of years.
During this time I spoke to a friend of mine who is a Blackfeet Indian shaman from Montana. I asked him what, if anything, he thought I could do to abate the dreams. He told me that I had to make the bear my ally. I asked him how I would best accomplish that and he told me he had no idea.
One day I was sitting inadvertently meditating about the bear and it came to me to get this bear tattooed on my body so he would know that I was honoring him. I went that very day and made that peace offering to the bear by getting his vicious countenance tattooed on my upper right arm. That night, for the first time in two years, I did not dream about the bear and I have not had one of those dreams since.
That is the reason for the bear. I'm interested in reading about the reasons that some of my sly bros have for getting their ink.

wow!!!!! thats a very cool story!!!! enjoyed reading it

[buddha]

Man, what a great story Buddha!

For many years I had a of of bad luck in my life... a lot of it my own doing. Two failed marriages, a lot of unsatisfying relationships, you name it. Then after my second wife and I split I had a good serious sit down with myself. I looked long and hard at myself and what it was that had caused me so many problems in my life. it basically came down to a lot of bad choices.... too much drinking, too much softball, too much fighting, too much Hell raising, too much womanizing.... just too much of all the things I liked in life. So I vowed too myself that for one year.... no serious relationship with women, and I owuld change all the other things about me that I felt were a problem. For years i had continually crawled out of the hole only too be dragged right back in. I figured if i could get myself straightened out, other good things would fall into place for me.

So for one year i kept my word.... I worked on myself. And I worked hard at it..... and I was true to my vow. And long before that year was over I had pushed all the past demons away.... they weren't dragging me back in the pit this time.

Not long after that year was up, I met my wife Cheryl. The day I met her my change was complete... and 13 years later life is better than ever.

So my tattoo really depicts me being helped out of the pit of past downfalls by an Angel. The Angel really is my Faith pulling me up and out. The arms really represent all those bad things trying to pull  me back in again.

I took years for me to get that first tattoo and it is VERY special to me. Check out the avatar.

That is a very cool tattoo, Mike, and a great story behind it. Did you come up with the design or did someone assist in designing it? It is honestly a piece of art! Man, that is the kind of story I'm interested in reading.

When I got my first tat, a tribal style dragon on my right inner forearm, I got it because I wanted to get a tat. There was no story to it. Later I had it modified with Korean script to honor a teacher of mine. So at that point a flash became somewhat original.

[TheTrucker]

Great stories.

All of my tats have some meaning to me.

I got my first tat when I was in the service, and it basically signifies my service as well as my rating in the service (Aviation Ordnance).

The one on my upper left arm is a Native American shield, which is to honor my paternal grandmother who was full blood Apache and who taught me a great deal about that part of my heritage when I was a kid. It is my own design and was done freehand by a very good artist. The pic doesn't do it justice.



The rest of mine signify various aspects and events in my life. I only have a total of four right now, but who knows when I'll get another one? I'd never get one merely for decoration.

[Mikekoz13]

Buddha-

       My tattooo was my own idea but i can't draw stick figures. I found a tattoo artist that I liked that had a good reputation and talked to her about my idea. I gave her total artistic license. She told me that after I saw her original concept drawing i could tweak it/make suggestions for changes. When I saw it i didn't change a thing... it was perfect.

      The really cool thing...... I still had thin horseshoe hair when I met her to talk about my idea. I didn't shave my head until after we met and before I saw her drawing. But when i went in and saw the drawing she had drawn me SLY..... How cool is that?

[Rob]

It is one cool tat, Mike, and one hell of a story to go with it.

[JDog]

I have 3 tattoos in total. I have "Arnie,Love of my Life across my chest just below my collarbone,Arnie is the nickname of my Better Half. ...She was coined Arnie as a little girl by her brother who couldnt pronounce her name Alana...I dont think she is called Alana by anyone anymore.

My 2nd tattoo says Levi,Mi Hijo on the underside of my right forearm. Mi Hijo is Spanish for "My Son"..I wanted to get this in Spanish to pay tribute for the many Latino people who have had a profound impact on my life.Growing up, there was a very large Hispanic population in my hometown and many of my close friends growing up were of a Hispanic background. They taught me the language and taught me some very valuable life lessons. Much of what I know today about the world was shown to me my members of my extended Hispanic family community. I readily identified with them growing up and still do today. My son is named Levi.

My 3rd and most extensive tattoo is of praying hands surrounded by thorns and 2 roses..2 banners surround the hands with my favorite saying "Turn Tragedy Into Triumph"...this goes on a very similar vein as Mikes tattoo...In my life I've had quite a few lows and this just represents you gotta have the good with the bad in order to appreciate what you are blessed with. A beautiful rose is surrounded by thorns which will cut you or hurt you. This may seem cliche to many people but I felt this had a strong personal relevance for me. If you didnt have the sh*tty times ,how in the hell could you appreciate the good? Prayer is central to achieving this. I also liked keeping with the Hispanic style as Praying hands is a very well known tattoo design and I wanted to borrow from that, however still work it into a unique piece

[Jdogs Better Half]

I have 3 tattoos in total. I have "Arnie,Love of my Life across my chest just below my collarbone,Arnie is the nickname of my Better Half. ...She was coined Arnie as a little girl by her brother who couldnt pronounce her name Alana...I dont think she is called Alana by anyone anymore.

My 2nd tattoo says Levi,Mi Hijo on the underside of my right forearm. Mi Hijo is Spanish for "My Son"..I wanted to get this in Spanish to pay tribute for the many Latino people who have had a profound impact on my life.Growing up, there was a very large Hispanic population in my hometown and many of my close friends growing up were of a Hispanic background. They taught me the language and taught me some very valuable life lessons. Much of what I know today about the world was shown to me my members of my extended Hispanic family community. I readily identified with them growing up and still do today. My son is named Levi.

My 3rd and most extensive tattoo is of praying hands surrounded by thorns and 2 roses..2 banners surround the hands with my favorite saying "Turn Tragedy Into Triumph"...this goes on a very similar vein as Mikes tattoo...In my life I've had quite a few lows and this just represents you gotta have the good with the bad in order to appreciate what you are blessed with. A beautiful rose is surrounded by thorns which will cut you or hurt you. This may seem cliche to many people but I felt this had a strong personal relevance for me. If you didnt have the sh*tty times ,how in the hell could you appreciate the good? Prayer is central to achieving this. I also liked keeping with the Hispanic style as Praying hands is a very well known tattoo design and I wanted to borrow from that, however still work it into a unique piece

HUBBA HUBBA! 

[buddha]

Buddha-

       My tattooo was my own idea but i can't draw stick figures. I found a tattoo artist that I liked that had a good reputation and talked to her about my idea. I gave her total artistic license. She told me that after I saw her original concept drawing i could tweak it/make suggestions for changes. When I saw it i didn't change a thing... it was perfect.

      The really cool thing...... I still had thin horseshoe hair when I met her to talk about my idea. I didn't shave my head until after we met and before I saw her drawing. But when i went in and saw the drawing she had drawn me SLY..... How cool is that?

Very cool that she depicted you sly. 
I can draw a little but if I ever did a drawing that I wanted to get put on in ink I know a woman up here who is an excellent artist. Her speciality is Viking/Wizard type drawings and she told me that she will design a tat for me. I haven't spoken to her in a while but she mentioned that she was contemplating learning how to do tats so I may have a one-stop for my next one.
I'm thinking of a cover-up for a panther I have on my left upper arm and I had considered a Viking theme for that. 

[PigPen]

My only tattoo right now, is the head of a bald eagle, the United States flag and the Confederate Battle flag. The best thing about this tat is that my dad has the same one. We both have it on our upper backs. I chose an eagle because they can be very majestic and when you look at them they have a don't F**K with me attitude. The fact it is our nation's mascot had something to do with it as well. The American flag I chose because I am very proud to be an American. I chose the Confederate Battle flag to honor my ancestors who settled in the south originally, and fought in the Civil War.

[tomgallagher]

Interesting that you differentiate between the CSA Battle Flag and the official flag of the CSA. A lot of people don't know the difference PigPen.

[PigPen]

What can I say Tom? Made sure I did my homework.

[tomgallagher]

Good for you.