In 2016, I was going through a dark time and I was feeling really insecure. I developed an eating disorder and lost a lot of weight, like 20lbs in two weeks. Because I love art and love to contemplate it, I decided to get a tattoo that I could just look down upon. I thought that maybe if I had something there in front of me, I would feel better looking at myself. It was kind of irrational, but the quote was very relevant to my situation. I just wanted to be like a galaxy, so I got a tattoo that reflected how I felt. There is a lot more to me than just this surface self.
I couldn’t get any sleep and I was loosing a lot of weight. I was trying to go to school, but it really felt like I had nobody there. I was living at my brothers house, but there was never anyone home. I felt like I was collapsing into myself every night. I rarely got out of bed ... ever ... I just chained smoked in my bed ... I lived off of meal replacement drinks for months ... and I was just falling apart. I thought that by having this verse inked upon me it would help piece me back together ... like this is what I want to be ... so I am going to put it there so that I can live up to it ... and not to worry.
Because it is so personal to me, I decided to have it on my right thigh so that it was easy for me to view, but other people could only see it when I chose for that to be ok. I decided to use a font type of lettering that was not easy to decipher right away. It is a mix between a spray paint font and classical font and has some fancy configurations in the mix. It took five hours to complete it and it was only painful when the work was being done on the inner thigh. That wasn’t the nicest feeling. I was going to get a galaxy around the quote, but at the time I couldn’t afford it. But I am definitely going to get it done in the future, and it will be in colour. Actually, my intentions are to have all the ink on the right side of my body done in colour, and all the ink on the left side of my body done in the black and grey. The overall effect will create a yin and yang outcome on my body.
My other tattoo is on my left arm. It was my first one. It is a skull with flowers. I decided to get this done on my eighteenth birthday. I told the guy what I wanted and he just drew it up. I wanted it in the black and grey tones because I wanted it to be dark. It is a reminder that no matter how dark things seem to be, there is always a hidden beauty in that darkness. The skull is a stark reminder of how fragile and raw life can be and the flowers represent the beauty we can find in life.
Now when I look at my tattoos, especially the writing on my leg, I feel proud. I feel proud because I know I have made it a lot farther than what I was back then. I have gained 20lbs, and I am becoming that person, that galaxy, that I want to be.
~ Bailey Sieben Edmonton, AB
#womenwithtattoos #tattoo #life #stories #bodyart #inspiration #strength #HiddenBeauty
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