For the Sake of Art

This tattoo is kinda funny because it started out as one that was just for the sake of art but has ironically become so much more!

* ⬆ peep my nook lol who else distracts themselves from the pain by reading? 🙋🏽‍♀️

I began my tattoo journey at 18 and since then I have continued to get several more, all with deep meaning behind them. To be honest there was this mentality that I had where I only got tattoos that meant something because I felt like it they would be more widely accepted if people felt like there was a story behind it ya know? Obviously tattoos with a story to tell are really awesome and interesting to learn about but at the same time there became this stigma that if I or others got tattoos "just because" that they were somehow less. That it was somehow less acceptable to get a tattoo just because we liked the way it looked. I mean, at the end of the day we wouldn't get the tattoo if we didn't like the way it looked so why is simply liking the way it looks less of a reason to get it? Anybody else out there with tattoos that ever felt more judged for a tattoo that you got for the aesthetic than for one with personal meaning? Maybe it's just me! Who knows?!? Either way there were several tattoos over the years that I opted out of getting simply because I felt like getting it just "for the sake of art" wasn't a good enough reason and that others would judge the piece more harshly.

I have always been a fan of art, henna especially. When I was in school I would always be doodling floral henna designs on my homework or my notes when I needed a brain break! It was relaxing and enjoyable to just create something beautiful that didn't require me to be a professionally trained artist honestly! To be able to just create fun designs that were just pretty to look at! Every time I had money at a fair I would always get a henna design on my hand and wrist because I thought they were so magical and beautiful. For a long time I have wanted to get one permanently but once again that conditioned thought that I couldn't get it just because I thought it was pretty popped into my mind and kept me from ever following through! That is until now of course! 😉

Recently I've just been learning to lean into what lights me up and to trust my desires. When the idea once again pooped into my mind to get a permanent henna tattoo it came once again with the limiting fear of outside judgment. But this time it also came with this question, "Why would I continuously allow the fear of potential judgment to hinder me from acting on what brings me joy?" And a damn good question that was! The only honest answer I could come up with was that it shouldn't! It should matter so much that I might be judged for it, and it most definitely shouldn't keep me from embodying my truest self! So it turns out a tattoo I had originally intended to get just for the sake of art ending up being pretty meaningful after all! It tells the story of my transformation of self and of my freedom from the need for outside validation! Both things that I have been and will continue to be working on! It's another testament to my commitment to self discovery and self expression by looking within rather than outside of myself. And it's a powerful reminder for me to remember to listen to my own voice when the voices around me get too loud.

(finished product healed about 1 month later)

What is it that is holding you back from expressing your truest self? What fear is keeping you from living a life in color? How are you choosing to live your life -- in alignment with others expectations / potential judgments of you, or, in alignment with your deepest desires?

Whatever the answers to those questions may be for you in this moment I want to leave you with encouragement. It's perfectly ok to want what you want and to go out and get it. You don't have to be afraid of your God given desires. You are worthy of indulging in your longings. You're never as alone as you think you are in the way you feel. It's good to trust yourself and give yourself permission. You can do hard things and you can do them with panache! 💃🏽👑💋💁🏽‍♀️