Saguenay Memories

Tattoo tales is all about the story and less about the intricate artwork. It perhaps should no longer be a surprise, but the profound thought behind so many tattoos is still a constant source of amazement. So when Myna started to describe her ink, it brought a smile to my lips.

She says: 

A profound piece for me is the Rose with bubbles, waves, a sun plus the quote "I'd rather have a single rose..." - I got this one in memory of my great grandmother. She played a huge role in my life and I still miss her every day. My favorite childhood memory was running over to her house, she lived next door, and left out a bowl of candies for us. They were creme de menthe soft candies, and I remember he when I see them nowadays on those green and white wrappers.
She passed away of cancer when I was 14 years old, and before she did, she asked my grandmother to read a poem she had picked out for the funeral. The bubbles (5 of them) represent my family - my parents, two brothers and myself, the waves are representative of Lac St-Jean. I used to spend my summers at my great-grandmother's cottage, located right on the water front there. I still go every year. It is my slice of paradise...

The words are from the poem


*BRING ME ALL YOUR FLOWERS NOW*

I would rather have a single ROSE
from the garden of a friend,
then have the choicest flowers
when my stay on Earth must end.
I would rather have the kindest words
which may now be said to me,
then flattered when my heart is still,
and this life has ceased to be.
I would rather have a loving SMILE
from the friends I know are true,
than tears shed around my casket,
when this world I've bade adieu!
Bring me all your flowers,
whether PINK,or WHITE, or RED.
I'd rather have ONE BLOSSOM now
then a truckload when I'm dead.
Author: R.D. Richards
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The blueberries on my left write are a favorite, a symbol of home for me. I grew up in Saguenay Lac-St-Jean and until I turned 8, my backyard was a blueberry field. I will never forget it. We used to spend days out there in the summer, picking blueberries for pies and eating them as we went. It reminds me of home, of my childhood and of course my great grandmother. It is also fitting that "Des bleuets" is a nice nick name for local people of my region.

Tinkerbell

Some tattoos may seem so simple in their design but their meanings can be much deeper than one might first imagine. 

When asked Beca is likely to reply: "I've always loved Tinker Bell and wanted this tattoo since I was 5.  

Based on that simple reply, one might expect a charmed childhood and youthful innocence.

But like so many others, Becca was often picked-on and bullied in school. Her self esteem was eroded. This lead to other complications and even self abuse. With the help of family and friends she has regained much of that confidence but Tinker Bell is still a very special and personal reminder that everyday takes courage and the message of "believe" now translates to: 

Believe in yourself, 
Believe in your potential,
Believe,  you  will  succeed.

Health Care Angel

Anyone who’s met Andrea knows the profoundness of her caring and compassion.

Here is a lady who’s dedicated her life to the care of others. She’s already been to Africa several times to provide nursing, do development work, help with women’s empowerment and provide aid with maternal/child health. When at home , she works on a medical/surgery floor as well as provides palliative home care.

She says:
The tattoo on my ribs is a pin up nurse. 
I designed her myself and she's to commemorate my passion for nursing.

I’ve wanted her a long time and went through several designs over a 2 year period.  I finally settled on one that was inspired by registered nurse in Uganda with the blue & red cape and black belt. It has a pin-up edge because I wanted her to be different like me. I always got ribbed in school for my piercings, looks, and the clothes I picked. Personally, I think how someone feels and acts is much more important than their outward appearance. 

My tattoo nurse is sexy, but she's also listening to my heartbeat with her stethoscope, (doing her job) which kind of represents my view:

Looks should not affect your job or professionalism.  

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Post Script...

Andrea and I also wanted to dedicate this special piece to the nurses everywhere who work so hard at making some of our most challenging situations more bearable. 

We tend to encounter nurses when we or a loved one is ill or dying. Our own patience is often low and we are in need of attention. 

Our nurses, typically overworked, find the time to listen, and words to comfort. Their special care makes our world more a little more bearable. 

Thank You for all you do

(click the image for a larger version)

Black Widow

Love can be fickle, yet it is so important.

Yes we all wanna be loved, but it should not be rushed. We don’t want to just love the next person who comes along. The question is how to find our true soul mate. Moreover, how do we keep from hurting even killing the ones we love. 
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JD is a wonderful lady who enjoys the attention of a young man as much as the any girl. But for some reason or another, guys seem to fall in love too fast for her and they are quickly head-over-heels. 
Many start talking of marriage well before she is ready.  So JD has a tendency to call things off and break their hearts. The pattern then repeats and she wishes she could warn them off.

That’s where her tattoo comes in. After a 10 year relationship with one particular man, she realized she needed to move on.  His heart and several others were broken in succession.
In a way, she was killing her lovers.

What a perfect symbol, a Black Widow Tattoo.

The Black Widow spider has a venomous bite and the females of some species are known to devour their male after copulation. JD selected this symbol and strategically placed it close in her pubic area. When a relationship progressed and got far enough along that the tattoo was revealed, she could outline in no uncertain terms that if things moved too fast she would have the tendency to back away. They now had clear warning and could proceed at their own risk.

It certainly gets the message across and the imagery is stunningly real.  JD recalls one day in a doctor’s office, the practitioner was clearly taken aback. Of course it didn’t help that he was Arachnophobic. 

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For anyone wondering, there is now a new man in her web and things are progressing at a comfortable pace. Sounds like there may be a new chapter to this story soon. 

Introduction

I've just added an intro video to give readers more of an idea of how this project will shape up.
The video also introduces Angela Solo, the wonderful inspiration behind the project.

Little did she know that her remarkable zest for life and amazing personality would have planted a seed that would germinate into this wonderful project several years later.

If you want to participate in the project please contact me with a summary of your story and a way for me to see the tattoo(s). Just a cell phone image or a link to exiting images is fine.

Can't see the Video? 
try this link:     http://youtu.be/_cRGqjQ0Nhs

Dreaming

For many young ladies depression is constant reality.
We live in a world with unreal expectations.  Add to that peer pressure, bullying tactics and the stress of job or school and we get a teen suicide rate that is alarming.  Fortunately for this young lady – there was an alternate escape.

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I’ve paraphrased Pam’s words:

Life is just overwhelming and sometimes I feel like going to sleep and never waking up. Sleep is an escape where I feel nothing. No worries or sadness or anxiety just good feelings of nothingness, and sometimes you get to dream too which is fun. I was often picked on through public school & high school. People hurt me to the point where if I could sleep forever, I would. For some reason people can be hateful and find it funny to tell someone to kill themselves, or say I look like a bull dog. For me, sleeping is a way to avoid them, step out of reality, the drama, the fighting, the hate.
To remind me of my escape, I chose this tattoo design because the birds represent the freedom I thrive and the tree because when I get depressed I also to the woods where I enjoy the peace and tranquility of nature.
Since getting the tattoo I’ve left school behind and with it many of the problems but I still select my friends carefully and choose very few. I am stronger but remain on antidepressants, but they're are days where I do still escape by just sleeping.
In my sleep and dreams I don't see negativity, I see everyone getting along & being drama free.
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NOTE: Teen depression can lead to drug and alcohol abuse, self-loathing and self-mutilation, pregnancy, violence, and even suicide. To recognize the signs and understand what to do here is a starting point:
http://www.helpguide.org/mental/depression_teen.htm