Style and Tattoos: Never Live in Regret

For many of us, our style and tattoos are an integral part of who we are. We could wear sweats, a tank top and slippers, and still feel like we look ok because our always present pieces of art are there, doing their thing, separating us from the masses. Some of you might prefer to look from afar, wincing at the thought of the pain involved in a tattoo or just preferring to be “free and clean” – either way, it’s ok. Tattoos are certainly not for everyone.

What you choose for a tattoo doesn’t have to be all that meaningful, it can be purely aesthetic or stylistic. Like a tattoo of leopard print up your shoulders or neck, a bunch of roses and a skull or peacock on your chest, or angel wings on your back will forever look awesome peeking out of your low cut dresses or tops, the clothes you plan to wear forever anyway right?

When you are old and wrinkly, your tattoos might not look as hot as they did in their glory days but you will forever be that “cool” granny or grandpa with the tattoos who listens to awesome music and lives life to the fullest. If you have the wrong attitude to begin with, you could end up with laser tattoo removal scars, spending your life trying to cover up your body to cover the tattoos or worse, just being an overall miserable person. So before deciding on a tattoo, make sure you have an inner peace about any possible long term issues. At the same time, don’t over think it.

I try and live a no regret lifestyle and always have a good time, even if the weather is dangerous, the car broke down or my bank account drained. I look at every down point as just another part of life that I’ll look back at and smile upon. I don’t mind getting sick (to an extent), I don’t mind a cut on my leg from a good hike, or when a tree falls on my bike and only breaks the mirror, I go and get a new one and appreciate the fact that it could have been much worse.

When I broke my leg this July, I tried to just accept it, after all, I always brag about never having broke anything in my life so it was inevitable with all the outdoor activities I do. After about 4-5 weeks I started getting antsy, we’ve been staying in western Montana, including Glacier National Park and I had so many plans for hikes, camping, glamping and wearing my new summer wardrobe in small Montana towns, but instead I’ve been stuck in the car looking at things out the window most the time. Even feeling a bit trapped, I’ve still managed to take a ton of photos, camp several times and go driving off road on bumpy winding roads into the unknown – more than most people with broken legs would bother even trying to do. Now I’m walking again, at a slow and jaunty pace, but soon enough we’ll be in the Badlands of South Dakota and I’ll be back on my bike. I didn’t miss much having a broken leg and I didn’t sit around watching TV feeling sorry for myself, so overall it has not been the worst experience ever.

My attitude about life and it’s ups and downs goes with being a tattoo person in my opinion. You can’t let the little things get to you in any aspect of life. If you are worried about getting a tattoo because you might “regret it” – don’t do it, but if you are willing to accept that at the time you wanted the tattoo, it meant something to you, then the memory attached to it will eventually make you smile at the person you used to be.

For example, I used to be really into pirates, the sea, the freedom of living on a boat etc, so I got an anchor tattoo with a friend. I also used to be more into street art than I have been lately, and got a tattoo of some NY street art that I redrew into a little pirate zombie (Long John Silver), my other tattoo, on my forearm,(not pictured) is from back in high school when I used to think I would be an Egyptologist. I don’t care if anybody else likes them because they are mine, for me and the people closest to me, no one else matters. I plan to get many more tattoos when I stop being a cheapskate.