Let's get inked

Life imitates art. Art imitates life.

We have spots and scars and marks on our body because we have lived. We were born a blank canvas and through our experiences in life, we earn the marks in our skins. The tiger stripes and battle scars.

We get bumps and bruises, scratches and scars from living everyday.

My office has glass walls and I, super klutz Erica, walked into the glass wall while leaving my boss's office. Just walked right into it. Bruised my shoulder for about 2 days. Spatial awareness is not my forte.

Ok, but here comes the magic: sometimes, we have the option to pick what represents our time alive. You got it: ink and needles. Tattoos. The issue we run into at this point, is the whole "professional" thing.

But about workplace: does me having ink on my skin impact my ability to do my job? What if I got some pen marks or some marker in my arms while doing paperwork? Do I get reprimanded? If I tattoo my moms birthday to my leg, does that means I'm no longer able to read and write documents? Answer phone calls? Lose all problem-solving abilities?

Or does it only when it's visible? Sure we can say clients might not like it, so if any, tattoos should be able to be covered. So it's ok to have designs on my skin as long as no one can see them? So then to the clients: am I any less intelligent because I want to be ale to carry around artwork with me everywhere I go? Is that any different than an iPhone wallpaper or a photo in a wallet or a picture in a locket around my neck?

These are things that we commemorate our lives and experiences. I've got a friend who has a four inch scar on his forearm because if a surgery to fix a basketball injury. Another friend with a scar on her shoulder from surgery as well. Are those deemed inappropriate as well? Who gets to decide that?

Just like how my surgery scars don't inspire you to go scrape your knees and fall out of a tree, my piercings and tattoos also will not dictate whether or not you get one. If anything, bumps and bruises have a larger impact on my ability to function. Tattoos are art. Permanent art that lives in our skin, show our stories, make us all the more interesting. We're working pieces of art on the inside, let's be brave enough to show it on the outside too!

#Tattoos #wellness #selfcare