If you haven't noticed by now, I have quite a few tattoos. Some people ask me what they mean to me, so I'll tell you...without getting too personal...maybe ;-)
This "Victory Banner" was my very first tattoo. It is one of the eight auspicious symbols of Buddhism. It symbolizes Buddha's triumph over obstacles and negativity. I had a very rough time in high school because of my stutter. I could barely get any words out. It was a really hard and dark time for me but through a lot of work with my self and my fears, I was able to accept that I talk the way I talk and nothing will ever change that. Once I accepted this my speech came much easier to me and life got a little easier.
My second tattoo is this Raven flying through cherry blossoms. The Raven symbolizes death and the cherry blossoms represent acceptance. It's important to accept that death is a part of life and that you must to learn to let go. I've dealt with a lot of loss in my life so this tattoo means a lot to me.
I was very close with my grandmother (maternal) for most of my life. She just LOVED butterflies. She literally had them everywhere. When she got sick and passed away in 2012 I was devastated. This tattoo is for her, even though she'd probably hate the fact that I have tattoos but that's irrelevant :-P
I also LOVE this quote by Maya Angelou: "We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty." I have this fashion blog and may appear to be confident and fearless, but like anyone else I've been through a lot to get to where I am today.
The Pink Flamingo. What can I say, I just really like flamingos! They
are so beautiful to me. They're also very social animals and rely
heavily on each other for survival. I've found that as I've gotten
older and more comfortable with myself, I'm pretty outgoing! This may
come as a surprise to many because I was always, "That quiet girl Leigh"
for most of my life.
The words above are my most recent work: "I am what I am." NO it's not from Popeye (lol), it's a biblical quote from 1 Corinthians 15:10, "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain." I've always liked this quote. Self acceptance does not come easy, but there's a reason why we are all different and we're all special in our own way. I am not perfect! But I try to be everyday and this tat reminds me to just relax and be cool.
So there ya go! My tattoos mean a lot to me. I feel like they are a map to my heart. I love that I can create artwork on my body that represents who I am, and helps set me apart from the norm.
Victory Banner - Los Angeles (Venice) 2007
Raven - Boston 2009
Butterfly - Los Angeles (Silverlake) 2012
Flamingo - Los Angeles (West Hollywood) 2013
"I Am What I Am" - Detroit 2013