In recent years I have become genuinely fascinated by tattoos, a lot of my friends have them which made me realise how stunning they could be, but I have been known to stare at complete strangers tattoos, which isn’t always the best thing to be caught doing. Though every so often it has resulted in an unexpected and interesting conversation. Finding out why they had it done, was it just teenage rebelliousness or was it a more considered decision with a story behind it?

Chatting with people I would probably never have spoken to, and it’s all been sparked by their body art.

So just before my 30th birthday, I decided I really wanted to get a tattoo, but for me, this was a massive decision and not one made easily, mainly due to my anxiety.  Now you may wonder what my anxiety had got to do with it, but one of my triggers is a big fear of having an allergic reaction to things, such as foods, hair dye and therefore not surprisingly tattoo ink!

I actually went to the tattoo shop I used, which is the amazing Jesters at Five Ways New Eltham, to have a tester done, so I have small red dot behind my left ear.

Now you may wonder – why put myself through this if I know it exacerbates my anxiety? Well for that exact reason, if I could get through having a tattoo it would be a major win in the constant battle of my mind. It would be a complete and utter breakthrough.

I designed my first tattoo myself, and it is based around my children. I drew it up and took it to Jesters, and to Manda who is my awesome tattoo artist.  I booked in for the December of 2013 – a couple of months after my 30th birthday, but I ended up being in an extremely bad place with my anxiety and IBS and couldn’t go through with it.

Fast forward to August 2014 and I was still desperate for my tattoo and still loved the design, and so I rung up to rebook and was lucky that there’d been a cancellation and could be seen that weekend (usually about a 3 month wait or more to get Manda) and I think it’s exactly what I needed to happen for me – it didn’t give me too long to worry about it.

So at nearly 31 years of age, I got my first tattoo – and it meant a lot for me to have it done. It signifies both my children and also a massive step in my fight with my anxiety.

Manda and her amazing talents made my dream a reality and it was so much better than I could ever have envisaged! I absolutely loved it then and still love it now. A butterfly for each of my children, the Pink One and the Blue One, the initial of their first names worked into the designs of the wings – and showing that they will grow and change and that they can fly! All rather sentimental, but everything to me.

Though telling my parents was another thing, I may have been 30 but I still felt like a little girl when I told them! Haha!

Two years later and my desire for another tattoo had grown – and I was back at Jesters! Again, adding more symbolism of my children in the form of two pocket watches, which has the children’s dates and times of birth on them! I was so nervous I would get that information wrong I checked it, checked it again and probably checked it a million times!

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Another two-years pa
[/caption]Another two-years past and I was wishing for another tattoo – spending quite a bit of time, or should I say losing hours to Pinterest! This time though I wanted something that symbolised me, and the constant battle with my mind and the fact I try not let it stop me. So I went with the wonderful Phoenix – I may crash and burn, but out of the ashes I will rise again and not only that, I will come back stronger!

The placing of this tattoo was important – I am under my children, supporting and protecting them.  Tying the Phoenix in with the butterflies by asking Manda to add some of the same colours into the Phoenix’s tail feathers. I think the whole thing, is personally, stunning and means the world to me.

So this is the end of my current tattoo tales – will there be more, who knows? But I certainly wouldn’t say never! I’ve already been back on Pinterest – just don’t tell my poor Hubby and parents… haha!

I would dearly love to do a fortnightly/monthly Tattoo Tales – with other people’s stories of why they had their tattoos done.  If you’d like to be involved send me an email to jogonmum@gmail.com – it wou;d be great to hear from you and share these amazing artistic creations 🙂 xxx