Greatest things I never did: Tattoo

I've always been pretty indifferent about tattoos; I have nothing against them but I've never felt the need to get one. But if I did, I know what I'd get. The main reasons that people criticize tattoos is that they're permanent: get something too much tied to current events or people in your life and there's a good possibility it'll look dated and just plain wrong in few years. For me, that would be just the reason to get one.

There are way too few permanent reminders of our past that we carry these days. Our computers age and die in few years, digital photographs fade with hard drive crash and IKEA furniture lasts five years at best. We live in a disposable culture filled with items that have no meaning, no story to tell. In that world, tattoos still hold that value, they're still permanent reminders of the things we've done.

When I turned 30 (I promise I'll try to avoid that phrase and postings related to that but I know it will be used at least few more times) I started to think about a proper way to carry my own past with me through this life I live. I wanted something that would last but not be static, something that would change during the years, so objects like a watch or any other trinket wouldn't really work. But a tattoo would.

The design

It's very simple, actually. Draw a grid with two columns and four rows with each cell measuring about 10 x 10 cm for example (if placed on the back, which would be the natural place for it I think). Starting in the top left corner, fill out a cell for each decade gone by choosing an icon representing the things that were important to you that time. That way it doesn't matter if it's dated since it's supposed to be. Something like this:

Yes, it's a fish. No, I wouldn't really use a fish, I just found it in some clip art collection. Now, if I was a fisherman, I would use a fish. In all cells.

As for the art itself, I'm not so sure what the icons could be. The first one would probably be something symbolizing growth and learning, second one for the teen years' seeking and third one representing work and the Internet. I know using the 'net for something like that is pretty cheesy, but considering all things it definitely has shaped my life the last decade more than anything else.

Of course the design isn't perfect or without its problems, but I like the basic concept quite a bit, especially for the dynamic and diary like nature of it. Living longer than what the grid allows icons for would require some additional cells, so the positioning would have to have some space below it to accommodate changes, though with my current lifestyle (and barring any scientific miracles) I'll be lucky to fill three rows. Now, if I could only figure out a way to implement that on a guitar...

This is a part of a collection of articles: Greatest things I never did