I am 27. That means I have had ink on my skin for 9 years. For as long as I can remember I have craved a tattoo with everything I had. My earliest memories are being 6 or 7 and begging my parents for a temporary tattoo. I never got it but a friend of mine did. I burned with jealousy! I hear all the negative things about tattoos but never bought into it. I always knew I was going to be inked up one day
. I was inspired shortly after my 17th birthday at a concert in Dallas, TX. I saw the Bass players arm covered in colored stars and new I wanted one(a star). I didn't realize how important it would be to put more thought into my choices. After I turned 18, I wasted no time in getting my first black and green nautical star on my left forearm. It KILLED! But I felt like a changed man. I was now part of a beautiful and exciting community!
Then came the "Emo-phase". Do you remember when that happened? I was really involved in the Dallas, Ft. Worth music scene and everyone I knew still held onto some individuality. It was a wonderful time in my life. I didn't notice the change in pop culture until after I moved to Georgia. It was a sudden surge of skinny jeans, straight jet-black or multicolored hair, spiked belts, piercings and eye makeup. It was a new era and I wasn't prepared for it. To my UN-liking, Nautical stars got sucked into the middle of it. The Star on my arm that to me, represented my entrance into the tattoo community and a way I could honor a scene that meant so much to me as I grew up. Then, overnight it seemed, Everyone was treating the stars and the scene as if it were just another necklace or replaceable lip ring. That was 2003.
Flash forward to 2007. The star remained my only piece. I had vowed to never get another piece that could potentially become a fad. I had just returned from Iraq and knew I still loved Tattoos. I wanted something to represent my time in the war. I thought of several ideas but whenever I asked myself: "Can I live with this forever?" the answer was always no. Then I found my next piece.
In 2006, I worked part time for a popular radio station in Atlanta with a friend as on-air "Stunt-terns". We had the nicknames "Danger Boy" and "Crush" with me being the latter. That was also a fantastic time in our lives and we seemed to fall into a sudden whirlpool of crazy circumstances. When we reunited after I came home from Iraq, he had gotten the initials "DB" tattooed on his bicep with some flames adding a nice accent. I really liked it. I told him I would like CRUSH with the same flames, only on my right wrist. At first I sensed he might take it as me being unoriginal. But even if it does seem that way, the radio was something we shared together I wanted to remember forever. In the end, I did it for me, but more importantly, I was honoring him in my memories. We are still friends to this day. That night, I got an idea that excited me so much, I had to go back the very next day.
My life has been a wonderful adventure so far and I expect it to stay adventurous. So, when I thought of a way to ink that onto my arm forever I almost cried. That's right, the "Angel of Strength" was born in my minds eye.
I have always loved the idea of Angels. Not the precious moments or, soft skinned, gowned, halo wearing Angels. No, I thought of them as rough looking, strong, SOLDIERS. The kind of protection one would want in hairy situations.
I came up with the theory that everyone is given a personal guardian at birth. They grow in strength and power as we move through life. In my case I needed someone who could handle car accidents, a love for danger, and a tour in Iraq under their belt.
I explained in as many words as I could to my artist Tony. To my relief, he was into the idea and jumped whole-heartily into the project. After some failed attempts to find anything on-line, we drove to a local comic-book shop. There, we purchased several comics that each included a piece of the future pie.
The minds eye is crazy! We think it's so clear when, in reality, I think we hold the essence of what we want, rather than an actual picture. Tony far exceeded my expectations. I was BLOWN AWAY! I was looking at a truly original master piece! It was his drawing but it was from my head and would be MINE for life. I loved every bit of it. The lost era uniform, the powerful wings, the sword and dagger, the strength he portrayed with muscles, the hair and the no B.S look on his face. The detail was so intricate that it took 16 hours to complete over a 2 day period. That was undeniably painful. More so the second day but I numbed up quickly. When it was done, I felt a sense of satisfaction I hadn't felt before.
Flash forward to now. It is almost 2012 and I've had the tattoo for just over 4 years. I am still just as happy with it now as I was when I got it. It has been a great conversation piece and I've met some really cool people because of it. As time passes and new adventures occur in my life, I can look down to my Angel of Strength and reminisce with a smile on my face.
I still haven't added any more pieces to my body. I care to much about my choices and don't feel I'm in a hurry. I have some ideas to add to the Angel but I'm still working them out. Whatever they may be, I can assure you they will be original and packed full of meaning. Thanks for reading.
