BIG Q: What’s the Story of Your Tattoo?

henna tattoo
CHICAGO, IL (March 3, 2016) — While body art has been around for millennia, it wasn’t too long ago that in our culture tattoos were primarily the domain of sailors, bikers, or those with an adventurous or rebellious streak. But now tats are now a popular form of personal expression for people of all ages and experiences—even Barbie has one.

We recognize that this kind of personal statement isn’t for everyone, but we would like to hear from our readers. If you have a tattoo, what did you get and what is the story behind it? And if you don’t have one but you’ve thought about it, what would you get?

Send us your responses and photos of your ink. (Bonus points for stories and pictures of specficially Covenant ink!)

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Comments

  • Many people, many Christians at least, are often surprised when I respond to questions about my tattoo stories by simply saying, “art.” There may have been some deeper thoughts in my mind circulating when I got cascading leaves on my left forearm, or a sprawling octopus on my right. But first and foremost, they are simply art for art’s sake. What’s the meaning behind them? Well, what do they mean to you, the viewer? Plants, animals… God has already loaded these dynamic creations with plenty of meaning, depth, and story on their own that we as his children can appreciate. God’s creativity in nature is a gift to us; art is a gift to us. My representations of them on my body simply points to those meanings, and that’s sufficient enough story for me. The rest of the story is up to you.

  • Tattoos are a fabulous place to start a conversation. I’ve been saying, “I like your ink–is there a story?” for some time now, and I’ve connected with people on a much deeper level than weather and sports conversations can go. I’m currently in the midst of a Louisville Institute Pastoral Study Grant that has allowed me to ask this question and look at how our stories interact with the gospel. Be sure to check out Ink and Skin: Word Made Flesh on Facebook, and the blog with the same name at http://www.inkandskin.net.

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