Monday, June 21, 2010

My Nana


I have been wanting and thinking and planning for this tattoo for years. I knew I wanted to get a tattoo for my great grandmother but I couldn't settle on what to do. I lost her when I was 14 years old but not a single day goes by that I don't think about her. I don't know that I can explain my connection with her...maybe she was my first best friend. I couldn't decide if I wanted a tattoo that was her or that was my feeling for her. She is the one who taught me to bake...she was the kind of cook who never measured a thing and everything was amazing. So I considered a pin-up style tattoo of a waitress with a pie and a name tag with her name. And then I thought about how much I love her and wanted a giant, red-as-red-could-be heart with a banner and her name or what I called her. Nana. I had settled on the heart and then decided to add these flowers from a painting that belonged to her. It had been in her house my whole life. When she died my Aunt Millie hung it in her house. When my Aunt Millie passed away I brought it home with me. So a couple of weeks ago I finally got my Nana tattoo. It doesn't make me miss her less. But it feels good having it there. In some ways I look at it and miss her more but in other ways it comforts me. Think what you want about tattoos, but they can be very cathartic, meaningful, and beautiful. Thank you Stacey for doing such an amazing job and bringing to life what has been in my head for so long.