Campus Tattoos

There’s no question tattoos hurt; I don’t care what anybody says. (I should know; I have a few of them myself.)

So if they hurt so bad then why do people get them? Why do people sit in that chair and go through the pain? Some people just like the artwork, but for others there’s more to it than just the ink. It goes much deeper.

There’s meaning behind it; a story, something significant in that person’s life. I have a basketball tattooed on my arm that reads “Till Death Do Us Part” because I love the game of basketball, and there are other people on campus who feel just as passionately about something that they also inked themselves.

Sara Barton’s ink work is the Alpha and Omega Greek letters on her wrist. “It's a constant reminder of my belief in Jesus as the beginning and the end of everything.” Barton says her tattoos were influenced by Revelation 22:13; which reads "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." That’s real right there.

Next, we have Adrian Schaffer, who has a tattoo that simply reads “Big Dreams.” Just words, right? Wrong. The story behind the ink goes back to a pact that Schaffer made with his friend Petey on the school playground. This was a pact for dreams to come true, specifically Schaffer’s goal of playing in the NBA when he grew up. Petey hoped to play in the NFL, but sadly wasn’t able to chase his dream because his life ended at an early age. “Big Dreams” keep him alive in Schaffer’s spirit, however, as he’s not just chasing dreams for himself, but for Petey too. Way more than just ink.

Now, taking a look at Marjon Lucas’ portrait of his mother on his arm seems like a pretty simple message. Lucas describes commemorating his mother through permanent ink as a reminder of the person who was an important part of his life, and made him the person he is today. He also goes on to say that the tattoo represents life’s teachings and struggles, and reminds him that “to every good circumstance there is another side that is bad if I chose the wrong path to go down. A simple reminder so I don't forget where I’ve been, who I am, and where I came from, while focusing on where I'm going and need to be.”

See, it’s not just art work all the time…and if it’s real enough, why not sit the chair and go through a little bit of pain for something you’ll never forget.

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