Art

            Some people might say that I’ve become addicted to tattoos (other people would scoff at the  number of tattoos I have in comparison to their plethora of body art).  I currently have seven tattoos.  All of my tattoos have profound meaning to me.  I won’t get into them all here, but suffice it to say that I thought long and hard about each of them and they are all linked together by nature.

            I felt compelled to get my last two tattoos for a number of reasons.  First, I wanted something to represent the positivity that I feel about my journey and my ability to find my way home.  I wanted something to represent that I would be guided on my journey.  Finally, although I already have lots of Christian symbolism on my body, I wanted something that explicitly shows my faith.  After some research, one of the things I settled on was a swallow, which is a small bird not to be confused with the sparrow.  The legend of the swallow is that it is one of the only birds that always finds its way home.  Another thing I settled on was the North Star.  I will need to be guided on my journey; the North Star has long been regarded as the traveler’s guide.  Finally, I needed that symbol of my faith.  A small cross was perfect.  I made sure that it was in brown, not black, to represent the wood upon which Jesus died.  So, voila!  Done!  More art on my body to guide me on my journey, keep me safe throughout my travels and remind me to find my way home.

           While it’s possible that I am slightly addicted to tattoos, I believe that it’s more accurate to say that I am addicted to art and beautiful things.  When I was a kid, my mom would come to the elementary school and teach what they called “Art Literature.”  Some of you may remember her and those classes; some of you may have hated those classes, while others of you loved them as much as I did.  I have been an art addict ever since.  Thank you, mom!  This love of art has taught me that art comes in many forms.  Beauty is definitely in the eye of the beholder.

            When I travel, I buy a piece of art or a piece of jewelry in every place (plus, if the place has them, a magnet, but that’s another story).  I have a beret from Paris, France, a hand-painted tile from Playa del Carmen, Mexico, a sculpture and a silver bracelet from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, a ring and a necklace from The Bahamas, a gorgeous painting from the Dominican Republic, and a tattoo from Washington, DC, that I got when I couldn’t find a piece of art or jewelry that really spoke to me (appropriately, the tattoo is a globe with a compass transposed over it), to name a few.  These are some of my treasures and they all mean something special to me, like my tattoos. 

             I believe that the art and treasures of another culture, whether they are traditional art or otherwise, speak volumes about the culture and emotions and way of life of those other peoples. The world is full of amazingly beautiful things and people and cultures and I plan to explore that world a little.  I have the feeling that I will pick up a few more treasures throughout my travels and I am sure I will find some pretty amazing representations of the life, culture and emotions of the places I travel.  Don’t worry; I’ll be sure to share at least some of them with you!!  I might, however, have to find some smaller things or I will be mailing stuff home a lot!