Tattoo?

I'm trying to be more organised now so I've set a weekly alert on my calendar that will notify me a couple of days in advance so I can come up with an idea of what I want to write and make sure that I have enough time along with all my school work and exam revision. I'm going to aim to post every week on either Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Just thought I'd let you know.

Up until recently-ish I've not really thought too much about tattoos and probably would've said no if someone ask me if I wanted one. But just under a year ago, some stuff happened at home, my friend talked about what tattoos she wanted to get and I read this really amazing book series called Reason to Breathe by Rebecca Donovan and I was hooked.

The way those three things link is that I want to get a tattoo for a meaningful reason not just because it's in fashion right now or I'm a bit bored because it's a really permanent thing on your body that you have to live with. I'm not exactly sure what I want but I have plenty of time since the legal age is 18 and there's still a month and a half until I'm 17. I could probably find a place and get one quite quickly but my problem is, if they are willing to break the law (tattooing under 18's is classed as assault but it's just a small fine for first offence) then how trustworthy are they? Obviously there are exceptions like if it's family or a close friend but the closest I got was I need parental consent and my mum's view is 'not even if hell freezes over' so that's that.

I got distracted last night whilst I was trying to cram for a mock exam today and started googling tattoo photos for inspiration so I thought I'd post a bunch of photos and my tattoo ideas. I really love looking at stuff like this because some people just have the most amazing tattoos and it's beautiful if it's done right.

I saw this photo and then I became obsessed with poppies, I'm pretty sure that I want to get a watercolour poppy tattoo first - or one of my first. Oh, yeah, I'm planning on getting at least one tattoo on my 18th birthday so I'll probably do some sessions with an artist and figure out how I want it to look etc. Yes, I've looked up all the tattoo parlours in the city I live in, I'm a bit obsessed/addicted. I think that this style of poppy would look nice on the pad of my thumb curving to my wrist maybe, but I like the way the placement of this person's. Also, something about the poppy has some deep meaning to me but I don't really know how to explain it. I'm also trying to see if I can find somewhere to make a poppy picture like this for me to stick onto my mirror or wall.

After seeing these and a few other artist sketches on the tattoo artist's own watercolour tattoo designs I started looking into them and they're just sooo pretty! I quite like the whole tribal thing with the headdress, dream catchers, feathers and birds and the vintagey/tribey way these are drawn. Again I just have that meaningful feeling when I look at some of these so I may get a small feather or scattering of birds. I think that something like this would look so pretty on the collarbone and around that area or maybe the hipbone where the sexy v is, not that I have a defined one but I'm working towards it!

I've seen a lot of photos with pretty much this exact tattoo so 

I don't want to get one like this but I like the sentiment behind it

This is such a pretty design, it incorporates two of the things I
had on my list of tattoo ideas and it seems quite meaningful

I LOVE the whole bird thing, the symbolism

of freedom and the dip dye is quite pretty

but I don't want to get something I'll regret

in 5 years

This just looks so cool that I couldn't
not include it in my post, don't think
I'd get anything like this though

This is one of the most unique tattoos I've seen, it's
simple and elegant and really well placed

Just to finish off, here's my current ideas list:

- Collarbone

- Side of upper arm

- Rib

- Hipbone

- Side of hand

- Thumbpad

- Feather

- Watercolour poppy

- Ravens

- Dream catcher

- Girl watching the moon (this is a design that I can picture in my head but I haven't been about to draw it or find a picture of it, I'd probably spend quite a while working with an artist to try and create this design)

- 'You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have'

- ' Life has enough pain to make the joy sweeter'

- 'True morality it to live and love fully, fearlessly and without condition'

- Small, thin scrawly script?

What do you think about tattoos? Would you ever get one and what would you get? Feel free to comment and discuss!

*Update 8/5/14 I've just been scrolling through my Facebook not doing much and I came across this video http://www.upworthy.com/you-might-see-tattoos-in-a-new-light-after-you-see-them-on-this-woman?c=ufb3 I thought it would just be something boring or an ad as is the norm for Facebook now but I was pleasantly surprised. I think it eloquently sums up the reason that I want to get a tattoo, especially the design in my head that I'm struggling to get onto paper.