A new Tattoo!

June 19, 2013.....4pm  I just turned the Air Conditioning back on, Summer is upon us

I thought I should write a little about my Tattoo.....2 weeks ago this Friday, I got my first INK...as they call it.  I've been thinking of getting a Tattoo for a few years now, but couldn't really decide what I wanted permanently on the inside of my right forearm, just above the wrist.

June 20, 2013...6:30 am...continuing on yesterdays post.....

So at first it was going to be some kind of music note/notes....perhaps a Treble or Bass Clef.  There are so many cool designs to choose from and I liked plenty of them, but nothing really resonated with me, it will be there for life.  Which, to be honest isn't THAT big of a deal.  At 61, I don't have decades left to worry about it or regret it, but my advice to young people....pick a Tattoo that has real meaning, don't just fill the space!

I do remember when my Girls got there first HIDDEN Tattoos....how I accidentally saw them.  I can't say I liked them at the time or even appreciated them as Art, wow have things changed.  It's true when they say, you've got a lot of living to do.  As you live, you grow and as you grow you start to realize you are just a tiny part of the Universe.  Dang, Tattoos can be beautiful!

So back to my decision making....When I started my Harping a couple years ago, I knew I wanted my Ink to be of a Harp...just a little Harp....little tiny Harp.  There are so many pics of Harps it was tough to decide, but I did find a pic of an old Irish Harp, with the Notch cut out of the Pillar.  I think that might have been how they carried the Harp, one hand on the notch and one on the back.  Of course they were small Lap Harps back in those days and traveled with the Harper everywhere they went.

It is said, that when you touch a Harp String, you are than a Harper.  I love that.   (makes it sound like you don't even have to practice...NOT)   When I first started playing the Harp, I used to wonder why sometimes you were referred to as a Harpist or a Harper.  I thought maybe the Harpist was a Woman and a Harper was a Man.  Not so.  I think back in the day, a Harpist played the large, Pedal harp.  The kind you think of when someone says HARP.  The Pedal Harp is found in Orchestras or in a Church setting.  Also, you think of a Pedal Harp playing Classical or Church Music.  The Harper plays a Folk or Celtic Harp.  It can be a Lap Harp or a floor standing Harp, but it has less strings and is portable in size.

So now that I had this cute little Harp picked out....I had to work on my nerves.  I can't say I was looking forward to little needles stabbing me over and over to create this piece of Art....but I also knew I would live through it and it would be so worth it.  To have this tiny, little Harp on my wrist for the rest of my life would be so wonderful.  My girls assured me it would be about 15 minutes of pain.  I picked that spot on my arm because it's a little hidden from public view and yet I could easily look at it whenever I wanted to!  The other thing I thought about was a little morbid.....are you ready.....you could identify my body with it!!!!  hahahahaha.......just saying.

I did get my Tattoo...a different Tattoo.  I was sitting outside drinking a Guinness Beer and looked down at the Guinness Beer Harp on the bottle...it was a sudden connection with the Image.  My decision could have been influenced by the Alcohol Content of the Beer, but I don't think so.  It was just the perfect Harp.  Clean, straight lines and very simple.  That is my Tattoo....the Guinness Beer Harp...in color!  There is an Italian word, "dolce" , it means Sweet or Sweetly.  It's used often in Music to help the Musician interpret a passage of music with softness and expression.  I have always loved this word, so I had this written on the Neck of my Harp Tattoo.

My Tattoo is NOT small...it went from tiny to 3", which took 1 hour, NOT 15 minutes.  I almost caved on the color, but was encouraged by my Daughter and the surrounding Artists to suck it up and get it colored in (more pain).  I love my Ink!  I am off balance now and currently looking for something meaningful for my left forearm.  Any thoughts?