Why did I get a tattoo? The reason escapes me. And I don’t say that to be glib. In reality, even in hindsight and after some thought, I don’t really know. I’ve always been fascinated by tattoos and the thought of permanently marking the skin. My father was tattooed during his time in the service and so I was certainly used to seeing them. But my interest in tattoo remained just that (a background interest) for quite awhile–until I was 39 in fact. There was no life changing event that prompted it, no sudden inspiration that had struck. The most that I can say is that I was just finishing 6 years of graduate school and the time seemed right.

My husband and I went to the bookstores together and poured over tattoo books and magazines. Because I am half Japanese (my mother was born and raised there), I quickly gravitated toward Japanese artwork and traditional Japanese tattoo design, finding its aesthetic particularly appealing. The next stop was the art library (again with my husband) and the selection of a design of personal significance. Although I can’t really say (in so many words) what my motivation for being tattooed was when I began, I can say now that I enjoy it completely. In general, my feeling is that, although you only go around once in life, once is enough if you do it right. It’s MY skin and I’m having fun with it.