Tattoos – art or self harm

At the age of 61, I had my first and last tattoo.  Why? Simply because it was on my list of things to do, particularly fuelled by a weekend away with my brothers some years back.  Did it hurt?  Of course.  Which then led me to start thinking is tattooing an art form, or linked to self-harm?  Tattoos form an important part of some cultures around the world, so could be regarded as art or rite of passage.

There are also schools of thought that suggest tattoos are a way of feeling pain, except it is not self-inflicted.  Research carried out by medical professionals suggests a link between tattoos and a range of psychiatric conditions, despite the fact the numbers are relatively low.

My choice of tattoo reflects my journey: the date of my suicide attempt; my attempt was a pause in life rather than the end, and that through the work I do sharing my lived experience and training people in suicide awareness and prevention, I can hopefully make a difference.

Tattoos are a bit like Marmite, you either love them or hate them.  For me it was not to experience pain, rather a simple, though some may say foolish, way of expressing an experience and a sense of feeling.