Andrea's Tattoos

What is your tattoo?

I have a bird surrounded by cherry blossoms on my right shoulder, f-holes on my back, and the om symbol on my foot.

What prompted you to get this tattoo? 

1)The bird tattoo was my first and I just wanted something really pretty and detailed 2) I had wanted the f-holes for 2 years before I got it. I first saw it on an Apocalyptica album cover and then further researched it 3) I got the Om symbol on my foot because my best friend and I decided on a tattoo together to get before we both went to college.

What special meaning or significance does this tattoo have to you? 

1) The bird didn’t carry meaning to me at first but I have since then attached meaning to it. I believe that the bird helps represent who I am since I have the freedom to do what I want and it’s perched because  I will always be happy with where I’m at in life. 2) The f-holes mean two different things to me. First, I play the cello and found it to be a good representation of my passion for music and second, the idea that my body IS a cello is such a beautiful idea to me since a woman’s body shape is usually similar to that of a stringed instrument. I drew the design myself and included cherry blossoms in the f-holes because I have found the symbolism behind them to be true to my beliefs. (Cherry blossoms don’t bloom long=life should be about the present day and to just enjoy the beauty as it happens. ) 3) My best friend and I both love tattoos and wanted to get something we both fully appreciated so we decided on the OM symbol. OM is the Hindu symbol that represents the sound of the vibrations of the universe which both of us found to be super beautiful. It also represents our bond together.  

Do you regret getting a tattoo?

I would go back and do it all the same!

Do you feel like you are judged or excluded from activities because of your tattoo? Why or Why not?

I don’t necessarily feel excluded, I more likely feel judged…mostly by my grandma though!

Do you feel people with tattoos are generally accepted in this day and age? Why or why not?

I definitely feel like tattoos are a huge part of our culture and no matter how many people absolutely despise them, they will never disappear. People are getting more respect than they have in the past (unless it’s a super offensive tattoo...or ugly.)

If you could do it all over again, would you get this same tattoo and same placement? Why or why not?

I definitely would do everything the same except I might have gotten the bird and flowers a little bigger, but I’m adding more onto that anyway.

Do you plan on getting any more tattoos? If so, what are your ideas (if you have any)? 

YES! First, I want to add another cherry blossom branch onto my shoulder tattoo, I want a tattoo of the birth flowers of my family, I want the Celtic tree of life on my other foot, I could go on but I don’t have any more solid ideas yet. Hopefully all the rest of my tattoos will be my own designs because that would be super sweet!! 


Tattoo Encyclopedia: The bird, once again traditionally has positive associations in mythology. The f-holes don't have any entry. As for the om symbol, Om represents the four state of consciousness: sleeping without dreams, dreaming, awake, satori.