Tattoo inspiration needed please!

May 2, 2016 11:48 AM

I'd like to get a tattoo which expresses the following concepts or mantras; just do it/don't overthink things/say yes to all opportunities and if live gives you lemons - make lemonade/be grateful for what you have. However, I'm having trouble coming up with ideas for how to represent these things graphically.

I'd prefer to have some image or symbol than text but could maybe be swayed by the perfect quote. Ideally it would be something relatively simple. Other than that I'm really just looking for ideas and inspiration from the hivemind.

posted by neilb449 to Society & Culture (17 answers total)

carpe diem? the Nike swoosh? what about just "yes" or "si" or "yea" or a play button. This is apparently a symbol for gratitude.

Oops. I'm not sure what happened there. But there's a symbol that is sort of a spiral, it's linked on that page.
posted by dpx.mfx at 11:58 AM on May 2, 2016

Best answer: How about simply, "Why not?" Or just a simple stylized "yes" - I like the idea of it lowercase with a period at the end - could look super cool (especially on your wrist or something).
posted by chestnut-haired-sunfish at 12:08 PM on May 2, 2016

Don't overthink things, eh?

Just go in and pick the silliest flash on the wall. Or tell your artist "I want a tattoo about not overthinking things. Go nuts!" (And maybe set some boundaries for parts of the body or how much you're looking to spend?)

A group of friends are considering all getting matching tattoos of a sad-faced slice of pizza. My main reason for being on board with this is as a reminder to keep my sense of humor and not give too many fucks. I mean of course the sad-face pizza tat is going somewhere SUPER not visible to the general public, because it's going to look silly as all get out. But am I potentially into not thinking too much about it and just getting the silly tattoo? Yes, I am!
posted by Sara C. at 12:13 PM on May 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

Still life with bowl of lemons and plate of beans.
posted by contraption at 12:55 PM on May 2, 2016 [11 favorites]

A dancing lemon. Or a lemon wearing sunglasses. Or a lemon tree.
posted by OrangeDisk at 1:07 PM on May 2, 2016

You say "don't overthink things" and I see a kitten, probably leaping wildly.
posted by amtho at 1:35 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The things that come to my mind are from comedy or inprov like " yes,and? " or "don't think" which are montras used for keeping the comedy rolling.

Perhaps if you want an image than just get something calming that will remind you. As a haver of many tattoos I've found that they don't need to be nearly as literal as you may think for them to remind you of something important or meaningful.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:50 PM on May 2, 2016 [1 favorite]

You could do something from nature that is used as a symbol of positivity or happiness, such as a sunflower, the sun, clouds, a feathery dead dandelion with seeds blowing off, flying birds, the sunrise, a rainbow, a butterfly, a daisy, etc.
posted by daisies at 2:08 PM on May 2, 2016

Best answer: Shauna Ahern from Gluten Free Girl has a tattoo that just says "YES" on her forearm, where, presumably, she sees it a lot. I've always thought it was cool.
posted by bananacabana at 2:41 PM on May 2, 2016

I saw part of a documentary about the half time show Prince played. There was a tropical storm that day and everything was a mess. One of the people in charge called Prince to talk about the rain. They were freaking out because the stage was made of slick tile, there were all these electronics and he only had two dancers - both in six inch hears. When he reached him and told him about the storm, instead of being upset or panicked Prince said, "Yes, it's raining. Can you make it rain harder?" That is the most bad ass thing I have heard in a long time. Millions of people were going to be watching live. I'm thinking of getting that on my forearm (Can you make it rain harder?) where I can see it. Or a little umbrella. Or raindrops. I'm not where I can get to the video - if you're interested, it's like 10 minutes and is on YouTube.
posted by orsonet at 2:47 PM on May 2, 2016 [3 favorites]

Is there an animal that encapsulates the vibe you want? Like a running horse or a curious, fearless raccoon?
posted by pseudostrabismus at 3:06 PM on May 2, 2016

How about a simplified version of this?
posted by mr. digits at 4:45 PM on May 2, 2016

Or -- every time somebody says "text tattoo" I hear Melville -- “I know not all that may be coming, but be it what it will, I'll go to it laughing.”
posted by mr. digits at 4:48 PM on May 2, 2016 [2 favorites]

I absolutely love the idea of getting a "yes and..." tattoo. So much of life is "yes and": it validates what someone else has said and adds on. It's the key to great comedy, conversation, flirting, and flights of fancy. It can also be seen as a commentary on taking what you're given, embracing it, building something on it, and then inviting other people to share it with you.
posted by WidgetAlley at 8:46 PM on May 2, 2016

I immediately thought of a person cannonballing into a lake/pool/whatever for 'not overthinking'.
posted by thebots at 2:01 AM on May 3, 2016

This reminds me of the Japanese concept Ichi-go Ichi-e. Maybe this will mean something to you as well.
posted by cotterpin at 3:26 AM on May 3, 2016

The Cat in the Hat. Okay, I might be suggesting that because I kind of want a Dr. Seuss tattoo. But c'mon! We have this narrator who is just sitting staring out the window on this cold, cold, wet day, and into his life comes The Cat! "Your mother will not mind at all if you do," is an even better slogan than "Just do it!" I think. And the Cat is absolutely right. Because his mother can't really mind -- the chaos is over before she gets home. No harm done. The Cat knows what he is doing. And does our narrator regret his adventures with the Cat? Well, what would you say?

Besides, the Cat is so instantly recognizable and universally beloved and delightfully subversive and whimsical that whether or not anyone else gets the intended message about not allowing your inhibitions to hold you back, pretty much everyone who sees it will be delighted, I think.

(But the Dr. Seuss tattoo I really want is of the Fox in Socks.)
posted by OnceUponATime at 8:06 AM on May 3, 2016