Comments on: Designing a restless heart tattoo

Question: Designing a restless heart tattoo

Roman Graves — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 15:42:44 -0800

Trying to design a tattoo symbolizing a restless heart for my forearm, preferably one that will be only black (or contain just a small amount of color). Hit me with ideas, hive mind.

By: gt2

gt2 — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:15:47 -0800

A heart with legs travelling down a road.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:29:03 -0800

Akan symbols lend themselves to tattooing. Here is a list.

By: contraption

contraption — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:42:15 -0800

An anatomical heart tied by its arteries to a pole as a bindle.

A heart-shaped suitcase, with room to add stickers with the names of important places/people you've left behind.

By: WCityMike

WCityMike — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:48:21 -0800

Might be far too cutesy, but you could anthropomorphize the heart and give it a restless expression.

By: fuzzypantalones

fuzzypantalones — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:19:42 -0800

maybe integrating a heart with a compass?

By: cusack

cusack — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:23:18 -0800

I'm wondering if there is a symbol for perpetual motion or something you could incorporate... or something to do with fractals?

Maybe something simple and typographic? The word "restless" rendered really nicely inside of a heart shape?

By: rinosaur

rinosaur — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:26:21 -0800

delurking to say:

it may be trite and the imagery might be a bit to obvious, but i have a greyscale image of a heart with wings and a banner that says "wild at heart" in latin.

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:31:07 -0800

Um...you want a permanent symbol of restlessness? I assume you've thought this through and all, but if your heart ever is stuck somewhere permanently, so is your tattoo (sorta). :-)

That being said, perhaps the iconic image of the fool with the bag tied to a stick (um, is there a word for that thing?), except instead of a bag, it's a heart.

By: contraption

contraption — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:36:12 -0800

Deathalicious: it's called a bindle

By: Deathalicious

Deathalicious — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 17:42:49 -0800

Oh DAMN. Still, what's a bindle without its fool?

By: jeanmari

jeanmari — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:09:22 -0800

This sounds like a job for Mitch O'Connell.

By: thinkingwoman

thinkingwoman — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 18:26:28 -0800

how about something a little more oblique, like a symbol of mutability, travel, or constant change?

some examples:
water: a water wheel, a wave, a ship
a shark (has to keep swimming or else it dies)
the hobo symbol for "good road to follow" (the scandinavian o with the slash through it)
just about any symbol of nomadism
a sextant or compass
the moon (esp. a tarot card--means "inconstancy")
a knight errant or wandering minstrel
a portrait of eros

By: hermitosis

hermitosis — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 21:15:31 -0800

I recommend against the Moon tarot card, btw-- carries other darker meanings that you may not want to wear on your sleeve.

I think something themed around a weathervane would be perfect. Doesn't need to actually have a heart in it anywhere for the meaning to stick.