Show and Tell Friday: Tattoo!

I got me a tattoo.

The original design is the last picture in this entry: on the left is my sketch, and the right is the tattoo artist’s clean up and streamline version. And, of course, the one on my flesh is the final product! it’s on my ankle.

It’s the Hammer of Thor, with a stick of wheat and a red jewel to represent his wife, Sif, who has done wonderful things for my life. :) So this is a tribute to my faith and a physical manifestation of my professing.

I’ve never had a tattoo. I was afraid it would hurt so much I would cry or puke or something. It didn’t. He started on the far left, and I thought that wasn’t so bad. But when he got towards my ankle bone, that hurt something fierce. And the line art hurts more than the shading I think, because lineart is a million needles in a tiny area. Shading is the same number, but spread out.

So yup. That’s my experience. I enjoyed it a lot. I love the result. I think it’s beautiful, and I’m already thinking about what will be the next tattoo for the other ankle. :)

2010 Review and 2011 Oath Ring

Truth be told, 2010 kind of sucked for me.

There were plenty of good times. But there were some brand new lows. I was unemployed for more than I’d care to admit. All the employment I did manage to get was temp work. There was a month where I was full time, doing marketing, but the job made me… so so unhappy I quit. I struggled with some health issues that had seemed to have no real cause and had vanished as mysteriously as they had appeared. Another health issue has been following me on and off ALL YEAR, and still remains today. My art output tapered to nothing most months because of the health issues and work (or lack there-of) stress. I lost interest completely in my spirituality for a while, and completely stopped doing exercise. Finally, since I had a difficult financial year, I won’t be able to make any of my out-of-state convention trips. 2011 will be the first Further Confusion I miss since 2002. I’ve gone to that convention every year since high school.

So for this next year, I definitely have points I want to improve upon.

I think a lot of the problems I had was that I was focusing on a goal, rather than better habits to get those goals. I’ve always had trouble planning things out, even though I kind of do like planning things. Thing is, it’s hard to plan things out when there’s just… so much that kept changing last year. But whatever change there was, I probably should have changed with it. I let a lot of things that went wrong get to me, and bother me, and completely slow me down. That needs to… not happen anymore. Ha.

In spirituality news…

I made an Oath Ring the last week of 2010 and professed myself to the Aesir and Vanir of the Asatru. I had never professed. I had made a promise in college to study Heathenism, and not pledge until I was certain it was the only path, because to profess is to pledge exclusive loyalty and faith. I have studied and meditated, and I do believe this is the path for me. All the values taught by Asatru resonate with me. I’ve prayed and sacrificed, and the spirits and gods respond. I know, without a doubt, that many gods and powers live in the world – but these are the gods that walk with me and guide me.

On this Oath Ring I will swear all my sacred promises on – beginning with my most important resolutions for this year. Beginning with revitalize my art, draw my comic projects I’ve put off, reconnect with my inner self, and exercise my outer self.