Seemingly compressed, the rise and fall of the script almost resembled a heartbeat. It was pretty when I looked at it directly, but I almost loved it even more when looking down my arm at it. and came up with something I thought I would be happy to look at every day for the rest of my life. I had taken a font that I liked, reworked the elements I didn't like, linked the words together and extended the beginning and end for that linear look I was going for. After many hours of font research, writing samples and several test runs with a black semi-permanent marker, I finally felt I had hit on something. This was art, very permanent art, that needed to look as good as how strongly I felt about the words themselves. The words themselves are only one piece of the puzzle. In the more than a month until I was set to be permanently inked in the most visible place I had been tattooed yet, I agonized over exactly what I wanted it to look like. Antsy to make it happen, I quickly booked an appointment with an artist recommended to me by a Berliner who has script tattoos that I admire. 'Fortis' can be used to mean both 'strong' and 'brave', which seemed to fit perfectly. While I liked the word 'brave', English lacks the romance and timelessness that I wanted, so I looked to the language that is the foundation for so many others: Latin. It's more than just strength during the hard times, but optimism that we will succeed in the good times as well. So often we are told to 'be strong' when things are bad, but bravery isn't something that we call upon only when confronted with an obstacle, it's something we harness in a proactive pursuit of the things we want in life as well. Laying there, looking at my bandaged and IV-clad arm, I was struck with what I wanted. It wasn't until I was in the hospital earlier this year, that I was reminded again by someone that we are braver than we think we are. I had played around with ideas and different languages for a tattoo of words, but nothing felt quite right. In recent years, especially once I learned we were moving to Berlin, capitol of some of the world's most talented tattoo artists, I felt the intense desire to add to my collection.Ī few years ago, a good friend complimented my strength at a time when I was filled with self-doubt and I knew this was a reassuring reminder that I wanted to carry with me in a permanent way. I got two small ones during my college years and while I always wanted more, I never got further than creating a ample Pinterest board of body art inspiration. I spent my childhood going through all kinds of temporary tattoos while I waited until I was old enough for the more permanent variety. Perhaps it was the influence of my artistic mother, but I always appreciated beautiful things and the idea of having something beautiful on my body forever held a strong pull. Ever since I was a young girl, I knew I wanted to be tattooed.
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