Nina needs Advice !

[nina]

Hey,

So I'm fairly young and have a decent idea of what I want so I'd like some advice. I've spent a lot of time thinking about it, drew it myself, and I'm almost certain I wont regret it,there is a lot of personal meaning behind it, but albeit I am young, so let me know if you think different!

The words beside the girl say:

Happiness is not the absence of struggle. It is one's ability to learn, grow and trust that everything happens for a reason.

[SStu]

Welcome!

Nice sentiment. My advice would be to keep the words to a minimum. Nobody is going to want to read a paragraph - even if it is a small one. Maybe just "everything happens for a reason" and make the image larger. It'll still mean the same to you when you're older - and (if you pick the right artist) you'll have an awesome tattoo you'll still want to show off.

[nina]

Honestly, I want the tattoo to lean more towards pushing through the struggle and focusing on happiness. So, happiness is the main focus. I also really don't like how over-done "everything happens for a reason" is. but that's just me.

Thanks for the input. ill reconsider the length :)

[else]

If it were me, I might leave the words off entirely and just go with the image.

*You* know what the image represents to you. It will hold the same meaning whether the words are written on you or not.

And that way you won't have to deal with strangers inches away from your skin reading it all the time... that would freak me out.

[slayer9019]

Since I am standing in a bus right now with a NASCAR wannabe driver I'll keep this short. I repeat the previous statements of the above posters. @else does have a good point about the close readers. Two of my friends have a short paragraph and they don't like it because it is very awkward to read something on someone's body even if you wanted them to read it. There are also the people who will try to read it without permission. I stick by the 10-10-10 rule for tattoos. From ten feet away in 10 seconds you will know what the tattoo is and it will hold solid for 10 years.

[impala63rag]

I would suggest looking around at the portfolios of various artists in your area, and find someone you like. Then tell them what you are interested in and let them draw something for you. They are artists, and you might like something they have done for you even more.