The hot air balloon on my arm is the album artwork for the band Circa Survive. When I was a teen, I dealt with a heavy depression and pretty strong suicidal ideation. I found Circa Survive at the perfect time, and they helped pull me through. This was my first tattoo.
The words around the hot air balloon are in my own script, and they say, "Finally free from the ups and downs." It's a lyric from the band Saves the Day. I got that tattoo after 5 years of not wanting to unalive myself.
The tattoo on my left leg is Jane Lane from the show Daria. She was the first character in a television show that I truly connected with. I love her so much.
The tattoo on my right leg is a silhouette of the musician Amanda Palmer. She used to front the band The Dresden Dolls. Their songs were perfect for Manic Pixie Dream girl types. I fit the mold perfectly in my early twenties. Amanda has grown and changed a lot, but so have I, and I love that for both of us.
I also have a diamond behind my right ear that I got with a friend when she turned 18 as well as a chest piece. The chest piece reads, "My soul's been shaken." It's from a Circa Survive song. On the same arm you took a picture of I have a coffin tattoo for the band Alkaline Trio and a shamrock.
All of my tattoos mean so much to me. 90% of them are about validation and feeling comfortable in my own skin. It took me a long time to love myself, and I see my tattoos as little thank yous to the musicians and characters that helped me get to this place of accepting myself.