My New Tattoo (a post long overdue)

So I haven't been the best blogger this month... November was full of craziness and it's finally winding down. On November 1st, I went to Jinx Proof and met with the amazing artist Susan Doyle (http://doyleomite.com/) I got the first installment of a 2 session tattoo on my left arm, which will be finished in December...



It is inspired by this Salvador Dali sketch called "Alice in Wonderland" (1969). I combined this art with the quote "I am I am I am" from my favorite novel The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath.

When I saw Dali's interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, I thought it was a perfect match for this quote. It's hard to explain my reasons for this tattoo, but it's kind of like the will to live/survive amongst madness, which is a common theme between The Bell Jar and Alice in Wonderland.

The Bell Jar is an autobiographical novel that follow's a young woman's struggle with mental illness. She constantly feels beaten down by society's expectations for women and the restrictions of being the "second sex". (Of course my tattoo has a feminist meaning...are you surprised? lol). Her desire to die rather than live a fake, patriarchal life makes her a martyr, in a sense, to the feminist agenda. However, despite attempts to end it all, Plath describes a "bodily desire to life" that she feels in her blood and beating heart, a desire that chants "I am I am I am".

Because, no matter how bad life seems, or how much it seems like a meaningless puzzle (like in Alice), as long as you're alive and you "are", you can do something about it and make a difference. Martyrs aren't around to help make the change that's needed. And I guess that's why I got this tattoo. Alice, Sylvia, and yours truly - - We are, we are, we are.