How to turn your memorial tattoo idea into something that's both awesome and honors your loved one

If you have recently lost a loved one, be they human or animal, let me first give you my deepest condolences. You're likely reading this because you want a tattoo to memorialize them and stumbled upon my page. And even if you haven't, there's a non-zero chance that many of you have been affected by loss and have debated capturing the magnitude of your experience in tattoo form.

I'm here to tell you that a memorial tattoo doesn't need to be sad and somber, nor does it need to be a name or date. It can instead be a fun, creative piece that makes you smile or even start a conversation with people. Tattoos cost a lot of money to get, so if you're going to ink someone's memory onto you forever here are some interesting ways you can create a tattoo that honors your loved one and would make them smile if they saw it.

THE FAVORITE OBJECT
The first question you can ask yourself is "Did my loved one have a favorite thing of some sort?" Like a favorite object or hobby, a niche interest or beloved item that comes to mind when you think of them. If you're memorializing a pet, for example, perhaps the answer to this question is their favorite toy to play with, like a stuffy or squeaky toy, and you want to get the toy tattooed as the main part of your memorial piece. Maybe grandma collected little decorative teacups, so a cute teacup on your wrist is how you remember her. I have a pet parrot that loves to eat oranges and blackberries, so if I were to get a small piece to remember her by, I might opt for a tiny orange slice that reminds me of her.

THE FAVORITE ACTIVITY
If you can't think of an object that had personal meaning to your loved one, that's ok! You can instead consider what things they liked to do or where they liked to go. If the person loved to garden, a great tattoo idea (that isn't a flower!) might be a watering can or a set of veggies arranged together. If they were someone who loved to build things, you could get a cool tattoo of a tool that represents their love for constructing things, like a hammer. These are items that aren't necessary things the person had a particular fondness for specifically but instead represent an activity they loved to do. 

THE IDENTITY SYMBOL
There are lots of ways different cultures like to sort people into categories that represent personal information, quite often relating to when they were born. There are the twelve astrological signs that are tied to when you're born during the span of a year, for example. The Chinese use an animal-based zodiac system that corresponds to the particular lunar year a person was born. We even have flowers, birds, and gemstones for each month! All these elements are very visual and can be woven into the fabric of your tattoo as either the main element or merely as a highlighting feature. It's a great way to nod at your loved one's birthday without having to write the date into the tattoo itself.

And finally, a really interesting way to memorialize someone...

THE NON-SYMBOLIC MEANINGFUL TATTOO
This is exactly what it sounds like: a tattoo that holds meaning but contains no symbols directly referencing the deceased. This is when the act of getting a tattoo, regardless of the subject matter, is what holds meaning. You might get a full sleeve of a beautiful snake and koi fish winding down your arm and say that it's in honor of someone and no one can stop you. It's perfectly valid! You can get a sick ass panther tattoo in honor of your beloved pet hamster and the police can't arrest you for it. The beauty of this option is that the meaning holds true just that same as for any tattoo, and you are free to choose what you want on your body for the rest of your life. If the look of traditional memorial tattoos doesn't strike your fancy, and you can't think of anything else to represent your loved one, I give you permission to get any tattoo you want and have the experience of getting it and wearing it proudly be what honors their memory. And it works too, because you will always think of them whenever you look at it, and ultimately this is what getting a memorial tattoo is all about.

No matter how you choose to honor your loved one, you are the one who gets to have it forever, so only you get the final say in what you want it to look like. Anything goes with a memorial tattoo, so don't be afraid to think outside the box.