Who: Sarah
From: New Hampshire (USA)
Tattoo: based on one of my drawings from the what birds do when we aren't looking series
The story: "the short answer is that I like how cute and playful it is. I really like the idea of birds having secret lives from us, and hobbies, and that maybe they get tired of flying everywhere and like to travel by balloon sometimes.
The long answer is that for a while I had been considering getting a tattoo of a balloon, because I liked the sense of freedom and adventure. And I also wanted a tattoo of a bluebird, both because they are the symbol of happiness and as a reference to the Charles Bukowski poem "Bluebird." But I've seen a lot of sailor-style bluebird tattoos, so I wanted something more unique, and the Bukowski poem is a little dark and so I had trouble coming up with a design I liked that wasn't too melancholy. So when I saw your illustration I first liked how fun and whimsical it was, and I thought it would be cute to have a tattoo of a little bird finding a new way to fly. And then I realized that if I added color it could incorporate a lot of the elements I had been thinking about already.
Also, some artists are not fans of having their work copied, so when I went to your website and saw that you allow tattoos of your work, I was thrilled and knew that was just what I would do. So thanks!"
Great story, Sarah. Thanks for sharing!
By the way, you can read Bukowski's poem Bluebird on this Brain Pickings blog post.
See more tattoos. If you've got a tattoo of one of my drawings, send it along, and tell me the story behind it! Email me at marcjohns [at] gmail [dot] com.
For the non-commital: get temporary tattoos of some of my drawings over at Tattly.