Inspiration behind the ink: Chapman students, faculty reflect on meanings behind their tattoos

Chapman students and faculty reflect on their tattoos and the unique motivations for getting each one. Collage by SAM ANDRUS, Photo Editor

Growing up, I never had a desire to get a tattoo out of fear for the potential negative connotations attached to them. If I got a tattoo, I was convinced I’d have trouble getting a job and people would look at me differently. 

Eventually, I woke up one random day two and a half years ago and decided that I wanted a Kylo Ren tattoo, one of the main characters in the Star Wars franchise. It was a quick decision, but it was just something I knew I had to do because of how quickly the character had become an extension of my personality. Instead of being afraid that people might see me differently, it excited me to have people see this part of me that I was so eager to express.

Hadley Corwin, a junior graphic design major, also had fears of getting tattoos because her grandparents, who help her pay for tuition, threatened to disown her if she got any. Ultimately, when she got to college, the freedom tattoos allured her with outweighed any fears of disappointing her family.

“It’s worth it for me to live my life, live authentically and live how I want to live without worrying about these people who have this external force on my life,” Corwin said. “I don’t want to feel like they own me or that they own my body in any way.”

Corwin’s favorite of her tattoos is a thin line anatomical heart with flowers coming out of it.

“(My heart tattoo) was inspired by Syliva Plath and Frida Kahlo, who both have quotes about their hearts and how that represents their existence,” Corwin said. “So, at some point I’m actually going to add on to it and I’m gonna write ‘I am’ somewhere around it.”

However, Corwin told The Panther it isn’t important for a tattoo to have a profound meaning to get it. One of her other favorite tattoos is of a celestial woman with a snake around her, which she simply liked because of the style and uniqueness of the design.

“I just really like art and I think that skin is more beautiful and interesting when it has art on it, honestly,” Corwin said. “It’s boring when everything is plain and I just want everything to be decorated.”

Another junior graphic design major, Max Collins, also started getting tattoos when he entered college. His first tattoo was a tangled up octopus that he drew himself.

“I’m an unorganized person and it kind of just helped me focus in and remind me not to be unorganized and to always kind of stay on top of things and stuff like that, so it’s kind of like an abstract look at unorganization,” Collins said.

Chapman alumna and tattoo artist Dana Hicks, who graduated in 2020 with a degree in screen acting, doesn’t have any tattoos herself due to personal indecision, but fell into the profession when she picked up the skill as a hobby. She now has almost two thousand followers on her business page and a wide variety of fine line artwork that live permanently on her clients’ bodies.

“Some people may commit to having entirely meaningless tattoos, some people want each one to have a specific meaning, some people don’t care either way.” Hicks said. “It’s just an extension of each individual.”

Travis Keith, a business practices lecturer for Wilkinson College of Arts, has two full sleeves and large pieces on each of his thighs. One arm sleeve represents good, while the other represents evil. Keith is a fan of Catholic art due to his Italian heritage, and his favorite tattoo depicts Virgin Mary with prayer hands. He also has a lion and a bear on each of his thighs.

“Why I think I got tattoos on the subconscious level is (because) growing up I was a very big people pleaser,” Keith said. “I just wanted to make everybody happy, follow the rules, and never get in trouble. And then when I finally got out on my own I was like ‘I’m gonna do something I wanna do and not worry about what other people think.’”

Keith said he’s used to hiding his tattoos in the workplace at first, wearing long sleeves even when it’s 100 degrees outside, because he’s not sure what reactions he’ll get from them. However, the environment at Chapman makes him feel comfortable to show them off.

“I was coming from somewhere else, so I just had a short sleeve shirt on (and) obviously I’m tattooed,” Keith said. “Everyone in the department was complimenting me so much about how they liked them, and I was like ‘Oh cool, everyone’s cool with it.’”

Tattoos have become increasingly accepted in the workplace in the last decade. Chapman has no current rules against lecturers having tattoos, and in their handbook, it simply states faculty must dress appropriately. Keith said people’s perception of tattoos have changed since the release of the show “Ink Master,” a reality show where tattoo artists compete to win a grand prize and bragging rights.

“People should be able to express their own stories. If there’s meaning behind it then yeah, absolutely,” Collins said when asked if tattoos should be allowed in the workplace. “Sometimes people even get random cool designs that they want, and that’s up to them, because then that tells their story, saying, ‘Oh this is how I perceive tattoos.’”

Whether someone wants to get a tattoo for fun or to commemorate their closest family member, Hicks currently has her October bookings open for anyone interested and urged potential clients to direct message her on Instagram if they want to know more information.