I’m A Mom With Tattoos – Sharon From The Blessed Barrenness

Today we get to meet on of my favourite South African bloggers.  I’ve been an avid follower of Sharon’s blog for over a year now – not only are her kids absolutely gorgeous, but her posts are really interesting (and if you love a giveaway or two it’s good to make sure you follow her).  So let’s find out more about her and her awesome tattoos!

Your name and blog deets:  Sharon van Wyk – The Blessed Barrenness

How old are you: 41

What’s your day job?  National Account Manager – Gaming

A Mom’s favourite thing to do is talk about their children – tell us about your family:

I have two girls, both of them adopted after a very long struggle with infertility.  Ava is 4 years old and Hannah is 11 months old.

If you work, tell us a bit more about your working environment – are you regularly in contact with new “clients/public”.

I’m in contact with clients all the time.  But I work in the gaming industry (Playstation, XBOX, Nintendo etc)  and a few of my clients are also music (instrument) stores, so I deal with a lot of musicians too and it is a fairly laid back, fun industry. I’m an account manager and manage a portfolio of clients in a very fast paced industry. We have new releases and products every week and I really have to be on the ball. It’s also a very stressful environment around peak trading periods but it’s a job I love.

Tell us a bit about your tattoo’s, what they are, why you have them, where they are located

I have a wrist band tattoo. I started out as one tattoo of the international symbol for adoption after Ava’s placement, on the inside of my wrist. After Hannah was placed I extended it into a full band of images that symbolize my girls and the beauty of adoption for me.

How old were you when you got your first tattoo

I was 38 when I got my first tattoo.

Which tattoo is your favourite and why?

I love the little bird tattoo that symbolizes Hannah, the colours are beautiful and I also love the Cinquifoil flower which is representative of beloved daughters in the Victorian language of flowers.

Do you plan on getting more?

Hells yes! I’m already working on a design for a foot piece I want done and I’d also like to have a back piece done, but not sure what exactly I want on my back just yet. My tattoos are more than just decorative for me, they make a statement about who I am and also they have meaning to me. I don’t just want a pretty picture.

How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)?

My parents are HORRIFIED! They gave me a lecture after I got my first tattoo… yes, at the age of 38, I got a parental lecture, about how common it is etc. Most of my friends already have tattoos, it doesn’t have the same taboo’s linked to it as it did 30 or 40 years ago and has become very mainstream pop culture. I read an article a while ago that did research into tattoos in the US and they found that almost 90% of people under the age of 35 now have at least one tat.

What is the general reaction that “the Public” have towards your tattoos?  Have you run into any negativity or adversity because of them?

Aside from my parents?  None what so ever. Sometimes I wonder if people think it’s a bangle because no one has ever stared or made derogatory comments about it.

Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed?

Make sure you know exactly what you want, once it’s on you, it’s there forever. Don’t be scared of the pain, it’s NOT NEARLY as painful as you think it’s going to be. Chose your tattoo artist wisely, research them, get referrals before making your decision. Think about it and be sure it really is something you want to wear on your body forever.

 

(If you want to check out last weeks post click here – if you want to join in on the fun, pop me a mail on cindyalfino(at)gmail.com and I will send you the questions).