Black Sheep Brainchild

What tattoo do you want and where would you put it?

I held onto the image of a hummingbird in flight, his wings glistening purple and emerald in the light, for 10 years.

Two years ago I was running a booth at a local Pride event and had a plethora of fun and colorful temporary tattoos available. The kids loved the body art and I had fun helping them decorate themselves while enjoying some of the tats myself. These were pretty high quality and the artwork was gorgeous.

I have an affinity for feathers and rainbows and there was the perfect tattoo right in front of me – a single feather with rainbow watercolor design across it. I placed it on my forearm – midway and on the inside.

As I peeled back the transfer paper my breath caught in my lungs. Something clicked in my mind and I immediately knew how I wanted that hummingbird.

I searched local pages and located an artist with a flair for geeky tattoos. I loved her eye. I emailed the picture of the hummingbird and the temporary tattoo still on my skin, asking if she could combine them.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

Hummingbirds are special to me. The symbolize my mother who passed in 2009. I got my first ever tattoo on what would have been her 60th birthday.

Horatio was on my heart for so long and now I simply need to look down and a smile, sometimes sweet, sometimes a little sad, lifts my lips.