Secrets of Ink #2

One year after my first tattoo, I decided to have another one made. Here is its story:

 

This tattoo consists of a blooming Amaryllis wrapped in barbed wire. The words say "Where would you be without days like this?" and the initials of my parents' and my brother's names are in the tattoo as well; "WD", "E" and "J". 

I already told you that 2012 was an important year for me; that rock music and especially Shinedown became much more important to me. It was also the birth year of the Shinedown album Amaryllis, the first Shinedown album where I followed the production process, where I waited for it to finally be there. I'm sure you already see where this is going. 

The words in this tattoo are from the album's title song Amaryllis. They are there to remind me that every bad day is necessary for me to grow, to develop, and that I would not be who I am today without all the terrible hours. It also means that no matter how bad the fights we sometimes have, my family will always be by my side, always support me.

The barbed wire in combination with the Amaryllis means that beauty and cruelty sometimes go hand in hand, and that they belong together. To quote another very important song line from Shinedown: "If there was nothing wrong then there'd be nothing right."

I chose the Amaryllis because this album is the beginning of my transformation. This record inspired me so much; I even wrote a novel about it. Amaryllis is my personal beginning of the rise of rock'n'roll Brent Smith announced. It is also the reason why I started to follow my dream to become a writer; because it inspired me to simply write. To practice. To try and publish something. 

I got this tattoo on my leg because I want the world to see this.