Posted on May 10, 2018
Mental Health and Tattoos: Semicolon
We recently reached out to our inkfam on Instagram to share their stories in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. We were overwhelmed with the response and will be sharing some stories over the course of May. Read on to hear about how people have used the semicolon as a tattoo to encourage them in their darkest moments.
When we first created inkbox, we were mostly looking for a way that people can express their truest selves, without having to commit to a real tattoo. We've helped people experience the look of a tattoo as well as test placement and design for future tattoos. In the beginning we had no idea that we could help people cope with their mental health issues. We recently reached out to our inkfam on Instagram to share their stories in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. We were overwhelmed with the response and will be sharing some stories over the course of May. Read on to hear about how people have used the semi-colon as a tattoo to encourage them in their darkest moments.
*Trigger Warning: This blog post contains sensitive content with regards to self-harm and depression that may be triggering*
"I’m 15 and unable to get a tattoo, but a semicolon means so much to me. I was suicidal not that long ago and see, the meaning behind the semi-colon movement helped me get passed that. I’ve bought like 8 of the semicolon tattoos from your website and I plan on buying more."
- @anathema._69
"I’ve had anxiety my whole life and about three years ago started having problems with suicidal thoughts. A few months back, I was in a really bad place and I needed help. I’d been following inkbox for a while, but I was never able to afford one of your tattoos. On my lowest day, I got a notification from Sweatcoin saying that they were selling $10 inkbox gift cards, and I had enough coins to buy one. I was able to get the semicolon tattoo and I put it on my forearm. Everytime I looked down at it, I was reminded that I was worth it and I was strong enough to stay alive. So thank you for helping me to stay alive through art." Anonymous
"I’ve never gotten a tattoo but I have seriously considered it since last February when a good friend of mine was successful in taking his own life. I never really understood suicidal thoughts until i was 16 when a depressed friend talked to me about their thoughts. They received the help they needed and all was well. But last year…. man. Last year goes down as the most mentally and emotionally draining year of my entire life. Not only was I struggling through major depression myself, but both of my brothers attempted suicide. Thank the lord they were unsuccessful. But Matt was [successful]. There is a hole in my life that can never be filled because he was unwilling to reach out for help when he needed it most, and in a moment of anguish he ended it all. Since then, I have found the semicolon project. If you don’t know about it go look them up. It’s amazing. “A semicolon is used when an author could have ended a sentence but continued on.” My brothers are survivors of suicide attempts. They could have ended it, but continued on. I would get a tattoo of a semicolon on my right wrist to support my brothers and sisters and to honor those we have already lost."
- Anonymous
"I know someone that committed suicide and a few of our friends have been using his story to kind of push forward when things got hard. Something he would do before we lost him was he would draw the semicolon everywhere, which usually worked because it represents something that could have ended and didn’t. It has been six years since it happened and his friend group was really struggling with coping even though it had been a while. We all got semicolon to remind [us that] we too could end it, but we didn’t."
- Anonymous
"I recently used inkbox to put the semicolon on my wrist. It's made me feel as though I can embrace my story and I am proud to show everyone!"
- @alex12987
"Well, I have depression and I’m 14 years old so my mother doesn’t allow tattoos now. I ordered the semicolon tattoo and everyone was crazy about it, so I’m planning on getting that tattoo in the future. Your temporary tattoos really helped me! Thank you so much!"
- Anonymous
"I suffer from many mental illnesses and I got my first tattoo last year of a semicolon as a reminder that I’ve survived and suicide is not the way I should leave. I would like to get more tattoos in the future and have been looking at inkbox for ideas and as an opportunity to decide where to place some tattoos. One tattoo I’m waiting to get is angel wings on my back because I suffer from PTSD and get triggered through people touching my back. It’s a way of showing that I’ve survived."
- Anonymous
"I've never had a tattoo but I always drew the semicolon on my wrist to remind me that it’s not the end of the story yet. I found out that you have that as a semi-permanent tattoo. Can’t wait to order it."
- Anonymous
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Our inbox is always open, so feel free to DM us on Instagram.