The Spade Tattoo

by Annie
(Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)

Spade Tattoo

My tattoo was inspired by my entire being, personality and the history of my life. Although only small, at the age of 3 I saw my first deck of cards. My favourite was the Ace of Spades because it was the most decorative and beautiful (to me), it looked like an upside-down love heart (which was my favourite shape), and it had the letter A on it, which is my first initial.

The Ace of Spades can be taken in many different ways - for example, in some card games the Ace of Spades is the most valuable of the Aces, and in others it is the least valuable. Also, looking back through history, the Ace of Spades was known as "the death card" and "the lucky card" in WW2, when American pilots would fly over Vietnam and release hundreds of copies of the Ace of Spades as a warning, and other American troops would also wear or draw them in their helmets as a symbol of good luck.

Such a contradictory symbol, in my head, described myself - as the complete contradiction that I am. The heart is there because (and yes, my favourite shape still is a love heart) I see myself as having a big heart, and it is surrounded by purple because that is my favourite colour, and the colour i believe my Aura to be.