Okay, so, I’ve been on a bit of a Justin Timberlake kick lately, right? Listening to his old stuff, watching some of his movies… And I got this crazy idea. I wanted a tattoo, something inspired by him. Not, like, his face or anything, but something that felt connected to him, you know?
So, I started digging around, looking at what ink he’s got. The dude’s got a few, turns out. The biggest one is this guardian angel on his back. Apparently, it’s pretty personal to him. It’s this baby angel, surrounded by feathers, and there’s a word underneath, but I couldn’t find what it says anywhere, it’s a secret I guess. I thought about it, and while it’s a cool design, it didn’t quite feel like my thing, you know?
Then I saw he’s got this Celtic cross on his arm. Supposedly, it represents something personal to him, but that is a bit too religious for me. It’s a classic design, for sure, but not really what I was going for.
- I kept looking. He’s got this flaming tattoo on his ankle, which I guess all the NSYNC guys got. It’s kind of a fun, 90s throwback, but, again, not quite right.
- And then there’s this lion on his chest. He says it’s about “being bold, courageous, strong!” That resonated with me a bit more. I like the idea of a lion, the symbolism of it.
So, I started sketching. I took the lion idea, but I wanted to make it my own. I played around with different styles, different poses. I even thought about incorporating some musical notes into it, as a nod to his music, but it started to look a little too busy.
Finally, after a bunch of iterations, I came up with a design I loved. It’s a lion’s head, but it’s done in this kind of minimalist, geometric style. It’s simple, but it still captures that feeling of strength and courage. And I added a tiny, almost hidden, musical note in its mane, as a little secret tribute to Justin.
The Tattoo Experience
Finding the right artist was the next step. I wanted someone who could really nail the linework, make it clean and precise. I looked at portfolios online, checked out reviews, and finally found this artist whose style I really vibed with. We talked about the design, made a few tweaks, and then, boom, it was tattoo time.
Let me tell you, getting a tattoo is a whole experience. The buzzing of the needle, the slight sting… It’s definitely not painless, but it’s also not as bad as I thought it would be. And seeing the design slowly come to life on my skin was pretty incredible.
Now, I’ve got this awesome piece of art on my arm, a lion that reminds me to be bold and courageous, with a little secret nod to the guy who inspired it all. It’s a bit of a conversation starter, too. People ask about it, and I get to tell the whole story, from the initial inspiration to the final design. It’s pretty cool.