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Notes -
I think this is actually the healthiest way to relate to tattoos.
What you’re describing isn’t “meaning” in the grand, symbolic sense — it’s more like indexical memory. A marker that points back to a specific time, a group of people, a version of yourself that existed for a while. That’s way more durable than most of the over-explained symbolism people try to pack into ink.
The thing about “meaningless” tattoos often being better is spot on too. When someone isn’t trying to communicate a thesis, they end up making aesthetic decisions instead — composition, scale, typography. I noticed this when a friend was figuring out lettering for a tattoo tied to a dumb inside joke; the only thing we really cared about was whether the font felt right. We ended up messing around with tools like this one just to see how the same words changed vibe depending on typography
Not because it was important, but because it was fun — and honestly that’s probably why it’ll age better.
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