“You are braver than you believe, stronger than...

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think”

Taken right after it was done, so it’s still a little bloody on the yellow puzzle pieces and red…

This is my second tattoo, and I got it in honor of my younger autistic brother (hence the autism ribbon with my brothers name on the puzzle piece). My brother is one of the most important people in my life, and I truly could not ask for a better sibling than him, and wouldn’t change anything about him. So this is my way to show, not only him, but the world how much I love my brother, and how I embrace the autism and support him.

I chose this quote from Winnie the Pooh because he is a Disney and Pixar fanatic; he knows every movie, and probably everything about every movie from the year it was made to the additional voices. I also chose it because I struggle a lot with depression, self-harm and anxiety, and this is something that I would want to hear from him. The quote is in his handwriting, and I drew and designed the ribbon myself. I’m still in shock at how perfectly he was able to capture my brother’s handwriting: it literally looks like my brother wrote on my arm, it’s incredible. At some point I want to get the rest of the quote (And remember, I will always be with you) in my handwriting next to his: when I left for college he didn’t think he would see me again. So this is something that I want, and I do, say to him. It’s also a reminder to myself that no matter how far apart we are, he is always with me, and now all I have to do it look down and I hear his voice and see his face in my minds eye!

This tattoo was done at Adorn West in Portland Oregon, and my artist was the smart-ass, yet brilliant Austin Rose. I’ve gone there for all my piercings, and I will always go to him for my tattoos and is well worth the several hour trip to Portland from Eugene. The people there are very nice and were very understanding when I came in late for my appointment due to travel issues. I couldn’t have asked for a better tattoo experience, and Austin was able to do exactly what I wanted, even though he said it may be difficult to do some aspects of it. He was very respectful and I have received countless compliments on it already, and I will never hesitate to recommend this fantastic artist or Adorn.

You can come talk to me about my brother, autism, or just say “hey” and get to know me at mawsicle.tumblr.