About eight years ago, I came up with an idea for a tattoo I wanted: a pair of stylized dragon wings stretching from one elbow to the other. I drew up a first version of it, made a stencil, and got my then-boyfriend to draw the thing on me with a magic marker. It took a week or two to wash off, during which I could get used to the idea of having a pair of wings on my arms and decide if I liked it.<p>Ultimately I ended up taking another four or five years before I finally settled on a version of the design I liked, and spent eighteen months getting it tattooed on me. It&#x27;s been finished for about two years and I&#x27;m still delighted to see it every now and then.<p>If you&#x27;ve wanted the same design for most of your life, I say go for it. Iterate on the imagery until you have a version that you look at and say &quot;yes, this is perfect, I want this on me <i>now</i> because I have been waiting long enough already&quot;. If you&#x27;re not an artist like me then find one whose work you like and ask if they&#x27;re taking commissions. Then put it on yourself: stencil it on with a magic marker if it&#x27;s a tribal thing, get it done in henna, or even print it out on temporary tattoo paper. Which is a thing that exists, that you can shove into any inkjet printer. No need for hassling with the incredibly slow and painful process of having needles stuck in the same part of your skin <i>twice</i>.<p>Take ownership of yourself by putting your own mark on your body.