I am in a glass bubble...

Utopia is just my way of seeing life. Especially my life.

I was born with a hereditary blood disease, haemophilia. The main feature of this disease is that the blood of the sick can not coagulate. So the wounds don't heal without medicine.

I discovered I had this disease with the extraction of a tooth. And for a simple tooth extraction, I was going to die.

Today in Italy, out of 60 million people, there are 4000 people with this disease.

Children have many dreams, and I had many too. But growing up I realised that for me no dream could be fully realised.

This disease prevents me from doing so many things, it hinders me in many things, even daily.

I feel as though I am in a glass bubble. Fragile. I still can't accept it much.

I chose Utopia as my word, and I chose the neck as the place to tattoo it, because I can get up in the morning and look at it in the mirror.

I remind myself how beautiful dreams are. Even the ones I can never accomplish.

As I said most work I can not physically do. In my country, manual factory work is too dangerous for me. There's a good chance of getting cut, or bruised.

For about a year I have been trying to express myself as I can with drawing.

Art is above all a therapy. Art is a psychophysical cure.

When I draw I can still dream, as I did as a child. And I hope that what I do will help everyone, even those like me who have often felt "lost", without a place in this world.

Art helped me. I had dreams in my hands, and when I opened them, dreams flew away like flies.

written by alessio

italy

A passionate life...

I was in my early twenties in my third year at university but got heavily depressed, and never graduated and my ambitions collapsed.

Afterwards I moved to another city, took a low paying job, and was struggling financially and wasn't enjoying life.

Already a bit of a loner, though one who enjoyed solitude, I became extremely lonely.

I got the tattoo after I landed a new job and recovered from depression.

The tattoo is a quote from and symbolises the writings and philosophy of Albert Camus.

To me the quote, taken from The Myth of Sisyphus, has multiple meanings: not to give up on life nor despair; not to turn away from the problems in the world; to retain a strong ethical outlook when it comes to others - both people and animals, and to continue to strive to live a passionate life as a form of rebellion against the apparent meaninglessness of life, as well as anyone and everything that threatens to hold us back.

The tattoo is on my inner forearm in a plain font as it was my own personal reminder.

Now in my mid thirties I recently recovered from a second bout of depression, during which I had suicidal ideation.

This quote and the writings of Camus helped me a lot to endure it all a second time.

Though still a bit of a loner, I continue to try and make the most of my solitude and strive to live a passionate life.

written by jon

uk

Help always available from Samaritans on 116 123

Out of the blue...

A few weeks before I headed off for university my brother died. Out of the blue.

No signs or warning, no answers or closure.

And I had to make the decision to go to uni or stay home.

I chose university and I got through despite it being difficult because I wanted to make him proud.

He was described by most as gentle, there is a photo of him holding a butterfly in his hands and looking at it with such awe.

This was the basis of the tattoo design. I feel a butterfly is a really great representation of gentleness.

It is born from something that doesn’t hold much outer beauty but becomes a beautiful, gentle animal.

Oli found beauty in everything, from the smallest liquid crystal to the inner workings of the biggest machine.

I got this tattoo when I was finishing university.

It's a reminder to be gentle, kind and always strive to learn and understand the world around me.

written by hex

uk