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KANSAN.COM
ARTS & CULTURE
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AMIE JUST/KANSAN
Trey Coughenour, of Lawrence, tattoos Seth Bollinger, a junior, at Big Daddy Cadillac Tattoos. The tattoo is Bollinger's fifth.
Through trying times, KU students turn to tattoos
AMIE JUST/KANSAN
AMIE JUST/KANSAN Maddie Daharsh, a junior from Hugoton, displays her Proverbs 31:25 tattoo.
AMIE JUST
@Arnie_Just
The ominous buzz of the tattoo needle drones on and on. Seth Bollinger has heard the sound and stared at the blank, white ceiling for four straight hours as he lies on the table at Big Daddy Cadillac Tattoos.
His tattoo artist's face is coated in sweat as he goes back and forth from the counter to replenish his ink to Bollinger's chest. Bollinger clenches his hands into fists, grimacing every so often as the needle hits sensitive spots on his skin.
At noon, the Kansas junior's chest was a blank canvas. By 5 p.m., his once-clean slate is now etched with words of Oscar Wilde and the outline of an anatomical heart.
"[The quote] really resonated with me because Oscar Wilde dealt with homosexuality in his work and I deal with that being a part of that community," Bollinger said. "To define is to limit' is a really cool quote that deals with labels."
Bollinger isn't alone in his ink endeavor. A study conducted in 2012 concluded that one in five U.S. adults has at least one tattoo. That same study also gathered that 22 percent of adults aged 18-24 have been under the needle at least once.
Bollinger has five tattoos, including his newest chest piece. His other tattoos are located on his foot, on his ribs, behind his ear and inside his lip.
"All of my tattoos have the theme of life and living," Bollinger said.
He went under the needle for the first time on his 18th birthday, getting a tattoo that says "know thyself" in Latin. Fresh out of high school, he wanted something that represented his time there, about finding out more about himself. His second tattoo, a song lyric on his ribs, was a spur-of-the-moment decision. The lyric, "I was meant to see the sun," comes from a song off the concept album Razia's Shadow that several emo bands came together and composed.
His third and fourth tattoos were completed during the same session in June. An upside down triangle is tattooed behind his ear, which represents water for Cancer, his Zodiac sign. His fourth tattoo is the word "life" inside his lower lip.
["Getting the lip tattoo] was weird because I literally had a tattoo artist in my mouth the whole time, which was awkward," Bollinger said. "It hurt a lot. It only took two minutes though, so it was done pretty fast.
"Afterwards, my lip swelled up and I couldn't eat for a few
hours. My teeth were covered in tattoo ink. That was real gross and nasty"
Bollinger's first tattoo drew inspiration from The Matrix. His second, from a song. For Lisa Cox, a sophomore from Waite Park, Minn., her one tattoo is also from a song.
["In high school] I was listening to My Chemical Romance," Cox said. "I got a lot of encouragement from one of their songs, and the line 'not afraid to keep on living' struck me."
Her tattoo rests between her shoulder blades, the words inked in a thick serif font that gives a hint of Egyptian flare. Cox, like Bollinger, has dealt with numerous hardships in her past, she said.
During high school, Cox suffered from depression and suicidal thoughts. Since then, having her tattoo serves as a reminder of where she's been and the progress she continues to make.
"It gave me the motivation to keep on living," Cox said. "Now, I'm freed from depression and I'm doing a lot better, just because of that line. It's a reminder of what I've gone through. If I ever face difficulties, even minor ones throughout the day, I just think of the things I've gone through."
Daharsh was one of three undergraduate students from Stevens County in the fall of 2014, according to the Office of Institutional Research and Planning. She didn't know anyone, she said; she knew that coming in.
Junior Maddie Daharsh faced difficult times as well. For her, coming to KU was a life-changing experience.
She said she knew she was coming to the University since her sophomore year of high school and was fully aware of the adversity she was going to face. Because of that, she wanted a tattoo that would be a constant reminder of her devout faith in God.
Out of the thousands of Bible verses, she decided on Proverbs 31:25.
After she got her tattoo, Daharsh said people told her she would regret it. Though it's been a couple years since she went under the needle, she has not once regretted her tattoo.
"She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future" is tattooed on her right side.
"I did struggle when I came here," Daharsh said. "I did read it every day and it did help me. It served the purpose I needed and it serves the purpose continuously every day. I don't feel any emotional remorse at all."
Bollinger, Cox and Daharsh all have their tattoos in inconspicuous places; Daharsh has two rules with tattoos.
Because of how Daharsh's tattoo is in a well-hidden spot, most people who know her don't know she has it.
"They can't show on my wedding day and they can't show at work," Daharsh said.
"It's something for me to see to remind myself of why I'm here and what I'm doing, rather than show it off to other people," Daharsh said.
Cox acknowledges that people can't see her tattoo with most of the clothes she wears, sharing the same sentiment as Daharsh.
"I know it's there," Cox said.
"And that's all that matters."
Seth Bollinger's most recent tattoo, which is halfway finished. In two weeks he's getting watercolor added.
AMIE JUST/KANSAN
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