Semioticians analyze symbols, so for this series, we’ve asked 25 of our semio colleagues from around the world to explicate the symbolism of… one of their own tattoos.

I got this tattoo in the back of a pawn shop in Harlem when I was 15.

The sun made sense because even on cloudy days it’s still there, you just can’t see it. I needed something that worked on that level. The sun’s constancy feels pretty grounding when you’re 15 and everything feels like it’s dissolving.

I put it on my wrist because I wanted to see it, especially during moments when I felt particularly insane. When you’re dealing with anxiety, having something fixed to look at helps. It’s not a cure, but it works as something to come back to when your brain is lying to you.

It’s a very simple icon with no coloring or shading. The lines have gotten softer over the years, but I like that. It’s unlikely that I’ll get it touched up any time soon. 

At 24 I don’t look at the tattoo in the same way. Now, it’s less of an anchor and more of a reminder that I survived all of those cloudy days.

I really do love this tattoo so much. I also love the version of myself that got a tattoo in the back of a pawn shop, and the version of myself that’s now writing about it for a professional network!

TATTOO YOU: Nicola Zengiaro (Italy) on CORAL OF LIFE | Su Luo (Taiwan) on AN ISLAND, A TREE | Thierry Mortier (Sweden) on LIJFSPREUKEN | Cristina Voto (Italy) on JELLYFISH | Charles Leech (Canada) on SURF WAVES | Mariane Cara (Brazil) on BECOMING’S TRIAD | Chris Martin (Canada) on PUNK ROCK HEART | Angie Meltsner (USA) on ENJOY EVERY SANDWICH | Samuel Grange (France) on POLYMORPHOUS | Inka Crosswaite (Germany) on LAYERED FRAGMENT | Al Deakin (England) on FAMILY STAR | Hibato Ben Ahmed (France) on HENNA HAND | Max Matus (Mexico) on KALINGA REDOX | Whitney Dunlap Fowler (USA) on IN THE UNTETHERED | Chirag Mediratta (India) on THE SONG OF THE BUTTERFLY | Alexandra Ncube (England) on LIMINAL ROOTS | Josh Glenn (USA) on FALLING ANGEL | Aarushi Chadha (India) on PART-TIME PEOPLE PERSON | Serdar Paktin (Turkey/UK) on RESISTANCE & SURRENDER | Tatiana Jaramillo (Colombia/Italy) on EMBERÁ BLACKOUT | Antje Weißenborn (Germany) on FADED STAR | Sundari Sheldon (USA) on SUN | Roberta Graham (England) on SUNFLOWER/GUNMETAL.

Also see these global semio series: MAKING SENSE (Q&As) | SEMIOFEST SESSIONS (monthly mini-conferences) | COVID CODES | SEMIO OBJECTS | COLOR CODEX | DECODER (fictional semioticians) | CASE FILE | PHOTO OP | MEDIA DIET | TATTOO YOU (semioticians’ tattoos).