Tattoo Design for Lindsi
Flow of life, in memory of her dogs
POSITION: Right lower leg (wraparound)
DESCRIPTION: Lindsi first reached out to me with a story of love, grief, resilience, and healing. She wasn’t looking for just a tattoo—she wanted something that could convey the complexities of her healing journey, a reminder of her struggles and the anchors that kept her rooted throughout. Her story deeply resonated with me, and I knew this would be a very meaningful project.
She told me about her childhood trauma, her lifelong experience with cPTSD, and the two dogs who helped carry her through it. Teddy, her first dog, was there from early childhood on—a grounding presence when the rest of her world felt unstable. Neela, a golden retriever adopted in Lindsi’s early adulthood, lived to 17 and walked beside her through half her life. Neela’s passing was an emotionally deeply traumatic experience for Lindsi. The design needed to honor them both—not as pets, but as companions, guardians, emotional anchors.
When Lindsi arrived in Sedona for her session, even the logistics seemed to conspire in her favor. Just before her trip, the rental car company called to let her know that the car she’d reserved had a mechanical issue. At first this felt like a major problem, but they ended up upgrading her to a better vehicle at no cost. If they hadn’t caught the problem when they did, she might have broken down somewhere between the airport and the studio. Instead, everything went smoothly. That shift—something going wrong, then quickly righting itself—felt very much like a metaphor for her healing path.
At the studio, we spent hours in conversation. There was no sense of rush. The space we shared was quiet, reflective, occasionally filled with laughter, and always rooted in mutual respect. We talked about trauma, about how the body remembers, and about how these memories shape us. We also talked about art, about the language of symbols, and about dogs—the ways they save us without ever consciously trying to.
The design comes to life as a flowing band that wraps around her lower leg. It is composed of five parallel lines, like those found in sheet music, as a nod to her love for dance and movement. The lines are also symbolic for different lifetimes and dimensions, since healing is not limited to only this current plane of existence. These lines aren’t static; they curve, have sharp twists, are intertwined with and dissolve into water splashes. That movement was intentional: it represents the unpredictability of life, the abrupt turns caused by loss, and the healing power of going with the flow. The water is also connected to Lindsi’s spirit. She describes herself as fiery, and water grounds, calms and rebalances her.
On one side of her leg, the band shifts into a series of ornamental shapes, reminiscent of delicate jewelry. Half hidden among them is a tiny replica of a paw print of Neela’s. It is subtle, personal, and positioned like a charm she carries with her always.
At the front of her shin, a sunflower blooms. Not too bold or overstated, it nonetheless exudes strength and warmth. Sunflowers were Neela’s totem, and a symbol Lindsi associates with her.
Teddy’s memory is held in a different, more ethereal way, through subtle visual language. There is no direct portrait or symbol. Instead, her presence lives in the atmosphere of the piece. Inspired by a different design of mine, where a small, subtle figure walks away into light, we echoed that sense of movement and memory.
We didn’t ignore or work around the two small dragons she already had on her ankle (matching tattoos shared with her best friend). Rather, they were integrated into the overall composition. Neela was Lindsi’s “dragon dog,” so there is a lot of symbolism there. The dragons were incorporated into the tattoo instead of being hidden or covered up, since they are an important part of the larger story. This friend, who also played an important role in her healing journey, had to be part of the final piece as much as the dogs.
Near the back of her leg is a subtle design element that holds a hidden message: two sequences of Morse code, following and crossing the flow of the five lines that form the band. One spells “I love you, Neela.” The other, “I love you, Teddy.”
And as if the universe hadn’t already sent enough signs, something else happened after the session. Not long after she left the studio, Lindsi ran into her best friend: the one with whom she’d gotten the original dragon tattoos, and whom she hadn’t seen in three years. Neither of them knew the other would be in Arizona. The last time they had seen each other was the day they got those dragon tattoos. Now they met again, basically by accident, just hours after Lindsi’s new piece had been completed. This felt like more than just pure coincidence.
Moments like that remind me why I do this work. Tattooing is more than a craft—it can be a tool for transformation, remembrance, and connection. For Lindsi, this piece isn’t a conclusion, but a multi-layered, evolving story that honors the past and present and leaves room for everything that is still unfolding.
And I’m grateful I was able to contribute to that story in some way.
For Inquiries, please feel free to reach out via email: contact@danielmeyertattoo.com
I look forward to working with you on your next story.
