It’s a tiny tattoo with a lot of meaning, and chances are you’ve seen it somewhere on social media in recent weeks: the semicolon tattoo.
At first glance, it’s a small, simple punctuation mark. Buts its meaning is more than skin deep.
Amy Bleuel of Green Bay, Wisconsin, never expected this tiny symbol to take off in such a huge way.
After losing her father to suicide in 2003 when she was just 18 years old, Amy struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts.
“That was kind of the defining moment in my life. I didn’t know if I wanted to go on anymore without him,” Bleuel said.
After seeking help, Amy rediscovered hope. In 2013, she founded her own nonprofit to share her story and inspire others struggling with mental illness and addiction.
She called it Project Semicolon.
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“In literature, the semicolon is used when an author chooses not to end the sentence. You’re the author, the sentence is your life, and you’re choosing to continue,” Bleuel said.
Topics like depression and suicide are often swept under the rug and surrounded by silence, Bleuel said. In order to “start a conversation that couldn’t be stopped,” she created a simple graphic to post on social media. It asked people to draw a semicolon on their wrists and post it with the hashtag #ProjectSemicolon.
She hoped it would trend. She had no idea it would explode.
Two years later, that simple concept has grown into a movement, with thousands of people around the world choosing to draw the symbol permanently.
At Body Graphics tattoo in South Windsor, artist Joelle Wankowicz has seen an uptick in requests for the semicolon tattoo over the past month.
“It’s been huge, actually, I’ve had so many people either message me or let me know they’re interested,” Wankowicz said as she buzzed away on her third semicolon tattoo appointment of the day. “There’s so many people that can relate to it. Who hasn’t struggled in their life? Who hasn’t had a hard time at some point?”
That’s something Sara Elizabeth of Ellington knows firsthand.
“I was bullied for a good while, from fifth grade all the way up to my senior year of high school,” she explained.
The trauma, Elizabeth said, contributed to her depression, which was worsened by the loss of her beloved grandfather. After working up the courage to share her struggles with her parents, Sara was able to get the treatment she needed. Today, she’s much more optimistic about life.
So as a gift to herself, she chose a tiny tattoo with a big meaning – a reminder that her own story is far from over.
“I did have those moments but I fought through them and hopefully, I’m still here. I’m still fighting,” she said.
Some local tattoo shops are offering special deals on the design.
STATIC AGE INK: Semicolon tattoos: $40. 100 percent of cost will be donated to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. (https://www.afsp.org/)
5 Foxon Rd Suite 11
North Branford, Connecticut
(203) 208-1942
BODY GRAPHICS TATTOO: Semicolon tattoos with Joelle: $50
73 John Fitch Blvd # A
South Windsor, CT 06074
(860) 289-6534
