As people become more adept with social media, the technology is now being used to send messages across. These include the outpouring presence of semicolon tattoos.
These tattoos, whether permanent or temporary as created by markers, are not merely to keep up with the trend. They are a means of support for a very worthy and long-standing cause: a fight against depression.
The semicolon tattoos came about as part of the Project Semicolon, a non-profit faith-based organization that began in 2013. It was founded by Amy Bluel, who herself isn't foreign to the mental problem.
Living in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Bluel fell into depression when she was still young. Incidentally, her father also struggled with the same issue that he eventually ended his own life about a decade ago.
In an interview with NY Daily News, Bluel revealed the inspiration behind her project. She wanted to make sure that she can share her own personal story with depression, which is similar to thousands of others, including her own father.
The semicolon tattoo, meanwhile, was born as a way of conveying that a person's story doesn't have to end with the disease. A semicolon is a popular punctuation mark that is used to connect two independent clauses that are related to each other. In Bluel's terms, it means there's no period to a person's story-it doesn't have to end. Most of all, a person has the ability to write his or her own narrative. In the end, she hopes that she can provide encouragement, hope, and inspiration.
Aside from depression, the semicolon has become a symbol for anyone who is fighting self-injury, suicidal thoughts, abuse, mental illness, and addiction.
Bluel and her team are also working on a project called Hope Is Alive, wherein people are encouraged to share their personal journey.
