(BLACK PR WIRE/BCFW-GREENSBORO, NC) -- Canadian artist and art educator Andrea Mulder-Slater defines a symbol as “a picture or image that tells a story without using words.” That definition also applies to the ancient art of tattoos, which continue to grow in popularity in the 21st century.

In the past decade, more Americans have gotten tattoos as a way to express themselves. In January 2007, the Pew Research Center found that 36 percent of 18-35-year-olds have at least one tattoo. This is a major increase compared to the March 2005 findings of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, which reported that 24 percent of the general U.S. population had at least one tattoo.

“I love art and tend to get tattoos based on the things that inspire me,” says Angel Workeman, a senior business major at Bennett College for Women in Greensboro, N.C. An informal survey of 20 people on campus and in the larger Greensboro community revealed that 12 out of 20 got a tattoo in remembrance of a loved one that passed away.

Fifty percent of interviewees said they had a religious tattoo, such as a cross, which symbolizes their Christian faith. And one Greensboro resident, Rita Richards, talked about the choice she made as a teenager that she’ll forever regret. “Getting my boyfriend’s name on my back that I am no longer with is something I will always regret,” Richards said. “A tattoo is forever and I have to live with this for the rest of my life.”