My favorite symbol is the four leaf clover. My grandparents have been exchanging four leaf clover charms for over 42 years. My grandpa told me he started giving them to my grandmother as their own “special thing”, because he couldn’t put inscriptions on jewelry for her since she couldn’t read. And ever since he told me that I have had a love for four leaf clovers. Corny…yes, but sweet.

I like clocks and cogs and clockwork or whatever you want to call it. I’ve loved Dali’s melting clocks (particularly The Disintegration of the Persistence of Memory) since I was a kid and saw some of his work in a museum. This is weird because I haven’t worn a watch forever, but I did used to have a fascination with ridiculous watches, and wore one I had as a kid until it fell apart because it had a cartoon cat (some Dutch thing maybe since my mom got it from Europe, I think)(she’s Dutch)…um…anyway, it had a cartoon cat whose eyes moved back and forth really quickly to tick away the seconds. It was pretty hilarious. Lately I have seen some awesome Steam Punk jewelry that has watch parts in it, and it is gorgeous. Okay, I am blabbering. Sorry. Anyway, back to the Dali melting clocks. I want to get a tattoo of one (yeah, it’s been done) on my left shoulder/back because to me it symbolizes the fact that we only have so much time to live so we should spend it wisely. (also there is the fact that it is on the left side…so you think “time left” or “time is on my side”…or something. Ha!)

My favorite symbol would have to be a sailors ship. Yeah, it may be lame but I always found it to be somewhat symbolic in terms of how I go from port to port. Port being direction in terms of where im going in life. It is also something that used as a symbol for a line of pottery which I make. The sail ship completes the le miren title.. Anyway, thats my two cents

The Roman SPQR because it represents Rome and it people.

(o) (o)

Eyes.

Because they look back at you

What did you think they were?

It was my first semester of print making and I had to come up with a logo or symbol that would be screen printed on paper. One day while randomly crushing cans, I noticed the beaten can gave a shape of a heart. I became infatuated, I wanted this to be my logo. Not only does it represent love and the damage by love, but also the love for soda! Here’s a Start-End: http://photos.markjpacheco.com/crush/

mine would probably be the peace sign. it is horribly overused in today’s society, but throughout my life i’ve worn it everywhere. it means so much to me, from being an idealistic symbol for the world to just being charming by itself. everyone needs peace sometimes, and i’m reminded that whenever i see a peace sign. my dad used to have them all over his house and i used to see them all of the time growing up. he passed away just last year, so now more than ever, it means the world to me. everyone is fighting for something in this world, and if we all just were at peace with ourselves, we would see that some things in this world are just not worth it. war and hate have overtaken the world and it’s up to us to bring back peace and love.

Ok so I thought about it, for the contest I would like to say the sword but to be truly honest I have to say the “Italian Hand” at least thats what my grandfather used to call it or I have heard it called bull horns or rocker hand. But to my grandpa it was the Italian Hand and it posiest good luck. He is a first generation Italian and he lets you know it without saying a word. He is amazing and when I was a child I idolized him, I loved all of it, all the loud boisterous gesturing while talking all cliche’ mannerisms of a large Italian man. Above all else I was infatuated with his necklace! He had a long gold chain he would always wear. It had small charms one sagely tooth looking horn one that till this day still eludes me of what it symbolizes. One four leaf clover and the “Italian Hand”. I would beg him to wear it and finally he would let me wheeled it just for a little while. He told me it was going to be mine one day and that made me the happiest grandchild ever since I share the honor with like 20 or so. One day it is going to be mine.. ow yes one day…..

the LOVE symbol by Robert Indiana!!
i live in Philly and love this city.
and if you’ve ever been here, you know how gritty it can be.
i think this symbol is so poignant in a city where sometimes you’re not sure if love really exists.
sometimes, i ride by the park just to remind myself that it does.
i mean, crap, we have a big sculpture that says so.

The Boston “B” all the years of losing just make the winning sweeter.

I like birds. Somehow I have happened to choose a simple silhouette of a crow for my personal symbol. It is a mysterious and also rough, so I like it.

The ampersand is my favorite symbol. Drawing it is like a mini rollercoaster for my pen.

-Natalie
http://www.nataliemarion.com

The Circle! Im not even sure why it is exactly. I like to draw in circles, divide them up, I like them whole! I like outlined cirlces, and half circles. I guess they are all part of a whole. I do like when I have completed a circle, but I also like everything that it taked to make it there.

The Circle! Im not even sure why it is exactly. I like to draw in circles, divide them up, I like them whole! I like outlined cirlces, and half circles. I guess they are all part of a whole. I do like when I have completed a circle, but I also like everything that it taked to make it there.

I would always choose a “dice” as a symbol to represent me. Because no matter how hard you throw it, no matter how you throw it, it would always land flat on the ground. Enduring everything and still has a face to show in the end.

I am enamored by spades (♠). I’m not a card player, or a gardener, but I am an avid magician, so the Ace of Spades is by far my favorite card and symbol rolled into 1. Some people think that the suit is associated with destiny, fighting, and death. I’m good with ‘fighting’ and ‘death’, as both are necessary in this world, but I like to focus on ‘destiny’ as the primary meaning. I carry an ace of spades on my right forearm as a tip-of-the-hat to magicians everywhere, and to remind myself that my destiny is within my grasp.

The Bleeding Pelican (as I call it) — during my last trip to Peru I found this and I thought it’s meaning was amazing — I had to have one… It’s a silver pelican that is pecking at its hear (in red) —- it signifies the sacrifice that pelican will make for their offspring if there is no food. They will peck at their flesh to feed their young. Sacrifice. The bleeding Pelican is about sacrifice.. its intense.. its amazing ..

my favourite symbol has been for a very long time a smple little round dot :) it’s the most primitive symbol in my opinion, the simplest of all. awe-inspiring and cute at the same time.
it just kind of symbolises everything, the whole universe, also how big it is and how small we are (which is a nice thing to remember for me actually). a little black dot on white paper is kind of like an inverted version of a bright star in the nightsky :) since it’s round, it also bears the symbolics of a circle - the circle of life and death etc.
also, dots can be combined easily in different ways to have even more meaning, for example in punctuation - my personal favourite is the colon, because there is always something yet to come and put everything in perspective.
for me personally, dots are a great way to visually emphasize a certain spot, wether just for aesthetic purposes (i like to make small dots with eyeliner under my eyes or on the cheekbone, it adds so much to my face and other people seem to appreciate it too) or to invoke some idea (i’m an artist and in my work i sometimes use dots to represent for example a third eye, heart etc).
a really good question by the way, took me over a day to figure it out - and then it hit me! :) so thanks for that.
love, liisa

The teapot.

I’ve just started taking a ceramics class this fall and have been studying modern pottery. The teapot is one of the more difficult pieces to make because of the balance of design and functionality. The potter must also have both wheel throwing and hand molding skills in order to hand make it; the handle, spout and lid all made by hand. It is something that requires no thought in use, however opens the door to great consideration.

Hmmm. Mine would be a lock. Like the one on one of those carebears…had them when I was younger, but my Mom threw them away. The one with the lock is like me though…keeping secrets..bottling up. Was quite an introvert but I found my courage to open up a few years back, thanks to my partner who helped me be who I really am…

My favorite symbol is the bow,especially the Hello Kitty Bow. I grew up on Hello Kitty, she stood for being feminine and an individual. The red bow, that Hello Kitty wears is so iconic, I’m planning on getting on a tattoo that symbolizes my childhood. I remember all the characters on television and movies wore bows.I had a phase when I was 6 to 8 where I had to wear a bow all the time, I began collecting them and I still have them to this day. The bow is timeless, I think everyone loves the bow no matter what era we live in.

the atomic symbol - all that’s around us!

The Hallows symbol from “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows”. It stands for the three “fictional” objects. To me, it represents the final chapter of a wonderful series that I have grown up with since childhood and will always remember even when I get old.

I’d have to say the lightning bolt is my favorite, because it symbolizes energy as well as a force of nature. A little reminder of how powerful the forces of our environment really are. I’m still aiming to create a symbol myself, that means something amazing, yet something that isn’t cliche. Something new… it will come.

Paw print; reminds me of my beloved dog.

the bird and the fish - a little known love story. bird loves fish, fish loves bird, but they can never be together because one lives in the air and one in the sea… the best symbol of unrequited and lost love. this has been my own personal symbol for years, it’s so beautiful.

Being an Aussie, my love is for the Aussie icon that is the Esky (or cooler to those outsize Oz) An Esky filled with ice just screams to me about the joy of summer and the good company of friends.

My favorite charm is a golden pineapple that my grandfather gave me christmas. Pineapples are sometimes thought of as a ‘welcoming’ symbol and wearing the charm always reminds me to be kind and open to people i meet. I’ve often thought that a 35mm roll of Kodak film would look cool as a charm. Digital is becoming so popular that some people don’t even know what film is, or the beautiful process film can play in taking a photograph, and Kodak is such an iconic brand in photography. It has played a huge part in connecting people with images, first film and now with digital.

I would say octopuses they are fascinating sea animals and with all of their tentacles and the beautiful movement is fascinating. Plus I’ve seen them in tattoos and jewelry I actually have some earrings and they look amazing.
this creature inspire me and is beautiful and I love it I will say that octupuses are my iconic animal or icon.

The anarchy symbol. For me, it holds all the memories and emotions of adolescence.

My favorite symbol would have to be a star. Few things compare to sitting out on a countryside and looking at the thousands of stars above. It always reminds me of how small I am and how vast the universe it. When things are placed in such a perspective, the things that bother and peck at me don’t seem to matter much anymore. It’s comforting.

:) ( smiley ) icon is the best.. i used it prob a million times a day
… okie that’s prob exaggerating , but i do use it a lot

sparrow. symbolizes freedom, and finding myself.

I still feel lucky when I find a feather on the ground, though I don’t know that feathers symbolize anything in particular to me.

Hearts. I love LOVE!

It was November 1991 and I remember the sky looking like someone had painted it with charcoal watercolors. I was 11 years old and my mother and I returned home to find four large crows sitting in our living room. They had flown down the chimney and didn’t move or make a sound when we entered the house. My mom screamed and ran out the door - it was a well told wives’ tale that birds coming into the house is a bad omen. My grandfather on my mother’s side passed shortly after that day and I’ll never forget how sad the birds looked as I scooped them up with my father’s overcoat and released them one by one outside. Crows hold an important meaning to me, and when I see them I’m reminded of loved ones whose lifetimes have passed.

I think mine would have to be the ampersand. They’re so lovely and to me they represent possibilities and choices.

A crescent moon with a single star. One looks lonely without the other. I know the symbol is widely associated with Islam and the flags of several countries (Turkey immediately springs to mind), but I have none of those associations. It reminds me of the goddesses in the Mucha prints that were scattered around our apartment when I was growing up; my mother at her best, when she was younger and happier, before she became disabled; Diana (or Artemis, if you prefer); and, not least of all, a vintage rhinestone tiara featuring a moon, stars, and scrolls, that I own and wear whenever possible.

fav: heart & daggar III: life giving organ next to life taking (and also fruit-cutting) device. appropriate & nicely-worn combination.

fangs foosho, im obsessed with true blood and all that jazz.

the fluer de lis. strength and elegance all in one. :)

When I was 7 years old, my father bought me a 0.75 inch Troll doll necklace charm made of silver. I am so glad to still have it, even though it’s a little kitschy. It’s the perfect reminder of childhood, good times with my Dad and the earnest wishes I made on my real Troll dolls.

I love gnomes, it is just this friendly little fellow that seems to great you when you look at him. Instant smile.

I love lips.

They are everywhere, and everyone has a pair, which can be full and pillowy or tense and strong. Either way they are sensitive and intimate, they move and laugh.

Lips do amazing things everyday, they tell funny stories, say hello and goodbye, declare adoration or love, sigh, smile, and ofcourse kiss.

And nothing makes me more vulnerable then a kiss, so I love lips as much as I love the face they anchor.

kiss, kiss.

I spent the last four months up I the Yukon, caring for and training sledding dogs. This was my time away from time before starting back at school. The ranch that I was at had 127 dogs, about 20 of which were retired and just wandered about either getting into trouble or looking for trouble to get into. The four months were spent away from the city, away from modern amenities away from all of the cares and worries that living in a metropolis comes with. I miss it so much. There was nothing for miles but trees, mountains and sky that never got dark. Falling asleep at 11:00 to the howling of the dogs and the sun showing no signs of fatigue.

So. My emblem is the sun.
It seems pretty transient for the most part. Predictably setting and rising. Until you witness 24 hours of daylight the sun just passes by, facilitating units of time. But I never used to stop and think about how it was never Really setting, but just rising in another spot.

Enjoy life,
Matt

I spent the last four months up I the Yukon, caring for and training sledding dogs. This was my time away from time before starting back at school. The ranch that I was at had 127 dogs, about 20 of which were retired and just wandered about either getting into trouble or looking for trouble to get into. The four months were spent away from the city, away from modern amenities away from all of the cares and worries that living in a metropolis comes with. I miss it so much. There was nothing for miles but trees, mountains and sky that never got dark. Falling asleep at 11:00 to the howling of the dogs and the sun showing no signs of fatigue.

So. My emblem is the sun.
It seems pretty transient for the most part. Predictably setting and rising. Until you witness 24 hours of daylight the sun just passes by, facilitating units of time. But I never used to stop and think about how it was never Really setting, but just rising in another spot.

Enjoy life,
Matt

The TOWER OF BABEL, as it represents how ambition and arrogance neglected the need to be mindful of life and humanity; how our human connectedness is both severed and served by difference and language.

my favorite symbol is a donut. i remember as a child we only got donuts on very special occasions, like when my grandparents came to visit from out of town. donuts have always reminded me of happy times. i draw them on everything and they are usually lifting off like flying saucers! empowered donuts! :) the sweetness always makes me smile!

The ampersand! Such a great example of linguistics, the evolving nature of language and know it’s become a design motif in its own right. It harkens back to a time when the English language was much more embryonic than it is now, it’s archaic and should be anachronistic, but instead it comes across as something bigger than kitsch, a symbol that means more than itself, representative of an idea, and a simple conjunction…

The cocktail sword is synonymous with maraschino cherries. Sitting at a high stool feet dangling, age 6 or 7, sipping a Roy Rogers or a Shirley Temple listening to Patsy Kline in the background—I think this is why many people of my generation are rockabilly style!

ohhhhhhhh…….. i would have to say my favorite symbol is =

It would be my charliefish logo. (its on my website). Throughout high school I became obsessed with it. I drew it every chance I got on anything I was able to draw it on.

My favorite little symbol is the ladybug. I have a tattoo of one on my wrist in honor of my favorite great aunt, Louise. She was a no-nonsense type and was one the most loving and caring woman in the world. I hope to be as strong and unafraid as she always was. Her favorite thing was ladybugs and since her death, my sister and I have had many strange ladybug run ins that we like to believe are little reminders from Aunt Louise to live life with love.

To me, the most intriguing symbol is the Human eye. To me an eyes are in themselves beautiful and somewhat magical because of their delicacy, complexity and the gift they provide for us. However as a symbol they are so much more. An eye to me represents perspective. Perspective is something that changes with everyone and is an individual experience, however it can be the perspective of numerous individuals in a situation or within a demographic. To me when I see an eyes used symbolically it makes me think more than anything about what it means to me. It simply asks, ‘what is YOUR perspective’.

A green apple, because Magritte along with the surrealists inspired me to create art.

A pair of crane scissors, the kind used for snipping embroidery floss. My mother has the most beautiful pair that would squeak when you used them. They will forever remind me of her skill for sewing that she passed to me.

A strange one: the Ouroboros - the symbol is a snake in a circle biting and eating its own tail. It represents rebirth and immortality as well as insight into one’s self and self-renewal. I think of it as change comes from within and like the snake, many of life’s growing pains have a bittersweet fanged bite.

I’ve always loved old keys. I have a set hanging on a ring in my office. There’s something so great about the physicality of them. Their meaning is fairly straightforward—they unlock things. Lately, they’ve come to have an even stronger meaning for me though. A few months ago, a friend gave me the comic “Local” as a gift. The main character wears a key around her neck throughout the book. Each chapter is a year in her life, and takes place in a different local as she drifts around the country. Her story of growth, isolation, and finally coming to find your home & self really spoke to me. She always had they key to her home around her neck, but she had to find herself before she could really claim what home meant to her. I recall hearing how Paul Simonon wore the key to his flat on a chain when he toured with the Good the Bad & the Queen, so he could never loose his home in the world. I love the concept of key as home, and the reminder that we need keys to not only unlock the external world, but the world within us.

For a while, I’ve been pretty obsessed with the image of a single piece of sliced bread. I’m not sure why, the aesthetics are definitely part of it though. The lines are beautiful. Rounded edges, straight, square-ish, just slightly curved and bulbous at the top. It’s a very interesting symbol that I sketch all the time.

My favorite symbol is the star. My husband and I wished on shooting starts in the mountains for each other when we were just friends. Within hours, we had our first kiss and the rest is history. I’ve always been partial to all of the dreams and wishes attached to stars.

The cocktail sword is absolutely wonderful! I am having a difficult time choosing a favorite icon myself. But in keeping with the theme, I recall a few that might play well with the sword. As a child, I was enamored with bright plastic monkeys that perched on the edge of a cup and cocktail umbrellas - those both came from a cheesy Hawaiian-themed bar and restaurant I adored. My indulgent parents always tried to talk me out of it, but for birthdays and special occasions they’d swallow their pride and take me there. Crazy straw hats and grass skirts, Mom drinking out of a fake coconut…ah the memories! But one thing I go back to time and again as an adult is the frilly toothpick. Cliche? Perhaps. But whether I’m skewering hors d’oevres or pulling one out of a club sandwich to-go, the frilly toothpick always means something good is happening.

the pencil, it’s the simplest invitation to participate

Definitely a ROBOT. I’ve been a tinkerer for as long as I can remember, and they’re definitely number one doodle. Robots are also the inspiration for my next tattoo.

an infinity sign, it’s delicate and beautiful, endless and eternal. I even have it tattooed on my back

the gingko leaf. it reminds me of when i lived in athens and the streets would be covered in the leaves. good times in art school.

I love the image of a bird sitting on a telephone wire. SOmething about the image is so simple and its just an everyday reminder to slow it down and take one thing at a time.

One of my favourite symbols, and one that I use often in illustration, is the cloud. To me this represents looming change, water / refreshment, growth, rainy days (which I love), raincoats (also love) and cooler weather (LOOOVE). It also represents height, and the sky, and all the other wonderful imagery associated with the sky: birds, hot air balloons, the colour blue, lightning, helicopters, air…Yep…Clouds.

Funnily enough, I was thinking about this question earlier this week when I was considering a tattoo. I finally came to the conclusion that if I got a tattoo, it’d be of an apple. Granted, I think I’m too frightened of needles and a commitment to actually go through with getting inked, but here’s why the wonderful fruit seems to call to me:

1.) Let’s just get this out of the way - they’re pretty delicious. Whether on their own, baked in a pie, or covered in caramel. And they’re good for you, too. Probably less good when sweet-ified, but at least saying that apple pie is good for you is not a complete lie, right? Right.
2.) I want to be a teacher, and we all know that apples are the ubiquitous symbol for the educating type. Hopefully instead of an charmingly awful apple covered “teacher sweater” I’ll someday have a wicked tattoo…or piece of jewelery from bittersweets ;)
3.) I am an embarrassingly huge Beatles fan…need I say more?
4.) I live for knowledge, and the apple is the fruit that fell from the tree of it. If I were Eve, I couldn’t have resisted either. And really, who could have, when apples are clearly just so awesome?

Have a super day - loved the post, and loved reading others’ comments. I just recently found notcot…and am now addicted.

Most i like Pixies, especially Tinkerbell, because with her Pixiedust have the ability to fly. This is also the Reason, why i have a chart of her on my Highjumpingshoes, so i can always fly high (:

Everything dynamic and very positively! :)
Have a nice day
Bodyc

Rocketships! (and birds and anything that flies)they remind me of soaring and the infinite dreams of childhood where the world held no boundaries for me and my imaginary rocket. though life will always bring ups and down, with the rocketship in my head anything is possible

My favorite object symbol right now is an axe. Not just any axe, but my Best Made Company axe. The handles are painted by designer Peter Buchanan-Smith and for me it’s a symbol of inner and outer strength. Form and function.

The spider: a self-sufficient and resourceful home builder and weaver. EB White’s Charlotte is one of my all-time favorite characters and heroes: intelligent, confident, creative, practical, graceful, generous, and affectionate. My personal role model!

I love the “divorce ring” though it reminds me of bad things. it’s something that you have with you to remember you’re ok, living ;)

For its “perfect” shape and ever-continuing contours that symbolize just about everything related to the life’s eternal cycles: THE SPHERE.

my favorite symbol is always changing, but right now it’s a triangle with an eye in it.

i’m fascinated by it.

the skull with cross swords.I still believe I was born a pirate, and I know I’ll end up in the sea. *coeur de pirate

I would have to say the no smoking sign tops the icing on the cake. It always reminds me that I need to kick the habit every time I see it. Funny thing is Alanis Morissette’s song “Ironic” also comes to mind, a no smoking sign on your cigarette break.

i used to have a very bad habit. then, one day, i decided to kick it to the curb. to help me keep myself in line, and as a reminder of the terrible things i used to do, i got a ring. this ring has a date: 7.12. it symbolizes my new found freedom and a great beginning. thanks bittersweets! YOU MAKE BEST CUSTOM RINGS EVERRRR!

Mine is probably paper. Much like a piece of paper we start of completely blank when we enter the world but from the minute we start breathing to our last breath people are constantly writing and leaving their marks on us in many different forms, languages and colours. Some of which gets erased or scratched off from the paper but there will always be little hints of it once being there.

My favorite: the footprint, because it such a good example of a Dicent Index, and how it is distinct from both an Icon and a Rhematic Index.

When I was a kid I knew I liked a restaurant if they put “the sword” in my Shirley Temple.

If they didn’t that place was bullshit and my parents heard all about it.

I’ve always been comforted and inspired by water towers.
Wandering around my home town as a kid, I always knew not to stray too far from home by keeping the water tower in sight. I would orient myself by it and whenever returning from trips it would be a beacon that the journey’s end was near. When I see them now I am conscious that I am in someone else’s “home turf” and can’t help but be nostalgic of my childhood northern star. =)

my favorite symbol, a musical note ♫ Truly my music choices reflect my moods and can also lift my spirits. Music is so important to me. I don’t know how I could live without it? “I am a reflection of what I sing” Robert Plant

My favorite symbol is the “chai” sign in hebrew which signifies life. It’s beautiful and simple.

favorite symbol: the martini glass as an icon for identifying bars, usually in tasteful neon.

Any symbol involving an eye just draws me in! I always thought eyes were the most beautiful assets a person can have. :)

Eyes.

Because they look back at you.

the icon that i have grown up with, loved, lost, agonised over and finally inked is simple bluebird incased in a silver heart. This is the locket catch of a bracelet I was given as a small child. the links have grown but the bluebird remains the same. Its part nostalgia, olde worlde aesthetic, inextricable emotion and the birds simplicity that draws me back to this image time and time again. I could never recreate the catch, should it break I shall keep the pieces forever.

The ampersand.
Because it’s a beautiful way to connect things.

I have to say my favorite symbol is a manatee, though I guess it’s not really a symbol… Either way, it was my favorite animal as a kid, and people would call me “manateegirl”. I had manatee everything, from t-shirts to earrings to a toilet seat cover (which I still have). There was even a year when I dressed as a manatee for halloween. It didn’t go over well. So I guess what I’m saying is that manatees have come to represent my childhood, and they remain a huge part of who I am.

My favourite symbol is the leaf. Since high school it has meant new beginnings to me. Change and the turning over a new leaf. It has provided inspiration over the years for budding art projects and thought processes. Thinking it may be my next tattoo!

Tear drop/water drop, its universal. The arching arabesque of a well drawn drop reminds me of the potential in all things.

The phrase “this too shall pass” is pretty important to me. It is essentially a metaphor for the study of history, but it reminds me that even when things look dark, it will get better. It’s engraved on the back of my ipod as music often acts as my solace in tough times and those 4 little words have the capacity to make me feel infinitely better.

My favorite symbol is a compass, so I am reminded to follow my dreams.

My favorite icon ever is this tree on a rock from Monterey, California. I Live in florida, but when I visited Monterey, i just knew I was going to live there. The tree on the rock just seems so inspirational, like no matter what you can do anything.

I like the Parentheses. It’s a subtle, “by the way” whisper.

My favorite symbol would have to be a human heart. It is strong, powerful and gives so much life. I am a bit of biology nerd, but it really is a great resemblance of how precious life is. Because without a heart we as people do not exist.

My favorite symbol is the shape of a brass knuckle, which represents strength, independence, and family. It particularly reminds me of my brother, who battled, and BEAT, heroin addiction three years ago. He gave me and my sister brass knuckle necklaces, I feel like our family was once broken fingers and now we are a solid hand, clenched into a fist and moving forward with determination.

A dragon.
I grew up believing it protects me and gives me strength, so I always have some sort of dragon figure with me, ever since I was a 9 year old - I’m 24 now.

the diagrammatic image of the nautilus shell that depicts the fibonacci sequence. it describes a natural growth pattern that is common to all life forms

I love skull and crossbones. It’s a very common icon but there’s just something about it.

φ - The Golden Ratio - Either mathematical and in its proportional representation in art, the φ is pure elegance. The proof that our options and our ideals can be infinite. I use it in my photography and have proudly incorporated in my signature.

my favorite symbol is the tree, because when i see it i think of family. even sometimes you might not like the people in your own family youre still linked to them and theyll always be there to support you because youre all connected at the roots of that family tree and those roots are so strong that you cant destroy them no matter how hard you try

wow hard to pick only one. I think mine is the balloon. Because I think as many can relate as kids we all love balloons, and I loved helium balloons. They seemed so magical to me, I didn’t understand the science of it when i was very young, but the fact that they float just made me smile. And the moments when you accidentally let go or want to let it go give you this surprise, fear, unknown feeling. I liked drawing groups of balloons and me holding a balloon floating away. I still like drawing them, they remind me of childhood, the unknown and imagination of where that balloon might go.

I love the chill pill on this piece! I teach H.S. art and my original thoughts was wow… if I wear this they will drug test me immediately. I could actually see this creating controversy (…but the MEANING of this is so simple and GREAT). We all need to chill out a little in the world these days.

The CHILL PILL is just awesome. So to answer your question about me…in my life my favorite icon is a swirl. I love how fluid it is in art. It can remind me of the earlier civilizations in art history yet it can be so modern.

Thanks for posting your necklace on notcot. I’ve seen so many spaceships on students notebooks! Many from other classes when they are doodling. Isn’t being gifted with art from God great! :)

I love the chill pill on this piece! I teach H.S. art and my original thoughts was wow… if I wear this they will drug test me immediately. I could actually see this creating controversy (…but the MEANING of this is so simple and GREAT). We all need to chill out a little in the world these days.

The CHILL PILL is just awesome. So to answer your question about me…in my life my favorite icon is a swirl. I love how fluid it is in art. It can remind me of the earlier civilizations in art history yet it can be so modern.

Thanks for posting your necklace on notcot. I’ve seen so many spaceships on students notebooks! Many from other classes when they are doodling. Isn’t being gifted with art from God great! :)

The paperclip.

Hardly the horrendous office supply it’s made out to be- the paperclip is slender, but curvaceous. It is shiny, but not gaudy or screaming for attention. There are alternate uses for this tiny wonder, but its number one priority is always achieved! It holds my stuff together.

For its simplicity, ingenious inventor/s and continuum shape: the incandescent light bulb.

My fave is one I made for myself. I went to Lowe’s and got some wood samples and glued them back to back. I wear this nearly every day. I really enjoy wood grain, it gives me a nice warm feeling. A homey feeling. My house is often in disarray with tons of people in and out. I have many roommates,share a room with my boyfriend, and have a feisty cat who needs to be neutered desperately. It can get hectic. Wood grain soothes me and it goes with nearly everything!

Orange Boy. He’s a mandarin orange with a smiley face on him and I gave him to friend to cheer them up one night. Ever since then he’s become my personal symbol. He’s kind of just a circle with a smiley face, but his smile is unmistakable.

My favorite symbol is easily the circle. o It’s so simple yet so damn hard to draw perfectly. For me, it symbolizes continuity, the cycles of life, movement, progression… so many things. Gorgeous

Triangles. they jus make sense in my head, and i dont know why. more sense than other shapes make.

My boyfriend gave me a ring with an owl on it a year ago, and I’ve worn it every day since. He said it represented me because I’m solitary and perspicacious. I like that it’s a reminder of him.

I have the silhouette of a bear tattooed on my side; the bear represents a great many significant memories for me. When I attended elementary school in California (whose state flag holds a silhouetted bear) my father would walk me home from school every day, treating me to a Klondike bar on the way. My father, now deceased, also grew up in Chicago and was an avid fan of the Chicago Cubs (he was even their batboy for a few seasons!). And finally, the very first painting I ever sold as a professional artist was a texturized painting of two silhouetted bears.

the penny! coppery and smelly and in my opinion a darn good portrait of a pretty cool guy!

my favorite icon is the funny “hello kitty” especially the one that a friend gave to my sweet little girl who is born last week. hello kitty, dressed as pink as my little heart :))

I’m a fight director for the stage. I’m doing a production of the Three Musketeers right now and I would LOVE to have this sword to wear. I actually considered making a cocktail sword necklace once, but it of course looked cheap. This is a dream come true!!!

My symbol is a dragonfly. A dragonfly means change/maturity. This is because their lives are so short, they must live their lives to the fullest. I strongly believe that everyone should live life like each day is his/her last, take chances, learn from experience and grow from it as well.

WRENCH! not a symbol yet, but it will be… believe me.

i’m not sure what the name of my favorite symbol is but it’s one that my mom would wear on a necklace when I was little. It was a tiny hand made of white resin with a gold strip on the wrist that attached it to the chain. It was so tiny and delicate and mysterious-which is how I always saw my mom.

I have fallen head over heels for anything and everything with a dove on it. When I turned 21 I got a tattoo of a dove on my back to represent independence and freedom. The dove continues to represent those two very important things, and reminds me to not forget my independence. Many think that it is a religious symbol, but really it means the very opposite of religion to me.

While this may sound totally nerdy, and not indicative of the kind of person I am, I really really love the Star Wars ‘rebel alliance’ symbol. Here me out: My parents were typical urban 80s parents, and they raised me on a strict diet of “Star Wars”, “Stop Making Sense” (by Talking Heads), and B52’s “Cosmic Thing.” We would spend afternoons watching the original trilogy, and my father would wax poetic on the latent spirituality in Star Wars and my mother explained that “every girl needs to find the perfect mix of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker”.


Anyway, since my parents divorced, the classic rebel alliance symbol reminds me of the days spent in my childhood, lounging and watching Return of the Jedi on VHS, my parents both into it for their own different reasons. So it reminds me being a kid, and my parents, and screw all of the nerd stuff and the later movies, but I just really love this symbol for the innocence and imagination I once associated with it.

My favorite symbol is a modified ouroboros, the snake eating its tail. The modification is that there are two snakes eating each others tails in an infinity sign. The ouroboros symbolize the cyclicality of life while the two snakes represent yin and yang (or balance). Basically the idea that the cycle of life continues forever in balance. I would say that it symbolizes my core beliefs.

My favorite icon is a star. I’ve been collecting star items since I was a kid, jewelry, dishes, anything star.

When I was 15 I watched the movie ‘Paperclips’ about a school that collects paperclips to represent the lives lost during the holocaust. For some reason this struck me and stuck with me. Such a simple symbol, but I feel as though it represents even more than just the holocaust victims, but tolerance for those who are different than us. Ever since then, I wore a paperclip on a chain around my neck.

I quite like the rabit. They’re always a simbol of innocence and purity but at the same time, theyre quite cunning and intellingent in the way they go about their lives.

My favorite symbol is the cathedral in my dad’s home town. Everytime that we go there I take a picture of myself infront of the big brass doors in front so see how much I have grown since last time. Some people have pencil marks on the wall…I have pictures infront of a cathedral.

The free falling bomb. Nothing represents the quiet and calm serenity of a naked fall from the heavens better. It all ends with a bang, akin to starting a new adventure.

Mine is the double-headed eagle!
It is associated with the the Byzantine Empire!

First: I am insanely jealous because one of my life goals is to pick grapes in Champagne.

Second: My personal icon is the anchor. My father is a fisherman and I grew up by the sea, so all nautical icons are important to me. However, I took on the anchor as my specific symbol around high school. Wherever I go, specifically when I travel to sea-side areas, I search out anchor charms and other jewelery. Though I live in the mountains now, I always wear some piece of jewelery with an anchor on it to keep my home and family close by at all times.

My favorite symbol is wings. If you spread your wings, there is nowhere you cannot go in life and there is nothing you cannot do. To me they are a symbol of freedom, simplicity, curiosity and innovation - four things I feel are most important in living life to the fullest.

the star. at a close friends funeral it was the symbol they decided to associate with him and played songs with star in the name, and also because it was the type of flower arrangement i picked out at my grans funeral. despite both of those it’s still a happy symbol and means nothing more to me than to serve as a reminder to them as a permanent symbol i wont forget them =]

probably the ampersand. it symbolizes how life keeps on moving and the next moment ties direcly into what comes before and what follows.

I love the dove as a sign of peace. Its so multifunctional: used everywhere from the Woodstock symbol to religious institutions.

I think one of my more favorite symbols is the Claddagh, the heart wearing a crown grasped by two hands on either side…the Celtic symbol for friendship, love, and loyalty. It’s really the only thing I’d ever consider having put on me as a tattoo. That or the Triforce!

The Egyptian Eye of Horus (the all seeing eye) is a mesmerizing symbol that is all over my home. It reminds me how sophisticated the Egyptians were for their time and the mystery surrounding their culture.

It’s inriguing to recognize the parallelism that still exists centuries later between ancient and present day symbols, philosophies, and fears. One modern day corresponding symbol is the third eye (chakra responsible for visions, intuition, and clairvoyence).

MY favorite symbol are those tiny little plastic monkeys that come in fancy drinks at Asian restaurants. They were always in obnoxious colors and my little brother and I would entertain ourselves the entire meal by sticking them in our parents food our on their straws.

I like little red lions; the creatures are furry, fierce, cute, and growl. In that coloration they match up to my mane besides their innate correspondence to my demeanor. To top it all off, in my native tongue, uttering the presence of a leon rojo kind of sounds like you’re calling out my name.

for me a constant symbol that i keep is the cross. I am fascinated with how it has evolved from one religion to another and from being a simple wooden cross to having more ornate versions and interpretations. At the end of the day it is faith that is the substance of this symbol and the power that it wields becomes even clearer when we acknowledge what it means and the value of what has been sacrificed.

I love coffee mugs! Especially when they’ve got steam coming out. It just makes me think of busy days and long nights.

The box. When learning to draw I started with the box, and since then I still use a box to start a design. It can be molded, cut away, and yet some of the simplest designs are boxes. The box can also be a home, and a car; there are infinite possibilities.

I love the image of an egg. To me, it symbolizes birth, life, nourishment, nature…all good things.

Rubik’s Cube - Beautiful item, tactile (try to walk past one without giving it a twist!!!) Iconic 80s design. A masterclass in understated genius. The endgoal is so clear from the moment you pick it up.

I love the swallow. I’ve loved them forever and they remind me of my lake home in western New York because I always see them near the pier. I did a search for any meaning of the symbol when I was considering it as a tattoo not long ago and read that it was a symbol of retuning home for sailors because it is the first bird they would see when nearing land. This has inspired me to go on my own adventure. After I graduate, a crew of friends and I plan to sail to Iceland, get one swallow tattoo there, sail home and get the second upon returning.

I loves me a good speech bubble. ‘Cause anything could go in there. Anything.

my favourite icon has to be “the smily face”. no matter if it is on your phone, on a signage or on the internet or if it is an expression on your face.

it is an universal sign, no language barrier, no races discrimination, no prejudges, no age or sex differences. It conveys so much, yet so little. It is so easy to do, yet it does so much to others. It is one of the greatest asset we have as human.

I’m going to have to be a bit cliche and say a ballpoint pen. It’s fast become my preferred drawing medium. I also write a lot so sometimes I jot down ideas. Ironically, my pens hardly ever work, so I’m constantly asking for pens.

Music clefs. My life revolves around music, everything I do is inspired by a song. So much so, in fact, that I’ve incorporated a treble and bass clef into my signature. I’m glad that I have a name that allows me to do that.

Maraschino Cherries

Mine is the arrow.
Useful for indicating direction (in both the grand and the direct senses), movement, transformation, pointing out details and even blinding trolls.

I’ve always loved the Phoenix. Not only am I FROM Phoenix Arizona, the bird was always my favorite mystical animal growing up. How it represents immortality and life-after-death was something that I found fascinating!

Foxes. Because since I’m living in London the rainy weather really gets me down, but sometimes
suddenly a little fox pops out and runs through the streets, and that makes me happy :)

its the whole idea of “infinity” that really gets me so my favourite symbol would be

∞

hello from singapore!

I’d have to say hearts with wings, the heart because it’s the core of human existence both symbolically and anatomically, the added wings because we spend our existence wanting to take flight in life.

the spiral is my favorite symbol - i doodle them constantly and find them very soothing.

My favourite symbol is the Ouroboros — the serpent that eats itself. It represents the cyclical nature of life and the concept of eternity.

My favourite symbol is the ★!

A View Finder, you know the little red toys. That can count as an icon right? I think it’s an icon of the 80s. It was the greatest toy - I thought. With one click you could go around the world. And I was always amazed at all the things I could see in the view finder. Loved it! That would make a great little necklace!

my favourite symbol/icon/etc. is a cello because it’s what i play as a musician, first and foremost, but also because the tonal range of a cello is closest to the human vocal range. there’s something so personal and touching about that. for example, man ray’s photograph of the bare-backed woman with the two cello scroll “tattoos” - beauty is found in the way that she is not facing us, that she is silent, but also that she is revealing to us more than just her back. her body is represented as a cello, and a cello represents her story.

Butterflies and barcodes. The first - because they’re beautiful and I’ve loved butterflies ever since I was a child; the second - because they represent our consumerist society and I actually like living like this.

Just simple circle. In meaning of God. For me this symbol has great power in its simplicity and blessed innocence. One of my favorite classic quotes is “God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere.” So just the circle with you & you are not alone)
AZ

Just simple circle. In meaning of God. For me this symbol has great power in its simplicity and blessed innocence. One of my favorite classic quotes is “God is a circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere.” So just the circle with you & you are not alone)
AZ

A thin black horizon, sunset on the west, railroad tracks on the right. I got this image tattooed on my ankle the day before I left for my gap year: 4 months taking classes in Holland (where I am right now), a month traveling New Zealand, and 3 months volunteering in Latin America. This symbol makes me think not only of trains (which I’ve felt a deep connection to after a childhood of riding the T in Boston) but of the freedom and independence that come with traveling. I got it on my ankle to remind myself to keep on exploring. There is a darker side to the symbol, though: I think of the horizon as the thin line between goodbye and hello, for I always seem to be saying farewell to those I love, and the sun going down reminds me of the brevity of each day and of life itself.

Clouds.

On any day, look up. You can see them resting comfortably against their background of blue, nestled above us stolid and mute.

Clouds shift, transform, grow larger, shrink away. But even when they silently shuffle across the sky, like a silent herd retreating; even when the sun burns through them until they are completely gone — I know I will see them again. Tomorrow. The next day.

I like to think about their forms. They shift and change but remain always a cloud. I’d like to think that maybe I can have that ability too.

Can we transform ourselves, expand, retract, drift and come back again? I like to imagine that it’s possible to reach for things, that it is okay to change, and that throughout it all, the core of who we are remains the same.

A cloud will always be a cloud. And I am, simply, myself.

This could be considered TMI, but I’ve got to be honest: the maggot charms strike a personal chord with me. I recently had quite an intimate experience with the little guys. The story is on my blog: http://orhiginal.blogspot.com/2009/08/wow.html

in general.. one of my favorite symbols are birds.
the first part of my korean name translates into the word ‘bird.’
my mom said that no matter where i go in this world or ‘fly off to’.. as long as im happy, thats all she could ever ask for :)

I probably have a lot of symbols that I love…. but that silver cocktail sword does make my heart smile. I was on colorguard in high school and I spun a silver saber. We were highly competitive (top in the country) and worked our bums off at such a young age. Swords remind me of that time, and that if I could make it through some of the stuff I did when I was just a kid, surely I can do anything now. I do love the soft and sentimental symbols out there, mushy-kid that I am, but think that a reminder that you’ve got to fight for what you want and for yourself is important, too. :)

The four-leaf clover. It reminds me of the many summer days I spent sprawled out on my parents’ lawn, looking for four-leaf clovers. I found 4 in one day. I have quite a collection now…all from my parents’ front lawn and perfect gifts for graduations, new stages in life, or just because.

My favorite symbol is the INFINITY LOOP.

The concept of infinity is humbling, calming, and powerful to me.

When I’m feeling anxious I trace the infinity symbol with my finger in the air. I take a deep breath into my lungs as I think of the idea of an infinite universe, and then slowly breathe out all my troubles that then seem so trivial.

The infinity loop brings me peace.

That cocktail sword necklace is hot! That is such a great idea for a necklace, so I really hope I win it. I have a few favorite symbols or icons. I’ll just give you the first two that come to mind. Ever since I was little I liked the skeleton key. Every time I see one, I just get this feeling of attachment. I’m very old-fashioned person. I just feel like there’s a mystery waiting for me. I kinda collect them. One I have is from an old slave’s house on this plantation in Louisiana. They are just so beautiful. They make me feel like a part of someones past, someone from a long, long time ago. I also like spider webs. How they are so geometric, almost like a work of art.

My favourie symbol is the sky, partially because of Magrite’s work, and the way he utilizes it in so many mind blowing ways…but also because of my own memories and feelings. It can be so vast and different, almost capable of expressing emotion, and I love looking at a cloudy blue sky as much as the gray-white one in the winter. You can gather all sorts of memories from any particular day you looked up at the sky and remembered or felt something. I can find a connection in it, with nature, with the people in planes above me, and with the stars. It’s pure beauty, no matter what the form.

Last summer I fell in love with the owl .. I bought 2 necklaces from Greece each with some funny owls .. and for me now the owl became the symbol of beautiful and sunny summers .. holidays and seaside .. and I wear those necklaces as a reminder of those serene days I spent in Greece..

The pen - a reminder to be creative and approach problems indirectly (unlike head-on with the sword). Be clever; look at your situation and figure out a way to reach your goal with the means at your disposal. Don’t give up.

X. it marks the spot/slashes it out. A bit of positive/A bit of negative.

When I start to miss home (Louisiana) a bit, I also start to look for my fleur-de-lis necklace. Besides being a symbol of royalty and the French monarchs, for me, they just mean home. I even chose my apartment building 2000 miles away based on the fact that the entrance is covered in fleur-de-lis tiles.

My favorite symbol would have to be… as cliche as it is… the maple leaf. As a Canadian, it’s always been there for me, and as lame as it might sound to all the stars-and-stripe-ers reading this… I love it.
And I’m sure my GF would love such a lux necklace.

;)
-a.

Antlers. They remind me of my favorite fairy tale, The Snow Queen, by H.C. Andersen. They also remind me of the magic of childhood - the type of magic that makes talking to reindeer possible. The type of magic that exists if we look for it.

my favorite symbol is a key - to me it symbolizes strength, interdependence and resolution

The Jack Daniels bottle. It’s classic, it’s tacky, it’s beautiful and it’s what I keep my water in.

The rabbit foot. When I lived in England, one of our teachers instilled this in us: When you wake up on the first of each month, your first words should be “Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit”…for good luck all month. I never forgot that.

The bee! Bee images remind me of all the hilarious times I had in college (it was our mascot). Seeing one never fails to make me smile and gives me a boost of confidence. It reminds me that even when things are not so great I’ll always be a Queen Bee!

Outer space and it’s supposed unknown history really resonates with me, it seems to be the most prominent symbol of our lives and existence, the infinite amounts of possibility and diversity within our universe is so beautiful and exciting.

I have a smiley face that I draw on things all the time - in my notebooks, on my hand, on my friends’ hands, whatever. It’s my little reminder to “Just Keep Smiling” and that “Smiling is Good For You Health.” Love it. It’s so carefree and happy.

The Ace of Spades. It reminds me of Alice in Wonderland and, thus, of imagination and creativity, which are essential to me. It also ties into the world of Kings and Queens of card games and chess and my idea that humans are simultaneously kings and pawns in the world; creators and slaves to their culture.

My favorite symbol is the number 8 or the infinity symbol. It has become quite an obsession of mine. I find the number in everyday things, adding up my birthday, the time I was born, the letter my last name begins with is the 8th letter in the alphabet. It becomes a fun game to find the symbol in my day, and others begin to notice it too! It is a reminder to keep going, the idea of infinity, never ending. So on 08-08-08 I got my Infinity/ #8 tattooed in white ink on my wrist.

My fav symbol is the eye in the pyramid aka eye of horus. For me it means that there is a place in all of us that can be above petty messes.

ooo. in relation to my last post about the envelope/stamp, i think just the mailbox in general is a significant icon for that same reason.

my favorite icon/symbol would be an envelope/and or stamp. these days getting snail mail is rare but very meaningful, and the art of hand writing a letter should never go away.

For me, I think my favorite icons are horse chestnuts, which grow on a tree in my front yard. I never see the horse chestnuts while they are on the tree, but occasionally, one falls to the ground, and I pick it up and take it inside with me. The more the chestnuts age, the more flawed and beautiful they become. The chestnut’s texture, contoured shape, and flaws are all very appealing to me, and are a constant reminder that things don’t have to be perfect to be beautiful.

I think my personal symbol would be the letter V. It stands for so much, much more than my own name, and starts off some of the most negatively connotative words in the English Language. It’s just a mysterious letter that kind of represents my personality: most of the time very negative and maybe once in a while, positive (victory). IDK if that makes any sense at all. haha.

My favorite symbol is an arrow. Years ago I walked “the Ancient Way” in Spain and arrows on signs or painted on trees would tell you witch way to follow. That walk changed my life. Since then, I love arrows.

:)

My favorite would have to be a smiley face. Similar to the :D emoticon, my friends would draw it one everything. I especially remember in class we would draw it on the middle finger and spread the other fingers like legs, and pretend it was a happy little dinosaur. Good times.

It’s a feather…light weight & it “tickles”. Reminds me a little about one’s attitude towards life. Take it lightly, remember those simple pleasures that “tickles”, have a good laugh. A feather that goes with the flow in the wind…in a state of motion, not knowing the next city the wind will carry it to…life is full of surprises

i would have to say my dog paw prints on the sand. that’s all i need to remind myself that there’s love on every step we take to happiness.

I’ve always been a big fan of the exclamation mark. It can warn, show how excited someone is, or just get someone’s attention. So powerful and yet such a small symbol. Runner up would be the question mark. It can make some situations really funny, but that’s a story for another time.

I changed my mind, because I now remember what really invokes a honest feeling.

20th Century Fox Studio openings.

the lights and the music, probably mostly the music. anytime I hear those horns blow, I completely get a fuzzy kid feeling. It throws me back into watching movies at home with my parents growing up and brings a jolt of anticipation. I once told my mom, “I really love this, the fox studio music,” and she had said it was her favorite too when my grandfather used to take her to American movies in the Philippines growing up.

I would have to say an lp. All good things that have happened in my life have been based around music in one way or another.

The dandelion is one of my favorite symbols.

It gives me such a soothing nostalgic feeling, remembering when I was a kid and I loved to pick them and slowly blow the seeds and watch them get picked up by the summer wind and hopefully spread more for me to find in a few months.

I’ve been thinking of getting a tattoo of one, with the seeds swirling upwards around my waist! I haven’t settled on it yet, though.

the gnome…
No matter how kitchy it is, I’ll always take a second look if I see the “form” of a gnome. It reminds me of when I was a kid and would REALLY REALLY look hard to find a leprechaun or “David the Gnome” and truly think that I could one day. They just make happy, no matter what.

I would love to win this necklace. My favorite icon/symbol would have to be the ELVIS icon TCB,
elvis was so adorable.

O.o
Adds a little funniness to the sentence and always makes the receiver laugh (inside or out)
A far away friend first sent it to me and I think of her everytime I use it!

Enjoy!
Kirsten

Irish hex: I love it so much it was my first tattoo. It’s good luck! Also was on a necklace that belonged to my great-grandmother, and was a decoration on the outside of my grandmother’s house. It’s sort of been adopted as a family emblem.

Hi there,

For me the it’s the Mobius Strip, it represents continuation, industry and infinity in more ways than one.

My favorite symbol is probably the Gear. It represents so much of humanity as both an advancement in technology, but also the idea that everything comes around. The roundness of it displays the truth that life is cyclical and no advancement will last forever. Alas, it’s ironic that such a symbol should also depict the progress of man’s prowess over the world of machines and industry.

My favorite symbol would have to be a cat, because they represent serenity, strength, and independence. All things i will have to have as i’m about to graduate college!

I would have to say is my daughters first handprint we got from the hospital when she was born. There’s really no real words to describe the way I feel when I see it, she is quite the joy in my life - and quite the jokester - even though she’s just turning 2 this December

I love the dove it means peace

Favorite symbol: the hat in Monopoly.
I used to play that game all the time when I was little, and I would only ever be the hat. Plus hats are my favorite accessory.

My favourite symbol is possibly the little tin rocket! It’s the one I always doodle, whenever I get a new pen I test it out - the Lamy Safari fountain is brilliant. The little tin rocket, zooming off somewhere dangerous and far away.

The Rainbow, what else? Because rainbows are so gay. Yay for the gay! Yay

I have a love of the maiden-mother-crone symbol. It’s lined up as being my next tattoo because it represents the three stations of life for women in such a small space, plus it is gorgeous.

angel wings! on t-shirts, tats… such a tender, optimistic symbol. whether it means that an angel is watching over you, or that anyone can be an angel to someone else. cheesy, i know. but it just makes me smile every time.

oooh favorite symbol, that’s hard but i think my favorite is what we know as the sign of peace - your pointer and middle finger extended in a v. i love this symbol because of it’s versatility. if you’re having a great day and in love with those around you it connotes partnership, friendship, shared experience. on the other hand if someone disrespects or makes you angry flip it around and you have the symbol for ‘bugger off’. simple, versatile, and always with you…that’s a great symbol!

The altoid tin, because it’s something I’ve carried with me for the past 10 years in order to have something curiously strong on me at all times.

Wow this is fun. Jean you are always finding ways to make me smile ! I would have to say that the little vamps are probaly my fave when it comes to Bittersweets they have alot of amazing jewlery, but for some reason the vamps are intriguing and it reminds me so much of halloween and how I used to flaunt the plastic fangs!It has symbolism with rebellion in my mind which is in everyone to some degree.

I love the array of necklaces in the first pic!

ericka in houston

I froth on the prism as an icon, first started enjoying it after I had an amazing pink floyd experience whilst listening to dark side of the moon…

My favorite symbols are the style of my aunt’s handwriting. We’ve become pen pals in the past year or so and as soon as I see a letter from her (and my uncle, but she always writes) I know it’ll be something positive and sweet. It usually ends with her telling me what an amazing person I am and how lucky they are that I write them letters. I always look forward to getting those notes and anxiously wait until I get the next one.

I love the feather. Delicate but strong. Pretty but useful.

Keys! Everyone always has them around, they’re necessary for day to day activity. Also the idea of “unlocking” in a more than physical sense is kind of awesome. Plus i like that a key part of something more than itself, so it has a ‘partner” in the lock which is easily lost forever to it…ok that was getting a bit poetic.
anyways, that lost key needs a friend, so i like having them around for that too.

funnily enough, it is birds! i just love their silhouettes, anatomy and eyes - owls, sparrows, chicklets, ravens… they are my doodle subjects of choice. oddly enough, when i absentmindedly doodle in meetings for example, they tend to take on the characteristics of the person sitting in front of me. to this day, i hope a former client of mine never recognised herself in the plump, googley-eyed chicken with feathery tufts on its head that ended up on my notepad…

My favorite symbol is probably a knot. It means a few different things to me, depending on the situation. Worn around my finger, it’s a reminder — either to do something, or of someone special. A knot around a package is a gift, to give or received. It’s a changing symbol, and a fairly straightforward one as well.

I like snails! Fragile creatures with an elegant form - and a reminder that the Fibonacci sequence is everywhere in nature.

I love the copper acorn necklace I have. It reminds me of the seasons and how life moves on no matter what is happening.

My favorite symbol is a mobius strip. To me it signifies infinity and the future!

Probably the Major League Baseball logo, or barring that, just a simple clip art of a baseball diamond. Sometimes I feel weird being 22 and getting sentimental about things, but from ages…9-14 I played little league for the city I live in, and looking back they’re probably my happiest memories. My last few years were terrific. I was on a team that was great together, the finals were intense and probably the best games we ever played, and it was the first time I had that feeling of accomplishment. We had earned it and it felt good. So looking at a batter getting ready for a hit, or a simple drawing of the field itself brings that all back.

This (http://i38.tinypic.com/in7cdi.jpg) is another great picture that brings the same feelings, but its a little too detailed to count as my entry ;).

Pigs. My older sister calls me “piggy” and always buys me piggy peraphenalia because she claims I’m fat and lazy like one. But in a loving and endearing way of course.

maybe it’s the asian in me, but i love little fortune cookie charms. they’re whimsical and fun, and i can carry a little good luck with me wherever i go.

The apple tree; from Adam to Newton, it’s been tied to the human narrative. It represents wisdom, growth, nature, science and religion all in one.

my favorite symbol… hm, it’d have to be a potato. do you remember the books sideways stories from wayside school, by louis sachar? there was a boy in one of the stories whose father allowed him to get one tattoo, anywhere on his body. and all the boy’s friends were so excited, giving him ideas as to where to get the tattoo and what tatto to get. the next day, the boy comes to school, and the class asked him, “WHERE’S THE TATTOO?” and the boy lifts up his pants, showing his ankle: VOILA, A POTATO TATTOO!

I love the Lucky Charms cereal marshmallows. The balloon, heart, star, horseshoe, four leaf clover and moon remind me of my childhood picking out the marshmallows leaving only the dry, boring cereal for the next victim to find.

cupcake! i love cupcakes and their tiny little cups of joy. i remember as a kid being so excited when it was someone birthday at school and we all got cupcakes. i just recently got a mini cupcake tattoo to remind me of the pure joy of cupcakes!

My favorite symbol is an anchor. To me it show stability because you’re confident enough to anchor yourself in something. It shows me I always have a place to return to because the anchor keeps you grounded. You can have many anchors keeping you to many different places.

The equilibrium symbol [http://tinyurl.com/npdsnf]. My boyfriend and I each got one side of the symbol tattooed on our forearm so when we hold hands they come together to complete the symbol. It shows how we complete each other, keeping each other in balance with ourselves and the world around us :]

My favourite symbol is, quite simply, the heart. Preferably in neat black lines that eventually trail off in separate directions, symbolizing everlasting potential for growth, and with the inner space empty, symbolizing that my life will never be finished filling up with loved ones.

This heart reminds me of my earliest days as a student, scribbling in the margins of my notepads. It reminds me of my first date, and his telephone number scrawled in his hand with a heart drawn around it. It reminds me of the darkest night of my life, because it was void of any of the pleasure and kindness in the heart and it was finally defeated by those qualities in all my fine supporters.

The silver cocktail sword is killer. It reminds me of the jello cube cups with the sword in it that you would get at restaurants. Ahhh, childhood memories sugary sweet.

The dove- because it means peace

my favourite symbol is the BMW. it means to me, a long history of hard work, pride and engineering style.

A few years back I was helping my younger brother on a school assignment to lear about your family history. I remembered my grandfather getting our coat of arms for his birthday ~10 years earlier, but it wasn’t till this time I studied it further, and learned something about what it meant.. Turns out my family can be tracked back quite far, and that many family members have achieved some pretty cool stuff.. Unfortunately I don’t know a lot about my fathers side of the family, and since we rarely talk, I’ve never gotten to know much more than the basics.. My coat of arms reminds me how important my family is, it reminds me of my goals in life, and last but not least, it reminds me to learn about the parts of my family that I’ve never really gotten to know..

Bittersweets has a lovely silver dagger charm, too, it reminded me of an old Joan Baez song of that name, always makes me think of courage in difficult times, I do not know why that is but I am strangely drawn to the small daggers and find the cocktail sword to be a droll comment.

I love the cocktail sword! When we were kids and our parents would take us to restaurants, my brother and I would order Roy Rogers drinks just to get the swords that the cherries came on. We’d take them home and use them for our Star Wars and GI Joe figures. We would usually break off the round piece on the side of the handle though. So many memories of childhood and family come to mind when I see these now, I love that someone else remembers them enough to make jewelry out of them.

I have this small dried up bit of leaf that’s getting crispier each day that I have had for 6 months. It reminds me of the old way my friends used to be, and how much I cherished my old friendships that meant more than normal acquaintances. Every time I see withered plants, I guess it’s symbolic in it’s way, I think of how strong and great a friendship can be, and how it sooner or later, can wither and basically die.

So take the most out of friendship! Enjoy every friendship made, and make the least enemies possible! Haha :)

The phoenix. Kind of cliché, but this image brought me a lot of hope and strength during a difficult few years in my life. I was very ill, and had to move across the country alone to San Francisco for medical treatment. I spent a great deal of time writing in a little green cloth-covered journal I found in Chinatown, with phoenixes embroidered on the outside. I imagined rising from the ashes of what felt like a hopeless situation, overcoming the odds, and soaring off to begin a much happier chapter. Sometime during all this, I discovered the phoenix is also the symbol of the city of San Francisco, and I felt this sense of..hopefulness, like I had come to the Right Place, like the city and I were simpatico.

Worked out pretty well. :)

I looked at the two half hearts and immediately thought of my lost best friend. I moved away and we wrote to each other, constantly promising to share our lives on paper, on email, on lost postcards and more. Today too, we pretend to act like we are best friends, in denial that the distances have grown far and wide.

I had to think- the doodle that I always draw on things is a scrawly little heart. Its not pretty, and its not perfectly shaped, but I think that it represents more hope than even I’m willing to admit that I carry around with me. so I guess that’s my favorite!

i am completely in love with/obsessed with the oak tree and acorn to the point that i have a tattoo of one an oak with it’s root structure stretching from the bottom of my breast down over my ribcage and just past my hipbone. it evokes for me ideas of strength and stability - dependable and provoking confidence. i try to seek out people like oak trees in life and i work on becoming more oakened myself every day.

I love the little umbrellas u put in the top of the cocktail drinks everytime I see one I get all exited and feel Im at the beach even if Im in london in january

Probably the flying toaster. I just remember how wild and mesmerizing After Dark was as a kid. There was little better than setting up a new wicked screen saver on a Windows 3.1 machine. The ultimate in customization! That and setting the background to royal blue herringbone…even as a kid I had something for classic patterns, I guess.