Butterflies Symbolism of Transformation
Butterflies aren’t something I usually draw. They’ve always felt a bit too clean for me—too perfect, maybe. I never really connected with them the way people usually do.
But every now and then, someone comes in with a butterfly idea, and I try to see it differently. Not as something delicate or symmetrical, but as something raw. A little messy. A little off.
And the more I sit with it, the more I get it. Butterflies carry a lot of meaning. They’re about transformation—about becoming. That shift from caterpillar to butterfly has weight. It marks change, growth, sometimes healing. A new chapter. I’ve tattooed them for people who’ve gone through loss. Others after finding freedom.
There’s also something in them that speaks to independence. This small thing that moves through the world freely, quietly, without asking for permission. I think a lot of us are drawn to that—even if we don’t say it out loud.
I’ve done a few butterfly tattoos over the years. Never the typical version. They’re always a little crooked, a little off-balance. But still honest. Still full of meaning. Maybe that’s the version I understand. The one that isn’t trying to be perfect—just real.
Jorge