Whether you are getting your first tattoo or already have half your
body covered with tattoos I am sure you will find some valuable
information here. As a tattoo addict and someone who spends most of his
waking hours coming up with tattoo ideas I would like to share some of
what I have learnt over the years.
I have spent a great deal of
time amongst tattoo artists in tattoo studios around the world and have
encountered a wide variety of different people coming through the doors
of the tattoo studio to permanently mark their bodies. Many times I
have questioned why it is so many people go under the gun to get inked.
People
get tattoos for lots of different reasons. Some people simply because
they love them and think they look good or enhance their appearance,
others to be a part of a 'tribe' or group, while others to mark a
significant event in their lives such as a bereavement or to express
love for another person. You could say that there are as many reasons
for getting tattooed as there are human experiences. Because of the
uniqueness of each persons life journey no two reasons are ever the
same. In these situations the person wanting a tattoo has
probably put a great deal of thought into the tattoo and perhaps the
tattoo itself will have some kind of psychological meaning; for example
when someone gets a portrait tattoo of a loved one who has recently
died that psychologically they want to keep close to them for the rest
of their lives. Or maybe a person has been jilted by a spurned lover
and wants a tattoo of a broken heart or caged bird to signify their
loss. Human beings have being modifying their bodies with ink and
steel for many thousands of years. Many people see tattoos and body
modification as a spiritual practice. Before the advent of modern pain
management, pain was seen as a natural part of life carrying a variety
of spiritual and social meanings. But as time rolled on we began to
deny the very existence of anything beyond our physical bodies.
As
a result many people without tattoos cannot see past the image etched
onto the persons body to the deeper meaning or symbolism behind the
tattoo. It can often cause a wide variety of reactions in the
'uninitiated' from mild curiosity to extreme disturbance resulting in
fear and mistrust of the person. Tattoos by their very nature cause a
reaction especially on those who do not have them.
This begs the
question on why anyone would want to get a tattoo without considering
the wider implications and deeper meaning behind the tattoo. So many
people wander into a tattoo studio and have no idea why they want to
get a tattoo other than seeing their favorite rap artist or basketball
player and thinking it looked cool. So they waste the tattoo artists
time by saying they want a Nike swoosh on their butt or a tattoo the
size of a button on their back. Many tattoo artists will just put up and shut up because they see this as 'bread and butter' work.
The
implications of this are two-fold. Firstly the person is left with a
really 'dumb' tattoo that most likely will be regretted at some stage
in their life. This can lead to many years of regret perhaps leading
the person to be forced to cover up their bodies as a result. Or it can
result in many hours of painful tattoo removal costing ten times as
much as the original tattoo.
Secondly getting a tattoo without
due consideration can often lead to a badly placed tattoo or badly
thought out tattoo design. The results of this are obvious but this is
the number one reason why people get tattoo removal in worst case
scenarios or tattoo cover-ups. Some tattoo artists are becoming
renowned for their cover-up work as they are for their actual artistic
skill. Yet people do not realize the placement of a small unambiguous
tattoo may have later on if they want to get another tattoo or the
social restrictions it may bring.
Finally before getting tattooed
(either for the first time or the twentieth!) is important to deeply
consider the design as well as the placement of the tattoo and how it
may interact with other tattoos further down the track. Many people
have gotten tribal armbands (when they were cool!) and later decided
that tribal tattoos carry no meaning to them and that traditional style
tattoos or Celtic tattoos may have been more suitable. I myself have
been guilty of this and as a result had a poorly thought out tattoo
covered up. Don't make the same mistake!...
Looking for Tattoos? 100's of Unique Tattoo Designs HERE
Copyright Declan O'Reilly 2006
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