Collecting Ink instead of Antiques
To me tattoos are no different from works of art on a wall, I carry my artwork with me on my skin. I look at my body as a blank canvas that I'm filling up with pieces or art that represent the small facets of my personality. I may not have many tattoos, yet, and the ones I do have are fairly visible. This means I get asked the inevitable questions from people who don’t have any.
Nowadays I reply with my own questions — yes they mean something but why does it matter to you? And do you think having a needle dragged across your skin wouldn't hurt? I don’t mean to sound harsh but yes it is going to hurt. There’s no getting away from it but the degree of said pain depends on how you deal with pain in general, and some areas of the body hurt more than others.
Be prepared to sound fairly pretentious when you start explaining them to people though. Not that tattoos shouldn't have meaning. Half of mine have a specific meaning but I've also found that they've all gathered others meanings as well over time. For me, my tattoos are my expression of creativity and my personality. I've always seen myself in the end being covered in them, collecting ink instead of antiques.
Tattoos are slowly becoming more mainstream in our culture, and perhaps this is leading some people to be more reckless with what they put on their body. Tattoos are for life not for a holiday. Yes they can be removed but that process is more painful and time consuming, and the ink may never be completely gone.
Just as crucial as what you get put on your skin is the artist you choose to wield the needle. I've had three different artists work on me, now I've settled in one place though I'm loyal to the most recent. Arienette (Ari) over at Boss Black (Bournemouth) is now my go to girl for my new ink. The main reason is I trust her, the first piece she did for me was my biggest to date and hurt like a bitch. Ari is all about the small details and making it look pretty, her style suits me to a tee.
Trusting the person whose inking you is important, as well as feeling comfortable in the shop where they work. I've always chosen places that make me feel at ease. There are dozens of tattoo parlours popping up like mushrooms but not all of them scream professional and some can seem down-right intimidating.
And speaking of professionalism, everyone has their own opinion on tattoos, but not everyone who has tattoos is unprofessional. I know I've been turned down for jobs because of my ink and it’s not fair. Especially when it comes to work, if someone can do the job then hire them why does it matter if they’re covered in ink? I understand if someone has a tattoo that is offensive then fair play but most of us don’t. You may as well tell me you don’t like because I'm ginger.
I wouldn't encourage or discourage people from getting inked, if you want it then no one is going to stop you. Certainly no one is going to stop me. But I would say think before you ink. Make sure you can live with what’s on your skin forever and if you have any doubts then don’t do it.
Personally, as you can probably tell, I love tattoos always have always will. And by the time I die, much to my mother’s displeasure, I will most likely be covered by my ink collection ad be proud of it.
