molly.com
Wednesday 6 April 2005
The Best Tattoo Ever
I HAVE NO TATTOOS, despite having flirted with them for over 25 years. I guess I’m a little non-committal, but I do appreciate great art. And maybe soon I’ll get a tattoo.
You got some tats? Please post your pics and share!
I honestly may never do it. But if I were to get a tattoo, I’d want it to be tribal yet portray a unique expression of love.
Got a design? A spot I should put it? Where are your tats?
Should I have a tattoo at all? If I do, where should it go and what should it be? Where are yours? How do you feel about them?
Filed under: blogging, faith(less)
Posted by: Molly | 20:57 | Comments (33)
http://thedarkcyde.net/gallery/thumbnails.php?album=23
got a few of my first (unfinished) one on the gallery.
I am totally addicted to them now. I do plan on getting many more in the near future.
good luck.
Molly, I can only imagine you getting something along these lines:
http://www.djp3.net/codexperductum/archives/htmltatt.jpg
I’ve got these 2 on my shoulder. The turquoise one was done in Dublin (oct04) and the purple one was done in Austin this year after SXSW.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elly/7609791/
I find they’re linked to the places where they were done, so they become reminders of events & places rather than events themselves.
I really like this group on flickr. Its a collection of text tattoos. Very interesting.
i think that the tattoo is not good and not healthy ..
so that i didnt ever think that i will have one …
and as i know its hard to be erased ..
It seems like a cliche these days but a few years back I got a Japanese kanji character tattooed on my shoulder blade. I made sure I did my research on it, after hearing countless stories of people getting tattoos of characters that didn’t quite translate to something as cool as originally intended.
Mine is the character used in Japanese newspapers to represent “Australia”, which is fitting as I am an Aussie. It also means “strength” in Japanese, as well as “pride” in Chinese. So I figured it was a cool triple meaning as well as being patriotic. Plus I spent so many years of my life studying kanji when I was studying Japanese that it felt like a fitting mark to put on my body.
Good luck in deciding what to get!
This may amuse you.
I’m in my late 40s. My two daughters threatened to get tattoos all through their teens but deferred to parental guidance until they each reached 19. Both their boyfriends (now husbands) also got tattooed and the group became very freindly with the tattooist.
Over a restaurant dinner (and several bottles of wine) one evening, I, my wife, her brother and his wife all decided to get tattoos but to keep them secret from “the kids” until some event when we would all reveal them. We enlisted the secrecy of their friendly tattooist and went ahead with the deed.
A few months later we had a family break away from home in a rented cottage, where all 8 of us were enjoying a meal (and more wine – common theme that!).
My wife “accidentally” uncovered her shoulder to reveal her tattoo. All the kids’ jaws dropped at once. There was some smart mouthing about how ‘realistic’ it looked, but eventually they acknowledged it was real. Just as they were getting over the shock, I revealed mine, throwing them into disbelief again – they always knew I avoided any form of pain at all times. Minutes later two more tattoos were revealed, making a full set of smug ‘oldies’ and a full set of shocked ‘kids’ (although they’re all mid 20s now they’re still ‘the kids’).
Its common for kids to get tattoos just to shock their parents, but it was so much fun getting tattoed to shock the kids! It wasn’t *just* to shock the kids. I like having it, and telling the story adds to the pleasure of it.
Please don’t mutilate yourself with a tattoo. To my opinion it shows a low self respect.
Grretings,
Jan
I have a habit of getting a tattoo whenever I visit a foreign country. This started as a good way to use the last half-day in a particular location (when you don’t want to buy more stuff, because you’re already packed, etc) but now I’m working towards a bigger design and so aim to get one everywhere I go. You’ve probably already seen them, but some photos are up on Flickr: http://flickr.com/photos/meriwilliams/tags/mytattoos/
So far I’ve got mine on my right shoulder (incidentally, they arrived in the order: symbol, panther, wolf, lizards, eagle, mountain lion), but eventually I’ll work my way up to incorporating them all into one big fluid design across my shoulders and back, something like a guy we know: http://flickr.com/photos/meriwilliams/tags/ron/
If you’re going for a more minimal approach though, then my advice would be:
a) know your limits – understand your pain threshold and choose a location accordingly*
b) pick something that is meaningful to you
c) be prepared for the fact that it’s very addictive!
d) pick a really good artist – obviously somewhere clean & professional is important, but so is their taking pride in their work. If you can wait until next year we’re going to be running a food, guns & ink tour of Austin for selected friends
* When I got my first tattoo, the woman before me was getting little cat pawprints done on her feet, as her first tattoo. Unfortunately she couldn’t stand the pain and is probably still walking around with half a catprint on her foot.
James: that guy is going to seriously regret getting a tables-based tattoo when he migrates to a proper page structure
I’ve got Max doing the Wild Rumpus from “Where the Wild Things Are”, which is the best kids’ book ever: http://brucelawson.co.uk/images/bl13.jpg , http://brucelawson.co.uk/images/bl13.jpg
Yanks always recognise it immediately; Brits always say “Is that something from Alice In Wonderland?”
I agree with Jan.
Ghastly.
When my divorce is final I’m getting a Celtic knot on my thigh or my ankle.
Mine is a single-color outline of a frog on the side of my lower back. I’ve collected frogs since I did a report on them in first grade. The design was on a Christmas ornament my mom gave me. When I saw it, I told her I was going to get it as a tattoo. She thought I was joking.
It is so small, the tattoo artist asked, “Is that all? The minimum is $50.”
To me, it’s this very personal mark or symbol of something like my animal guardian… if I believed in something like that…. one of those small things that just makes me happy.
Hey Molly, I love Tribals and this ( http://www.azande.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/images/Tattoo1.png ) is mine!
Not keen on Tribals. Theyre nice but so over-done.
http://www.bmezine.com is a great site for ideas.
Also stop into the parlour, look in their books for one you like and usually the inker’ll modify it for you on how you want it.
I don’t have one and never will … personal beleifs and the fact that I can’t even stay happy with desktop wallpaper for more than a month deal to that.
But I know many people who have them, many who regret having them.
The best piece of advice I have had on them is this … ” get the design on a piece of paper and stick it on the wall, somewhere you will see it everyday, if you still like it in 2 months time then you pretty much know its a design that your not going to tire of…”
That and don’t use names!
I have two tats but I cannot recommend how I got them — they mark radiation boundaries. I have thought of having the small, uninteresting circles modified to something more interesting….
I flirted with them for a long time too, and finally screwed up the courage last year when my leg was numb from sciatica. Wow, it was really thrilling. An endorphin high. And of course I have been planning the next one for a year, trying to come up with another Egyptioan piece that has as much meaning as the cat goddess.
Do it!
PS I;m reading your book on Movable Type. Very clear and helpful.
Cheers
http://homepage.mac.com/tracyy/PhotoAlbum1.html
I have a tattoo of myself covering my entire body. Over that, I’ve added a seahorse, Celtic armband, satyr and Haitian Loa.
Fuel to the fire:
http://geo.trippy.org/index.php?p=63
I am getting a tattoo in a week. I really wanna get something on my lower back. But the problem is Im so afaird of how much its gonna hurt. Anyone got any suggestions on how to overcome my fear or could any tell me if it hurts more getting it on my lower back?
I have also been going back and fourth on a tattoo, and have also changed the idea of what I wanted several times. So,I finally came to the conclusion that if I really want one I am designing it myself, which I have and now it means something to me. Everything that is part of the design has meaning including the colors I want to use. I will be getting it within the year, I just want another artist to sketch it out for me (I am pretty good at drawing but I want it perfect). So my suggestion is to pick and choose symbols/words/pictures of something that you will never get sick of, things that are already part of your life and personality.
Also, I want to get mine in mostly color that fades and I was curious if anyone knew of a good tattoo artist in or around MA?
i have around 4 tattoos, equalling around £250. Let me know if you wanna see them, i have pics. I have one on my stomach, one on my left breast, one on the back of my neck and one on my left shoulder
Jan you need to grow up! Tattoos is a self exspression of yourself, if you don’t like them don’t get them on you, and stop judging thos who like them and have them on their bodies!
I’m only 17 and i all really have 3.Go for it mate!!!!
im only 13 but almost unskin tattoed i have,,,,,,,,,,,,
http://img410.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picturepi0.jpg
I just got that a few days ago. Its my first one and is coming along nicely. I obsessed over what I wanted for about a year and eventually came up with that and I love it. It says Cody if you can’t tell. Its also an ambigram.
i currently have 2 tattoo’s. both of which mean alot to me in completely different ways. plannin on gettin another in the forseable future!
go for it dude, although i would warn that it is very addictive ..
I’m with you on the non-commitment thing, but I did end up getting one. These were my rules:
1. I had I decide on the design and still want the same thing one year later.
2. I knew it would be addicting so I had to wait one year after getting it before even THINKING about what the next one would be. (It worked, I still just have the one.)
3. I got it somewhere that I wouldn’t be forced to look at it constantly. (That’s worked too. 6 or so years later and I’m not tired of it in the least.)
I don’t think I have a picture of it, but I got 4 peach blossoms on my lower back/ hip. (It represents where I grew up.)
In hind sight, the location could have been better, but it certainly could have been worse too. I love that I don’t see it unless I want to. Sometimes I even forget which side it’s on, so it gives me a little thrill every time I see it.
What ever you decide to go/went with, good luck!
thanks
I’m sure you all can imagine how I feel about tattoos. I was blown away that some idiot above said tattoos are a sign of low self worth. Cmon…it’s art at a higher level of commitment many are not willing to make.