Tatts

Really it's branding. Let's call it what it is. Sure there is ink and sometimes color involved but when it all comes down to it we are branding our skin. I noticed several tattoos this evening and for each one I wanted to know more. What is so personal to you that you are willing to wear it forever for the world to see (and sometimes judge)?

I have two tattoos and I have a third that is designed. I don't take the process lightly. I know what I am getting into by going under the needle. I know that it is something that is going to be permanently a part of me. This is the reason that I don't go into it haphazardly. The tattoos that I have each has meaning to me as I know that all tattoos have meaning to people. Sure some people don't really think about their tattoos all that much. They walk into a tattoo parlor, point to the "cool looking" tribal design or some other shit on the wall and tell the guy, "I want that one." But I think even this sort of lackadaisical selection speaks volumes about those that get them. There is something behind it even if it is impulse rather than thought driven. (Note that I didn't reference the person doing the tattoo as an artist. I wouldn't give them that title because the true tattoo artists that I met don't like rushing into doing a tattoo either. It means a lot to them as well.) So what do tattoos say. What do mine say..

I have a band on my arm that is a nice tribal design. To the casual observer it is just that and not all that interesting. However, if someone were to take the time to ask they would find out so much more. They would discover that I designed it. It is created, abstractly, out of the numbers 180 which can be seen though they don't stand next to each other as text. The design is a turning point in my life where I was taking control of myself and starting to find my own direction. The tattoo is a reminder of that turning point so that I can continue forward. Or, to the casual eye, it's a nice tribal design. I created this tattoo and kept it close to myself for over six months to be sure it was indeed something that I wanted.

My second tattoo was done in Hawaii. It is as close to spontaneous that I think I will ever come with a tattoo. I have always liked tattoos on the back of a guys calf and had been thinking about designing one. While in Hawaii with friends I found myself alone a lot. I was not there with any specific person but had met with a group of friends many of whom were coupled. Over the week I found strength in that solitude and I wanted to remember it. I decided to create a design that would remind me of that feeling of self so that I could take it with me and keep it going. The design was also influenced by Hawaii, Maui to be specific so that too became part of the design. In the end what I created was a single line that traced the outline of the island of Maui. One line to represent the solitude and self. The line also resembles a wave which I chose because a great deal of my time was spent going with the flow as it were. And so when I see it I remember that I am important. I need to rely on myself.

The third, unwritten tattoo is one that is close to me. It took a long time to design and while it is close to being finished it still needs some small changes. The tattoo is one that represents my philosophy of life (and a catchy slogan for a clothes line lol). Life is Good. I have many iterations of the design but the one that I am close to completing incorporates the ankh, a symbol for life with a tribal design much like my arm band. I know that I will at some point, when the time is right, get branded with this symbol. After all it is important to me and I like the visual reminder.

As I write this long post I think that there are many that judge the tattoos. Some that look at them and just think that it is ugly, or that it will be ugly when it fades, that they are dirty, that the person has no taste. I challenge those people not to judge but to ask. I rarely find anyone that won't discuss the tattoos and what they mean if sincerely asked. I've not often been told there is no meaning behind a tattoo. I think that it's one more opportunity to be open to other people's lives and experiences.

Besides... frequently the tattoos look hot!