Getting tattooed is done for a variety of reasons and it’s always a long crazy story. I think L.A. Ink and those shows screwed it up for us because now clients want to go on and on about this whole story. The truth is tattoos mean whatever you want them to mean. Every single tattoo that’s on my body which is the majority of my body reminds me of exactly of where I was, who I was living with, who did it, what was happening at my; at that time in my life. So there’s really no reason to like do a big elaborate piece and then put a million little initials in it.
Even though people still ask for that all the time. What you’ll find is after you wear it for a good ten years or so you’ll still remember every detail about what was happening and it’s like time’s encapsulated in that tattoo. So really a lot of people try to choose designs that are very important to them or very sacred to them and a lot of people just try and get a cool tattoo. The truth is there are as many reasons to get a tattoo as there are tattoos and which ever one works for you is what you should do.
A lot of people draw up their own stuff and bring it in and while that is valid and we do that all the time. Just because somebody can create art on paper is really totally unrelated to being able to create it on skin. Simple replications of client’s art is very simple however it’s limiting. And especially if you are going to wear this for the rest of your life. The last thing you want to do is limit your artist. You want your art to be limitless, you want your art to break boundaries and blow minds. My favorite question is when people ask my clients is that a real tattoo. Cause the theory there is that it shouldn’t even look like a tattoo. It should look like a piece of art on the skin.
Really the best thing to do is to find an artist that you respect, an artist that, that’s really good. And an artist that has a vast, diverse portfolio with a lot of different styles that you are in to. And then lay it on them, let them you know tear it up. A good tattooer is going to take your idea enhance it, compound it and make it into something far superior to anything as a new client you are going to be able to visualize. There is so many factors that go into a tattoo that clients can’t comprehend that it’s good to find an artist you trust and put your trust in their hands.
