Tattoos are a part of who I am. They have been for a long time, and they always will be. Ever since I can remember I wanted tattoos. I grew up around tattoos, so they were never frowned upon in my family. My favorite tattoo is on my Dad’s forearm. It is a hand drawn, one-of-a-kind Viking. His tattoo was what made me interested in tattoos in the first place. It all took off from there.
I began asking for a tattoo around age 8. My parents let me get my first one at age 9. Ha ha just kidding! I was actually 16 when I got my first tattoo. It is a small dinosaur on my left ankle. The next tattoo I got was a black design of stars and swirls on my right forearm. My Dad took me for each of these tattoos because they were my birthday presents, and he needed to sign for me. It turned out that the man who did both of those tattoos was the same guy who did my dad’s viking 20 years earlier.
My next venture into the world of tattooing was something that most would not do, and I am pretty sure know it is frowned upon amongst tattoo artists. I decided to buy myself a tattoo machine. With my machine I tattooed three tiny stars on my ankle, a chinese lily on my thigh, and my favorite, a small bird on my left wrist. I am happy with all three tattoos I have given myself, but I think I will leave the rest of my canvas to another artist.
I don’t get a lot of reactions from my tattoos because they are not too big and noticeable, but I have had a few old people look at me funny. I could feel their eyes on me, and I just know what they were thinking, but I don’t care. All those old people will kick the bucket soon anyway. I find most people pretty accepting of tattoos, and if they are judging me, they usually just keep it to themselves. However, my Dad did tell me that he had a woman come up to him once and she said, “You’re going to hell for those” pointing at the tattoos on his arms. I think that in our society, the apprehension around tattoos has eased slightly. They’re not for everyone, but most people just don’t care too much when they see tattoos(where I’m from anyhow) Maybe I am just turning a blind eye to them, but I think that is how I like it. I’d rather not know when people chose to make a harsh judgment before they even know me or other tattooed individuals.
My tattoos make up a part of me. Being an artist, I find it comforting that I carry around art with me 24/7. I never got tattooed to look or be cool, I just wanted them because I love them, and the idea of them. My tattoos will live and die with me. They mean a lot to me. My bird tattoo especially means a great deal to me,it has inspired a lot of my art. It is a reoccurring image in my paintings, drawings, and sculptures.
Some people get tattoos because they think they are cool or trendy, some get them because each individual image has a deep meaning, and some just get them because they have a passion for tattoos. I put these tiny pieces of art on my body because I love them. I love how they look. I got them for myself only. They are for no one else…. and I am certain that when I am old and wrinkly, they will be the last thing I’ll be worried about, appearance wise anyhow.
