Quest for Deeper Meaning
It is about time these cultural vampires in the mainstream media woke up to the fact that tattoos are not some passing fad. Admittedly tattoos have been getting a fair bit of press lately in part driven by high profile celebrities flashing their ink in public. Or shows such Miami Ink with their carefully chosen tattoo artists making the whole tattooing process look like some kind of modern alchemy much the same way that thousands of wannabes wanted to become DJ's in the late 1990's when the DJ was revered as some kind of shaman.
I believe this is only part of the story. I would venture to say that the main reason for the massive increase in people wanting tattoos goes much deeper. Believe or not the vast majority of people get tattoos not in some vain attempt to be part of the crowd or cool but because part of them recognizes the deeper significance of tattoos and need for something beyond the mundane. To the tired and cynical hack this hunger for meaning is completely lost on them. Possibly because they cannot see beyond the vacuous consumer driven culture they are trapped in.
Tattoos have long been practiced as a quest for deeper meaning.
Tattoos have long been part of human culture
They fear anyone who is not part of their mindless consumerist culture. Fear is what it really is no matter how subtle its disguise. It shines through in everything they write from the cliche ridden nonsense disguised as journalism in the culture section of mainstream newspapers to the ultra conservative fundamentalists who warn of the evils and regrets of those who get tattoos. To them anyone who steps outside this mass hallucination known as consensus reality is immediately singled out from the herd and subject to ridicule.
It is the same form of mind control which brainwashes kids into accepting everything they are taught in school and told never to question authority or the massive lies which pass as history. No wonder people grow up to be mindless sheep when they are indoctrinated from such an early age. History really has become a set of lies agreed upon to keep people in their places and maintain the status quo.
Tattoos can symbolize .
Tattoos often have a deeper symbolism than merely ink on skin
The funny thing is that once you step outside consensus reality you begin to see how shaky the ground is upon which their spectacular lies are built. The people who are controlling the instruments of power such as the mainstream media know this and this is the reason why they use ridicule to suppress anyone who dares to challenge the official set of lies.
Getting tattoos used to be a form of rebellion. In many ways it still is to people who feel as though they are constantly bombarded with advertisements for designer labels and sucked into believing they need this or that to make their lives more meaningful. Well guess what? We have had consumerist culture shoved in our faces since the 1940's and it still hasn't made us any happier as human beings.
Tattoos can have many meanings.
http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/modern-tattoos-meaning.html
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Cover-up Tattoos
Is it Time to Rethink Your Ink?
Usually when we think of cover-up tattoos we think of an old lover whose name was tattooed in a moment of madness on some part of the body (usually highly visible) only to be regretted after the relationship suddenly ended. This is somewhat of a cliche and most often not the case.
Generally a lot of people are presenting to tattoo studios for cover-up tattoos simply because they want to touch up an old faded tattoo or rework an old design that does not resonate with them any longer. It may be the original tattoo design was not the most professional job or is just starting to look a bit dated.
This can often happen when a small tattoo was done without considering the bigger picture. For me personally that meant getting a small kanji tattoo covered over with a bigger tattoo that meant more to me. There is nothing wrong with rethinking your ink and covering up with a bigger and better tattoo.
Cover-up tattoos can be an art. Tattoo by Pedro Fraga.
Before... © Pedro Fraga
In the last few years there has been quite a bit of advancement with tattoo inks. This has led to a whole new variety of colors and inks that look brighter and better than the inks of old. In that sense many old tattoos can actually be made to look much better than what they did beforehand without taking away from the skill of the original artist of course ;-)
Many artist also specialize in cover-up work so it is a good idea to check through their portfolios to see some of the cover-up tattoos they have done. Don't settle for an artist who is content to cover up your old tattoo with heavy blackwork but is willing to use some creativity in integrating the old design with a newer better one.
Even if the original tattoo was black it is still possible to work the old design into a newer more colorful design with a little bit of imagination either by yourself or the artist who will probably have a better idea what will work and what will end up really dark and undefined. Remember it is your body so you decide what the finished outcome is.
Cover-up tattoo by Pedro Fraga. Tattoo by Pedro Fraga.
http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/cover-up-tattoos.html
Usually when we think of cover-up tattoos we think of an old lover whose name was tattooed in a moment of madness on some part of the body (usually highly visible) only to be regretted after the relationship suddenly ended. This is somewhat of a cliche and most often not the case.
Generally a lot of people are presenting to tattoo studios for cover-up tattoos simply because they want to touch up an old faded tattoo or rework an old design that does not resonate with them any longer. It may be the original tattoo design was not the most professional job or is just starting to look a bit dated.
This can often happen when a small tattoo was done without considering the bigger picture. For me personally that meant getting a small kanji tattoo covered over with a bigger tattoo that meant more to me. There is nothing wrong with rethinking your ink and covering up with a bigger and better tattoo.
Cover-up tattoos can be an art. Tattoo by Pedro Fraga.
Before... © Pedro Fraga
In the last few years there has been quite a bit of advancement with tattoo inks. This has led to a whole new variety of colors and inks that look brighter and better than the inks of old. In that sense many old tattoos can actually be made to look much better than what they did beforehand without taking away from the skill of the original artist of course ;-)
Many artist also specialize in cover-up work so it is a good idea to check through their portfolios to see some of the cover-up tattoos they have done. Don't settle for an artist who is content to cover up your old tattoo with heavy blackwork but is willing to use some creativity in integrating the old design with a newer better one.
Even if the original tattoo was black it is still possible to work the old design into a newer more colorful design with a little bit of imagination either by yourself or the artist who will probably have a better idea what will work and what will end up really dark and undefined. Remember it is your body so you decide what the finished outcome is.
Cover-up tattoo by Pedro Fraga. Tattoo by Pedro Fraga.
http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/cover-up-tattoos.html
Gamer Tattoos
Hardcore Gamers Fight Back
A tattoo artist friend of mine said to me recently that if he had a choice over tattooing or playing computer games he would choose the games. Now don't get me wrong - he is not some neophyte who has just started and doesn't know where he is at. Far from it. He has cut his teeth in tattooing but just prefers to hang out in Hack and Slash rather than in the tattoo studio.
I thought this was amusing until he said that he wouldn't have a problem chucking in his career as a tattoo artist to become a full-time gamer. It was then I realized how passionate he was about his games. You see I don't really play games. I was never any good at them. I had grown up with Atari and more recently bought myself a PlayStation but only ever used it to play music through.
Hardcore gamer shows his Atari tattoos.
Hardcore gamer shows his Atari tattoos - Courtesy of Good Deal Games
It was only until I went to Japan that the whole gamer culture was opened to me. Up until then I had always associated gamers as being young teenage boys with pale skin and spots who spent all of their time in their bedroom with the curtains closed. How wrong I was.
It made me realize that the stereotype I had in my head for years about gamers was all wrong and that there were hundreds of thousands of people such as my tattoo artist friend who were the norm not the exception. They were the kind of people you would see at Burning Man Festival and think to yourself how rad they were.
Triforce tattoos are not just for geeks.
Triforce tattoos are not just for geeks- Courtesy of Joystiq
Then I came across a story about this family who all decided to get a tattoo after their mom passed away. One of them said - "since we had just been through some bad stuff, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Grief's funny like that. We were all gamers, there were three brothers, so the Triforce seemed a natural fit. We made the decision to do it, then promptly didn't for two years, because I was a wimp."
This story blew me away on so many different levels. I am always one to encourage people to think seriously before they get a tattoo and try make sure it means something to them. This made me think that you don't have to get some portrait tattoo or a tattoo design of a headstone or some other predictable tattoo to honor a loved ones memory.
Old gamer shows his Triforce tattoos.
Old gamer shows his Triforce tattoos - Courtesy of Joystiq
The Triforce tattoo was completely fitting. It probably said so much more to them than some cheesy memorial tattoo. They all got different parts of the Triforce filled in. Their Dad got the full thing on his right arm because he already had a tattoo on his left. One of the brothers got it done on his calf. Another brother got it on his forearm. Full on dudes...respect!
http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/gamer-tattoos.html
A tattoo artist friend of mine said to me recently that if he had a choice over tattooing or playing computer games he would choose the games. Now don't get me wrong - he is not some neophyte who has just started and doesn't know where he is at. Far from it. He has cut his teeth in tattooing but just prefers to hang out in Hack and Slash rather than in the tattoo studio.
I thought this was amusing until he said that he wouldn't have a problem chucking in his career as a tattoo artist to become a full-time gamer. It was then I realized how passionate he was about his games. You see I don't really play games. I was never any good at them. I had grown up with Atari and more recently bought myself a PlayStation but only ever used it to play music through.
Hardcore gamer shows his Atari tattoos.
Hardcore gamer shows his Atari tattoos - Courtesy of Good Deal Games
It was only until I went to Japan that the whole gamer culture was opened to me. Up until then I had always associated gamers as being young teenage boys with pale skin and spots who spent all of their time in their bedroom with the curtains closed. How wrong I was.
It made me realize that the stereotype I had in my head for years about gamers was all wrong and that there were hundreds of thousands of people such as my tattoo artist friend who were the norm not the exception. They were the kind of people you would see at Burning Man Festival and think to yourself how rad they were.
Triforce tattoos are not just for geeks.
Triforce tattoos are not just for geeks- Courtesy of Joystiq
Then I came across a story about this family who all decided to get a tattoo after their mom passed away. One of them said - "since we had just been through some bad stuff, it seemed like a good idea at the time. Grief's funny like that. We were all gamers, there were three brothers, so the Triforce seemed a natural fit. We made the decision to do it, then promptly didn't for two years, because I was a wimp."
This story blew me away on so many different levels. I am always one to encourage people to think seriously before they get a tattoo and try make sure it means something to them. This made me think that you don't have to get some portrait tattoo or a tattoo design of a headstone or some other predictable tattoo to honor a loved ones memory.
Old gamer shows his Triforce tattoos.
Old gamer shows his Triforce tattoos - Courtesy of Joystiq
The Triforce tattoo was completely fitting. It probably said so much more to them than some cheesy memorial tattoo. They all got different parts of the Triforce filled in. Their Dad got the full thing on his right arm because he already had a tattoo on his left. One of the brothers got it done on his calf. Another brother got it on his forearm. Full on dudes...respect!
http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/gamer-tattoos.html
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