The Art Of Getting Inked

When I was a little boy, I remember my father having a tattoo on his forearm.  He was a musician.  His tattoo was something along the lines of an eagle holding an arrow.  I remember it having a tough guy feel to it like something that you would see on a military person.  Even one of my favorite cartoons at the time, Popeye the Sailor, had his famous anchor tattoos on his forearms.

For a while there, I always wanted to get a tattoo.  Then as I started getting older through my childhood, the guys I associated with getting tattoos were fast becoming the guys who did time in jail and/or lived a shady life.  Suddenly, getting a tattoo didn't seem like such a priority for me anymore.  In fact, I felt that getting one might associate me with a certain faction of negative people, that I didn't want to be confused with.

Much of my personal regard to tattoos has remained the same throughout the years...with me wanting to get just a simple tattoo and then backing out of it because of the negative viewpoint I was imbued with during my formative years.  Then as an adult, after witnessing what I perceived as a "fad" explosion, I lost all motivation to get a tattoo.  But, I will say this...after conversing with and interacting with the people who have volunteered their body art for my blog...as well as doing some online research - I stand completely and humbly corrected.

The art of tattooing has been around for thousands of years and present on just about every continent on the planet.  It can even be found on the Polynesian Islands across the Pacific.  How can something that's been around for thousands of years and on just about every continent, across various cultures be a fad?  It can be just that if you don't understand it, or if you get caught up with someone else's meaning of it?  Just because prisoners and gang members get tattoos, it doesn't mean that someone is imitating those values.  The practice of body art via tattoos just simply goes back way too far.

However, this should not be confused with the modern primitive movement growing in America and other developed nations from the late 1980's to the present.  In this movement people living in developed nations have began turning to "body modifications" - including tattooing, piercings, as well as lip and ear plates.  This is a practice that is done in more primitive and ancient cultures for spiritual and ritualistic reasons, yet are being adopted by people in modern societies.  Some people are for this and some are against it.  I am not an advocate for myself, but to each his/her own.  There is beauty in all things.

Instead, I have been enlightened by those who specifically view tattooing from the body art and personal message stand point.  I am an definitely more of a spiritual advocate of those who view tattooing as simple symbolic testimonies or celebrations of important people, places, experiences or beliefs in their lives.

Could this tattoo be about ambition, you think?  Might it be about music too?  With a microphone...perhaps it sums up this singer's ambition on singing?

This tattoo is on the wearer's back.  It's a knife stab.  The serpent represents people who have lied to her.  Thus, this symbolizes people who lied to her and stabbed her in the back in her lifetime.

Not all works have to be some super message that's obvious to the world.  Some can be meaningful to only the wearer.  Some can simply be "art" and require no further interpretation outside of such.

Then again...if you want to send a very direct and simple message of what means the most to you...you can never go wrong with a direct message.

This is just a sample of what has been sent to me.  I have to give a million "thank yous" to my friends, their friends and family members for reaching out and helping me get this message through to readers in the Internet world.  Whatever your reasons for getting a tattoo - that reason belongs to you and you alone.  Whatever motivated you should be thought out because you are wearing something fairly permanent (the tattoo removal process can be costly).  You're getting a tattoo needs only to be justified by your understanding that the image is something that you will be wearing everyday.  So getting the name of your first girlfriend or boyfriend might not be a great idea 5 to 10 years down the road.

Using your body as a canvass to show off the spirit inside your mind and your heart is really at the heart of all tattooing.  

Let me conclude this post - but not this topic - by saying that this journey of mine, into the tattoo world was really positive and enlightening.  My thoughts are no longer down or negative when I think about tattoos.  Nor is it a childlike wanting to be like dad.  Instead, I am now fully appreciative of not only the person wearing the tattoos symbolism  but I'm also extremely appreciative of the actual tattoo artist themselves.  Some of these artist really do great work.

Therefore, after researching for this topic, I sit here a changed man.  So changed that earlier today I ran into a young man at work, whom I shall just call "Chaz" and observed numerous beautiful tattoos on his body.  Instead of looking away or foolishly scoffing him, I actually stopped him and ask if I could see the tattoos on his arms.  He gave a beautiful story of the meaning behind each one of them.  It was fascinating and insightful all at the same time.  The tattoos represented affectionate memories between him and his mother, dedications to his family history and positive messages of his views on life.

I explained to him that I was writing this article in my blog and of how it had changed me and my thinking.  And with that our conversation became one of mutual admiration and respect.  Two completely different generations of men - more than 28 years apart - connecting on a plateau of mutual understanding and love for our parents, the history of our lives and our value system...all from a tattoo.

He promised to send me one of his tattoos.  If/when he does...I will post it right here along with anyone else who wants theirs posted.  Email me at NYEastside.Info@gmail.com

So this is not the end of my journey.  This is only the beginning.