When I was younger I didn't know a lot about tattoos, but I know I saw people with them all the time. My parents, along with a lot of the rest of the world don't like tattoos because they feel tattoos can give people a bad impression about you, but I think that tattoos make people stronger, more confident and it allows us to express ourselves in a different way. I never thought that tattoos would be so significant to people, as they are now. Tattoos are a memory of the past, present, and even the future.
It is true that people can get bad or stupid tattoos that will stay on their bodies, but you just have to be sober and logical about it. I have been around so many people that tell me the history and the reasoning behind their tattoos and it helps me better understand them as a person. In a way, I think it would be really cool for everybody to have tattoos that represent who they are. What if we were able to connect to people in a more artistic and friendly way to know that we are all the same in some way or another.
One of my friends are really into tattooing, even wants to become a tattoo artist. Being around them all the time, I have been surrounded by a lot of information about tattooing and artists who are unbelievable in their technique. When I asked him what tattooing means to him he said, "Tattooing has plenty of different meanings. It means something different to everybody and to me, it means everything. You can get a tattoo just for the art or you can get one that is extremely unique to you and I find that to be the most beautiful part about it."
Their ability to put a drawing on a piece of skin is harder and a lot more time consuming than most people would think. Tattoos are also really expensive if you want them to be perfect; which is important because this piece of art will be on your skin forever. The artist below is named Lil'B and he travels the world to tattoo different people and even puts some of his videos up on Youtube.
Some of this Buddha front piece tattoo was done in the middle of some sand dunes in France. Another tattoo that he did (below) was set up on the Ganges River. This artist does breathtaking work and there are millions of people just as amazing as him out there tattooing all over the world.
One major tattoo that I want ( I want a few) isn't too complicated, but the meaning behind it could shed a million tears for me.
I want a black and white tattoo of a burning rose, maybe with some color for the fire, with a petal falling off. I want the stem to be the words, "Sigh No More" by Mumford and Sons, in cursive. The burning rose represents a constant, burning, intense and powerful love, that I have for the people in my life. I love too much, which hurts me but heals me in the right moments. Mumford and Sons have always been a really important band to me and their songs and their music has inspired me and helped me to just feel more human. The song is about feeling guilty and making sacrifices for love to know that it is worth it and worth the experience in life, even if it hurts.
Even though I am young, I feel that when you feel so strongly about someone or something for such a long time, that person or thing can really make an impact on your life. It/they become(s) a part of you and a really cool way to express that is through tattooing! You can have drawings and pictures or their music and those can be something that people keep for a long time, but a tattoo can be with you forever.
Chris Baker, from Ink180, created a nonprofit organization, entirely funded by donations made it his mission for his tattoo shop to cover up tattoos for ex-gang members and former people that have been a part of human trafficking. His website: Ink180, talks about the work they have done for their patients and gives a little insight into the atmosphere and the importance of their work. Ink180 also gives people the opportunity to join the movement whether you are from a different shop or just someone who wants to get involved and change peoples lives for the better.
There may be other shops around the world that do similar work which really shows how this type of art can reunite people with who they were meant to be, it gives them a fresh start on their life.
