Why Do They Get Tattoos?

I often wonder why tattoos have become so popular. Everywhere I go, I see these permanent markings on people. The art itself is as old as humanity, but in the beginning there was a reason. Ancient tribal peoples used tattooing as a visible symbol of rank, or as a sign of what tribe you belonged to. Today, it is generally assigned to prison inmates for the same basic reasons, only they add religious affiliation and possibly time served to date.

Why are everyday people getting them? I do not know. Tattoos hurt. The average tattoo gun runs at around 500 rpm's. You think that would equal 500 needle punctures per minute, right? Wrong. The needles used in a tattoo gun vary from one, up to thirteen. The average artist uses seven needles, as it is good for both lining, and shading. My math says that a one hour long tattoo, using seven needles, equals 210,000 individual punctures. Why would you do that to your skin?

My record is four and a half hours in one sitting. That equals 945,000 needle sticks. I have spent over forty hours under the gun, so I have been stabbed somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.5 million times. What do I have to show for it? I will show you the next time we meet. I was told by my favorite artist that I was no longer a person with a tattoo, I was tattooed.

That brings me to my next point. As the stigma of being "tattooed" wanes, and dirty looks from the general public become less apparent; tattoos are healthy. No matter what state of mind you are in, when you apply ink to your skin, it will change. You don't have to be a masochist to enjoy the process. If tattoos equaled some sort of mental illness, the number of tattooed people would be slim.

I realize that most people will never entertain the thought of having one, whether for fear of the pain or the permanence. If you apply the permanent nature to other areas of life, like marriage, or raising kids, there isn't much difference. Marriage, and the children that often follow are generally intentional choices. I haven't met a person yet that has not experienced immense emotional pain from either. At least with a tattoo you know that the pain will be intense for a little while, and sore for a few days after. After that, you are left with a beautiful piece of art on your body that will be with you through the rest of the painful decisions you make.

There is a flip-side to my glorification of tattoos. The first is that once you begin, it can be hard to stop. The second problem has to do with the artist who brands you for life. If you walk in to some random shop that you are not familiar with, you could wind up with something less than perfect. I reccomend asking someone who is tattooed. They probably know a good artist who works at a clean shop. Technique varies from artist to artist, so it is important to find the right one.

The shop I go to has five artists. One is a newbie, fresh out of apprenticeship. He is heavy-handed, he buys his ink from a discount site, and getting a tattoo from him is mild torture. He is a really cool kid though, and he shows promise. Another young artist there is slightly more advanced, but he lacks the artistic genes to ever be very good. He is also a gouger, and his gun is almost unbearable to sit under. There is an older guy there who has been tattooing since Vietnam ended. He is good for small, no detail pieces. His eye-sight is failing too, so unless it is simple, I don't reccomend him. He does have great technique though, and he inflicts a minimal amount of pain; relatively speaking of course. The anchor artist at the shop is young, but extremely talented. I have never been tattooed by him, but his reputation, and the fact that it takes a week or two to get an appointment lets me know he is good.

I found a jewel in this shop. He has done my entire sleeve, both of my legs, and both sides of my ribs. He is very low-key, and you would never know how brilliant he is unless you spent twenty-five or so hours with him. His work is both beautiful and flawless. He has done extensive work on my wife as well, and still holds a perfect record. He has only been an artist for three or four years, but he is a prodigy. He is gifted. I can't say enough about his talent. If you ever want to get a tattoo, he is the man to see.

This is an original of his that we were fortunate enough to find out existed. He would never try to sell anything, so if you prefer to not get a tattoo, maybe you could help support a great artist by getting one of his prints. Send me an email if you are interested. redarrow415@gmail.com He would appreciate it.