You've seen them in public, those colourful pieces of artistic magic that tell a story. On a long bus ride to work in the summer, you might catch a glimpse of the girl in front of you, her tattoo on her back playing peak-a-boo and you can only see maybe 45% of it, the rest leaving it up to your imagination. Or you might have seen him: the classic tight fitted shirt revealing only 75% of his "sleeve." When a person sees a tattoo, in this day and age, they do one of two things. Turn away in disgust, wondering how anyone can do that to their body, or, wonder in their head, I wonder what the story is behind that. I do the latter because it truly is an incredible art form.
I've always been a fan of ink and I think I find the whole tattoo concept fascinating for a few reasons. I think the main reason is the story telling aspect, and because I love to tell and share stories and write and blog about random ideas and passions that I have, tattoos encompass all of that. That little logo, that little symbol, or that massive design that crawls down a person's arm or back makes for very honest and sometimes deep conversation. The second reason is out of pure interest: We are given this pound of flesh to play with through our entire life. Some people tone it, others let it get fat, and of course staying on today's topic, some people decorate it. It really frustrates me when mothers or elders (not trying to stereotype) start a smear campaign against "those damn kids" with their tattoos. Look at it merely as body decorations, and when you die this corpse of yours is going to rot anyway...so what is the issue? I also love the people who use the "It's crazy" line. Oh really? So it's not crazy to plaster your lawn at Christmas time with hundreds of dollars worth of decorations? Or go over the top to impress the passer-by's because your decorations in your house look so "awesome"? Good one, hypocrites. It's human nature to want to seek attention, and to grab someones eye with an image. And if the only way you can express that is through interpretive body design...fill your boots!
I was at a party this weekend and was talking to a guy who was in the army. I'd met him once before, but never really got a chance to talk to him. I noticed he had several interesting and fairly random tattoos that never really fit into a theme, but some of which looked really awesome. So I just simply asked him "What's the story behind your tattoos?" He told me he gets them from every place he does a tour of duty in. So Kuwait, Afghanistan and so many other countries tell his story through his ink. Awesome! My best friend has a family crest tattoo so he doesn't forget where he comes from. He is also a boxer so he also has a scripture on his arm that translates to "A brave man may fall but cannot yield." Awesome! It got me thinking that tattoos can really be a source of inspiration. Other people I know put them on for love, for remembrance and one girl I know put one on where her IntraVenous went in because she defeated cancer. SO AWESOME! It got me realizing that people go through hell and back in their life, and to honour it, to remember it, to get them up in the morning, they share that piece of their life story with the colour wheel. Who was it that said tattoos are trashy? Only trashy people get them. They couldn't have been for real. People, THIS IS POWERFUL STUFF.
Years ago, I think the whole tattoo genre got a bad name simply because teenagers were doing it out of rebellion. Disobeying your parents meant doing the complete opposite of what they told you to do. Nowadays, people like Kat Von D make it an art form. Television networks are doing shows on it. Rockstars and role models are getting inked to tell and remember their story. It's this whole entire massive culture phenomenon of brush strokes and laser pens. For a lot of people, ink on your body tells a story of your life. I remember watching an episode of LA Ink when the country sensation band Emerson Drive were on. In 2007, their hit song "Moments" was the number one most played country song in Canada, which is an enormity. To honour the success of the song, the band got a tattoo to always remember this huge success and this huge "Moment" in their lives, to have a song reach number one and to change lives. It's safe to say that even though they are country, that was a rock and roll move by them. Another story brought to you by the tattoo shop. A huge success in their life and they honoured it with permanent ink.The question I ask you is this, what IS actually wrong with tattoos? Again, take it from a guy who isn't even privileged enough to say I have permanent ink on me. And if you want to be ignorant against people with tattoos, it's almost like wake up and welcome yourself to the planet. Human beings are alive with culture and we are alive with art. And if it's true what they say when they say "art is truth," and if tattoos are seen as an art form, do I really have to fill in the blanks on this one? In it's truest form, in it's most purest form, tattoos (or as I like to call it, decorative art) should not be frowned on and should not be told to cover up. Would you tell an artist who paints pictures to cover it up because you don't like the subject? Would you march up to someone and tell them their haircut looks ridiculous? So the next time you see a tattoo, even if it's a complete stranger, just ask them what their story is. And to be perfectly honest, it is a great conversation starter. You are instantly learning about someones life and the bigger part of them. You may be surprised or even enlightened by the story you get.
Don't judge it. Don't hide it. Don't hate it.
Embrace it.
Great post Donnie!
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