It's Called Body Art for a Reason

When the designs are chosen with care, tattoos have a power and magic all their own.  They decorate the body but they also enhance the soul. 

                ~Michelle Delio

This time I’m going to change things up a bit.  I want to talk about something I believe is an art form and not about someone who mastered it just a slight history and my personal opinion. 

Tattoos! In my opinion one of the greatest forms of self-expression and individualism.  When done right they show ones creativity and even loves.  And I’m not talking about the tattoos you get to be spontaneous and daring but the ones that deep meaning for the one getting it.  The ones who spent years thinking about what they wanted so it would be perfect. Those who put a lot of time into the design and finding someone who could do it perfectly. 

Tattoos are not something usually seen as a form of art but when one is done well and has meaning then I believe it is a work of art just on a different medium, ones body instead of marble or canvass.

Tattoos have been around for thousands of years and play a role in history.  Usually done for religious or punishment even therapeutic reasons.  And not at all using the modern technology for putting it on that we have today.  This process was probably even more painful using an extremely sharp stick and ink to place the tattoo dot by dot. This practice is even still used today but in more remote places and still usually for religious practices. Henna for example is still used heavily today for religious ceremonies in India and is even used for recreational reasons in several places including the U.S.   It’s a pain free, nonpermanent alternative to use. 

More recently they have gained popularity and are something a growing majority of people are getting.  They are an easy way for one to express themselves the way one wants.  While they are most often times seen as a form of being anti conventional I believe they speak to the way one is.  But the downside is unfortunately they come with a particular stigma. They are often times looked down upon and have been stereotyped for many years.  That those with tattoos are the outcasts of society and are not professional, something I am told whenever I express my feelings on tattoos myself.  In my opinion tattoos are the way to express yourself as an individual even if you think you do not have artistic ability. Which is the one of the reasons to get one to me if the creativity of that tattoo describes ones creativity and the artistic ability of the artist. The tattoos on this page speak to the artists ability and structure but also to the person getting it.  They speak about who the person is and what they see themselves as. By the care that was put into them you know it is something highly important and show who the person is without even having to speak to them or see their face.  But the growing popularity of tattoos shows that I am not one of the only people to think this way and that a growing number are beginning to think the same thing.  Hopefully in the near future the stigma will have vanished and people will have the freedom to express their creativity in any way possible. 

 

Personally, I do not have any tattoos…yet! I do plan on having a couple but have to wait a little longer to get one.  My father and brother both have a couple and my sister and I are planning on having a couple ourselves.  The tattoos we want or have are ones that had meaning for ourselves and were personal choices something I believe all tattoos should be.  A personal choice to show ones imagination and creativity in a new and exciting medium.  Despite the level of talent someone thinks they contain. 

Do you have any tattoos? If so, what do they mean to you?