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?
