What do tattoos mean to/for you?

I wanted to do a tattoo for quite some time. I've designed something that is meaningful for me, and prepared psicologically. I wanted to do it before this summer, if I'm still in time (they told me that sun is bad for the tat, so if I don't make it in May, to wait when the summer is over).

Since I'll be carrying the thing for the rest of my life, I want it to be good and precisely made, but since I'm currently working abroad I don't know anyone that did a tattoo here.

So I have to options:
- do it in Italy when I go back two weeks from now, but then I will be off before the tatooer have time to make some adjustments.
- find something good here by the matter of googling reviewing or good loking of the shop (there are many tattoo studios here) and trust the professional.

The tattoo will be as little as possible while carrying out the drawing precisely (I think about the dimension of a palm or something less) in the lower abdomen or upper front shoulder: I want it in a place where I can see it, since it something very meaningful for me, and that other cannot if I'm dressed, since it is something personal. It's a geometrical design. More or less just curves, straight lines and circles actually... Lower abdomen sounds painful, but is maybe the best looking imho...

What do you think about it? Have you got some suggestions?

 

There might be the rare few who get more than a couple of tattoos for themselves but in my opinion, most mega-tatters do it because being a mere human who is unique from every other human just doesn't make them feel "special" enough.

I have a small tattoo that sits on my right back hip. It was supposed to be a four leaf clover but the asshole that did it gave me a shamrock that now looks like an ugly green bush. I had it done a dare and sorely regret it now. Fortunately it's small and I don't have to look at.

In 20 or so years the world will be a noisy place, what with all the wailing and gnashing of teeth over the cost of attempting to have their "artwork" removed.

I've seen tats on elderly men and and even on a few old women. It ain't pretty.
--- merged: May 15, 2013 4:47 PM ---

Funny, you don't look Polynesian, going by your avatar.

 

last fall I was backing up another trooper on a traffic stop. Driver and passenger were drunk, passenger owned the truck. We were goin go let the passenger go with his vehicle, but needed someone sober to pick up the truck. Passenger is all tatted up, including SWP on the back of his hand (supreme white power). While talking to him, I notice a faded out swastika around his eye. Nice guy. Very classy. He was already several treatments into removing his swastika, but it was still visible.

I dont have any tattoos, dont plan on getting anything. Nothing would mean enough to me. Ive seen a few incorporating family names and so forth that imo aren't bad, but not something I would probably do. I did have one personal training client back in DC who's wife was in the plane that went into the Pentagon. He got a tribal polynesian band on his arm of the tears of maui. I respected that.

 

What are the tears of Maui?

 

They say "I didn't Think (At All) Before I got the Ink." Most look very amateur and will look a helluva lot worse in 10 years.

 

I have :

"Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody" on my right inside forearm, and a red carasell (sic) horse on my upper right arm - both from the book "The Catcher in the Rye"

&

"You could not step twice into the same river; for other waters are ever flowing on to you" on my right arm (a quote from Heraclitus, which I got done after my mum died)

& finally...

A stylised "Norse" raven on my right shoulder, that is supposed to represent one of the ravens that Odin had... Thought or Memory (on the whole, I think "thought")

_

Its hard to say what they mean to me. The whole point of it is to make some kind of statement you cannot make easily in words, isn't it?

 

Gotta say that Strange Famous' quotes are pretty damn cool. Good for you and interesting. Thanks for sharing them.

 

If I remember right, the tears of maui (polynesian god) formed the ocean. so it is a stylized tribal band of waves.

 

Tattoos have the potential to look horribly sexy or just plain horrible, like anything else, but it does make me wonder how people can get them without putting much thought into it. I may be a little too far to the other side of the spectrum though, i've always wanted a tattoo but putting too much thought into it has prevented me from actually going out and getting one.

I'm expecting to lose my tattoo virginity soon though My girlfriend just got her 6th one (her's fall into the category of horribly sexy, imo) and it's given me that extra inspiration to finally get one. I think i've got my first tattoo idea nailed down, small as it might be - I live near the ocean and it's always been a part of my life, and whenever I see a starfish it makes me feel creative juices, so i'm looking to get a small purple and blue (my fave colours) starfish on my inner wrist.

I'm not a stranger to body mods if you include piercings though - I've got a few of those

 

2 of July tattoo incoming

 

Relevant

 

What happens when your tattoos don't fall into any of those zones?

 

Uh, you laugh at the joke like the people that have tattoos that do fall in the zones? It's a comedy site's Internet infographic meme.

...

Also: You really need tribal sleeves, ZS.

 

Yeah, but that tat necessitates at least three confirmed kill teardrops.

...

I was thinking about getting some of those no-ink tattoos but I worry that they'll just make me look like a burn victim.

 

But I wanted to be one of the COOL kids. :-(

I was thinking tribal or barbed wire.

 

No, I mean like... no-ink-needles-just-make-scars tattoos. Whatever those are called. They're subtle, thus gnarly.

Although I guess I could get a bunch of cool Misfits tats in henna just to see how Danzig I could be for a week.

 

Scarification? That would make you Baraka Badass.