A friend of mine was scheduled to get her new tattoo today. I had a short break while caring for a friend who has just had surgery and decided to be her moral support.
I sat fascinated as she told the artist what she wanted and he created it in front of our eyes…first with Sharpie ink…then with permanent “ink.” The end result was beautiful. Delicate green vines laced up her bicep, curved around her shoulder and fell ever so lightly across her upper chest. Interspersed amongst the greenery were delicate blue trumpet shaped flowers with pale orange & yellow centers.
I’ve long appreciated tattoos as art. I don’t hesitate to stop someone who has ink and ask them to show me their art. I’m amazed at the artists’ ability to create a piece of art on a 3D canvas. Indeed, there are themes I prefer over others (I don’t understand the whole angry clown thing), and there are vast differences in the quality of the artist. But more often than not, I see beautiful pieces.
What eludes me is how people know what they want to commit to their skin for the rest of their lives. Yes, there are those tattoos that have special meaning, but many are not meaning based. The wearer simply thought they were “cool” or “beautiful” or “I just wanted it.”
I’ve long thought about getting a tattoo. But what to get? People tell me to get something significant & meaningful, but as my life has shown me over the years…things change. So what is important or significant today, may not be next year. Lord knows I’ve been MANY people with tattoos that have at least one regret on their body.
I think my attention span and adventurous life leave me a poor candidate for a tattoo, but I look forward to checking out more walking canvases of art.
Maria Testarosa 