sourpussoctopus

Luxury in that I don't need them to live. I can not get tattooed and live a functional life. I won't be nearly so cool looking or feel so pretty w/my many colors..but they're not like water.
But they're a need for me in that it's a way of self expression. I have huge issues w/my appearance and feel...not good about myself. But I love my tattoos and like how they make me feel about myself.
Money wise...I am on a jewelry forum and some of the people there have crazy insane budgets, and others, like me, need to decide what's important and spend some time socking money away in order to get an heirloom worthy piece. Just like w/tattoos, you get what you pay for, and you need to research where you go. I did my research and got myself an heirloom worthy piece. Sadly I can't pass my tattoos on to my kids haha.
I do feel guilty about the money we've put into our tattoos. (and my jewelry) W/that I can tell JD if he divides the cost by the number of years we've been married, he's got me at a bargain. W/tattoos, I figure-what else can you spend that money on and have forever?

Man, this is a good discussion!
So from the standpoint of a tattooer, tattoos are far more necessity than luxury, if not even investment. Because not only do I need to be heavily tattooed to be taken seriously by both clients and colleagues, but also so that I can relate to people as I am working on them and assure them that I know what they're going through. And even additionally, you learn so much on a technical level from getting tattooed. So the way I see it, I need to keep getting tattooed so that I can be a better tattooer and continue the success of my livelihood. Even at this point, I have so much open space yet I'm in the process of getting one of the largest tattoos a person can get, but even then the need will remain afterward!
I think the term luxury is very relative to the individual circumstances. Also, in general, people do not consider the psychological and spiritual merit of goods and services. Does anyone publicly discuss necessity and luxury in terms of what the soul needs? Because we all know how transformative getting tattooed is, and I think many of us on this journey can say that, without a doubt, getting tattooed has improved the overall quality of our lives. Did we not need that, did it not help us learn how to be who we need to be? Perhaps it did, and perhaps it didn't, but the answer to that question will tell you whether your tattoos are a necessity or not.

Thank you @mmikaoj
I hear ya, perhaps my own thoughts would not have been articulated so well !
I get the stigma too...people look at me covered in tattoos and they think I'm a high roller with a lot of disposable income. So what if it is a luxury we spend our time and money on? That's our business! What people don't get to see is that I've got an education and a respectable profession that I've earned through focus and hard work. That's part of what my tattoos represent to me (I'll explain the root of that feeling below, about my parents ultimatum) Yes, a nice house and nice things. I've been driving my one and only vehicle for the last ten years. I know exactly how much I've spent to cover myself in my tattoos and honestly if you spread that over a decade of getting tattooed it really isn't that insane. And I wouldn't change any of it. We all probably know people that spend an equal amount of time and money on their own passions...like comic books, fast motorcycles,vintage guitars, designer clothes, $50 barber haircuts every other week, cocaine habits...
Tattoos are very interesting from a social perspective...you see lots of struggling folks (who we would stereotype as having a rough time putting food on their table and roof over their head) have many tattoos. Maybe not the highest quality, but nevertheless, a tattoo is a tattoo. Rich folk have many tattoos, good and baaaad quality, some that equate it as a fashion accessory like wearing a sleeve to carrying a Luis Vutton handbag. Through history, where royalty would have exotic tattoos made after trade trips to the Orient. Nomadic people have had tattoos made for centuries. Tattooing really transcends social class and I think the whole tattooing process - from the inception of the idea of "I'm gonna put this picture on my body" to the painful experience of making the tattoo and healing it - appeals to a lot of us and gets us in touch with the human experience. It makes us feel alive. I'm just as interested (if not more) in the scratchy old tattoo the friendly homeless guy on the block made on himself 30 years ago than the rig-worker who got a neo-Japanese sleeve mish-mashed with a samurai, hanya, snake and dragons that yeah sure looks dope but doesn't really mean anything. The jail house tattoos are as equally important as my extensive parlour made ones. Everyone has got a story, I want to hear and see your story!
I laugh to myself...when I think back about the infamous parent-tattoo-ultimatum. They said if I could spend my money on the tattoo then I could surely afford paying my own way, living at home or on my own, cover room/board on top of saving for my tuition while I was a student. Perhaps if I would have got one little tattoo and got the taste of rebellion that would have been it for Bongsau's tattoos. So I waited. And waited. And saved. And waited. And got my first tattoo days after my last engineering exam. I worked hard, got a good job and secure profession and started making bank roll and suddenly my vision of being covered in tattooing wasn't out of reach. Thanks mom n dad ! haha (my dad also said when i was out living on my own, i could sit around and smoke as much dope as i wanted, but not under his roof lol, whoops!)
One thing that has always remained very important to me about tattoos...is that NOBODY can take them away from you..(with the exception of maybe a mad man with a belt sander /jk). Once that tattoo is in your skin, it's all yours. Your parents can't undo it. The bank and the tax man can't take it away from you. The government can't take them away from you. Rich or poor that tattoo is in there! Your life can go to shit in an instant but your tattoos and the stories they tell remain.

"Tattoos are luxury products. It's not something that anyone really needs."
I remember reading it just like that somewhere for the first time and I have heard people expressed the idea since. I've thought about it a lot since and tried to formulate my thoughts on it. I'm not sure yet that I have a definitive comeback that I'd let people quote me on but let's explore the theme for a while.
If you talk about different sorts of needs, in most cases I'd say tattoos are not fundamental to life in the way food, clothes and shelter are. Getting tattooed probably ranks pretty close to the top of Marslows pyramid of needs for most people. Of course there is circumstances where having certain tattoos could save your life (or make you lose it), just think of prison culture in many parts of the world. Many of us have seen the sensational documentary about tattoos of the criminal Russian subculture. You could also argue that sometimes tattoos can help in sexual interaction and from some evolutionary perspective help the poor genes in your body keep life going past your death.
Then there is all the sociological aspects of in-groups and out-groups and how most people try to fit in someplace, if not in the mainstream then somewhere else. Some biologists talk about how having a sharp intellect is an aid in evolution, that it's an important factor in the sexual selection. The intellect in turn would be expressed in external symbols, status symbols, titles, behaviors, the clever words we use to impress each other and tell the world who we are. I've read people arguing that often art: both appreciating (the right) art in front of others (or symbols there of) and the performance/creation of art (or the symbols there of) is also a evolutionary strategy in order to find a mate and make children.
Of course us humans enjoy thinking of ourselves, and humanity, as something more complex than that. At the same time sex and violence/love and death is at the core of both art and the human experience. Right now I am reading a book about evolutionary theory and one of the main points the author makes is that we have to bridge the gap between biology and the humanitarian sciences. Religion and art for example, has it's roots in evolutionary processes but has in part branched out and become so complex over time that often we forget it was created by the human brain, which was in turn formed through evolution.
Maybe that was sort of a side track, decide yourself. Truth is you can not eat your tattoos, they won't shelter you from the elements and keep you warm. (But many people have in different ways made money from making tattoos or having tattoos, to put food on the table in their cave or hut) If I was really running low on cash, say I lost my job, getting tattooed would pretty quick be had to put on hold. So I could eat and pay rent. However, I suspect most people who do get tattoo regularly, especially those LST-forum members, can probably afford to live a pretty comfy lifestyle by a global standard (or even just comparing with people in their own country) and on top of that spend money on this kind of luxury.
Sometimes I can feel guilty about it, like this money could pay for "real things" that could prove helpful. I know my parents think I should be saving money for an apartment to own, and such things, as if I wanted their way of life. Or just put money in the bank for "the future". Once my aunts man asked me how much I paid for a tattoo on my arm and when I told me he exclaimed "But that money could get you a moped!". But I don't want a moped... I said. I think many are provoked by heavily tattooed people for this reason, to different extent.
A funny scene to illustrate this happened last week. By chance I ran into my friend Olle (some people might know him as @tattoo_pilgrim on instagram) outside of Systembolaget (state owned chained of stores in Sweden, the only one who legally can sell alcohol stronger than %3,5) We ended up standing right in front of the store, talking for 10 minutes. All the time people are going into the store to spend money on alcohol. Both me and Olle have tattoos showing, and right next to me sits a Roma woman, begging the shoppers for money. On my foot next to her I have a tattoo of a sleeping bum with a cloudy speech bubble containing the acronym C.R.E.A.M. I don't know exactly how it ties to what I am writing, maybe not at all in the sense of language, but I thought it was an absurd scene to be part of.
I think most middle class people, and even working class people in some countries, can afford to spend huge sums of money on objects, interests and pursuits that are not crucial to their day to day existence. One example I often find myself using is that it is not considered weird to want to spend 20.000 euro on a car, or to lust after a watch for 500 euro. In fact it's culturally sanctioned and encouraged by advertising and other instances of our society.
For me tattooing is great joy on so many levels. I would not be the person I am today without the tattoos, impressions, thoughts and experiences I've collected since 2009 when I got my first piece. I could never have imagined then what it would spiral into. I remember the first time I formulated for my father that tattoos could be a hobby even if you are not making tattoos, or to my new friend in Italy that tattooing was art. It was strange to put those words in my mouth then, I was not sure if I really had thought it through enough. But now, years later, I know that this what I think and feel is good for me.
So spending that money and effort is all worth it. In the same way people enjoy fancy cars, travel the globe to see their favorite band perform, slave away at the gym, put hundreds of euros a month on clubbing, alcohol and drugs, and all other things that may or may not be luxurious to indulge in. And maybe in a way we are doing it because we believe that in this culture it will set us apart in a way that allow our genes to live on. So even if the acts are "un-natural" or superficial, the motivation is very human and basic. It's up for debate
Hmm.. maybe this blog post-length rant is not going anywhere really. As I wrote, this is like a loosely weaved net of ideas that is still shifting in shape and content. Feel free to discuss whatever I wrote or introduce your own ideas tied to the theme.
PS. I studied sociology for a while, but probably not enough to make any sense, perhaps you can tell D.S.

So I finally got my chest piece. So happy with how it came out. By Valerie Vargas of course.

My mom still gives me a stink face when she sees a new one, so I don't tell her about them. I don't hide them, but I don't constantly update her. When she found out I went to Austin (I'm in NYC) for the sole purpose of getting tattooed, she was pretty pissed, though, and served me her A+ guilt-trip game.
Her and her siblings (my uncle and aunt) all seriously dislike tattoos. Yet all their kids have them. It's a bit of sore point for them, but what are you gonna do.

My Mom's gone, and I only get to see my Dad about once a year. He knows I have a couple of tattoos, but I don't think he has any idea of the actual extent. I just don't see the point in upsetting him during the little bit of time we get to spend together (and he's 83). If we lived in the same city then I'd hope he'd get used to it . . .

Being a tattooed old lady is one of the things that actually makes me look forward to aging.

@Tornado6 I'm gonna echo the placement argument here. A few months ago I started a new sleeve, and the first hour or so was spent finalizing the design and figuring out how/where to lay it on my arm. The artist went on to explain how the arm is basically a cylinder, so a cohesive sleeve is about creating an image that complements and enhances your natural movement. (I hope I'm doing justice to his explanation.) So when I bend my arm now, the bottom bird's wing creates this really nice spiral where before was just a hard, 90-degree angle. What I had originally imagined got changed completely, but it was absolutely for the best. I have no gift for composition, haha.
Placement is important for a piecewise sleeve too, of course, but you can get away with a lot more with this approach.
As for the feminine/masculine thing and how people will read it, I don't think you should worry about that. It's going to be on your body, so on days you are feeling more girly, your tattoo will complement it. On days you're feeling tomboyish, your tattoo will it as well. In a way, a tattoo is the ultimate accessory, so how you carry it can change its quality.
I hope this makes sense.

Being a tattooed old lady is one of the things that actually makes me look forward to aging.

Being a tattooed old lady is one of the things that actually makes me look forward to aging.

Hi ladies! Sorry to jump in mid-conversation like this, but I just read through the entire thread, and there were a couple of things I wanted to comment on. Here we go:
I also find myself gravitating towards women's work far more often than men's. That's not to say I don't like the work of male tattooers (I've been tattooed by a few), but I find that I vastly prefer the work of women (however subconsciously).
I think part of it is because tattooing has been a boys' club for such a long time (or at least perceived as such), that I feel much more at ease getting work from lady tattooers than guys. Even with topics like how to dress for a tattoo in a tricky spot, I think female tattooers are much more receptive and understanding of those concerns.
Also, a lot of my tattoos are variations on the "gypsy girl". It's my favorite theme. I like images of strong, expressive women, so to me it makes sense to have a woman be the one to apply that to my body.
In conclusion: girl power!
I, like all women, have been catcalled for most of my life - and I hate it. (It's one of the many reasons I dread summer.) But I noticed that when I started to get more tattooed, the catcalls shifted from disgusting and lascivious to dudes shouting some variation of "I love your tats!". A guy approached me once to in a supermarket to tell me he had "mad respect" for me because of my tattoos. (Let's disregard the fact he only respects me because he thinks I can handle pain and I'm not some ~weak, fragile flower~, which is sexist as hell.)
I still get my fair share of gross shit yelled at me. While it is still vastly unnecessary and uncomfortable to have my body commented on, at the very least some of those comments have shifted to something that doesn't make me fear for my safety, unlike before.

Forgive the lengthy post, but I went through the whole thread and wanted to add a few things to the conversation:
That is an excellent type.
This! Women have to contend with so much douchery while dating, anything that reduces it is great. The problem I consistently run into is that men are “intimidated” by me (I’ve been told this over and over for years, by girlfriends and guys alike). I wear too much black, I look too stern, tattoos make me unapproachable, my job is off-putting — my opinion is that if a man (or woman) is so insecure and frightened by my outward appearance, I want nothing to do with them.
I’ve only had one serious, long-term relationship (6 years) which sunk for reasons far more serious than my tattoos. But, as I started getting work done towards the end of it, he very clearly expressed his dislike. I’ve had other flings with plainskin guys, but they didn’t seem to feel strongly either way about it.
I have quite a bit more work now and I plan to become heavily tattooed, and I can’t see myself with someone who doesn’t support it. I think it would be cool to share ideas and discover artists, and have someone who gets exactly what it means when I say “don’t touch it, it’s fresh”, haha. With that said, I wouldn’t want to get tattooed together. Getting tattooed is something I very much enjoy doing solo and I’d like to keep it that way, whether my SO is tattooed or not.
Girl, I feel you. Putting your phone in front of someone’s face and going “isn’t this the most amazing tattoo you’ve ever SEEN!?!?” to hear a nonchalant “it’s okay” just crushes your enthusiasm.
At first, I got side-eyed by friends and guilt-tripped by my mom all the time (she was a single mom; as a rule, how I spend my money gravely concerns). And yeah, when you add up all those hours of tattooing together, it looks like a lot, but it’s spread out over a long time, with carefully chosen artists whose work I love and find extremely beautiful. People outside of tattooing only see the number, they don’t understand the attachment you have to your own work. That shit is priceless.

For that size, I would go ribs. My ribs aren't done, but I think the thighs are such prime real estate and look super badass with a big piece.

I'd advise you to hold off on hand tattoos for now. Start on your sleeve; maybe your tattooer could even incorporate your hand in a way as awesome as this Seth Wood piece.
Personally, I think hand tattoos with no sleeve just kind of look like a hand stamp you get at a club, or something. Unless we're talking mehndi-like design, then it's whole other thing.

Inconceivable. If there's one thing I have learned at Last Sparrow it's that every tattoo has to have a meaning.

It's been a while, but I just recently got back to reading the forum and looking at what other people are posting as far as new work. By way of jumping back in, it seemed like posting what I've been up to since I last participated in this thread is the right way to go.
This might be a bit of a long one. Sorry.
Sometimes you're in New Orleans. Sometimes you end up with a butterfly. Brent at Uptown Tattoo did this one:

Jake Miller from Cathedral Tattoo in Salt Lake did this little ditch guy for me:

I did a bit of a run of appointments at Great Lakes Tattoo. Erik did this one:

Nick did this one:

And Matt did this one on my calf:

Javier Rodriguez at LTW in Barcelona made this crazy tiger head for me:

John Raftery, who is also at Cathedral in Salt Lake now, did this snake while he was still in New York at Fun City:

Ben Haft at Fun City did the tops of both of my thighs with a sinking ship and a rose of no man's land:


And finally, Mike Suarez at Hand of Glory in Brooklyn was able to squeeze me in on Saturday and do this on my shin:

I picked up a few little bits of filler here and there, too.
Next up is getting my left knee done, I think. All of this has really just motivated me to start thinking about back/chestpieces.
Further down the rabbit hole.

I have a lot of stippling on my forearm from Thomas and my answer is ask me again in twenty years and I'll let you know. My feeling is that, like all tattoos, how well it's going to age is a combination of how I'm going to age and how well the tattoo was made in the first place. I think that Thomas' tattoos will stand up because he's a really good tattooer and puts a lot of thought and care into his tattoos. Ultimately a tattoo will last as long as it lasts, and while I try to take care of my tattoos and myself, I don't dwell too much on the question and I try to get the tattoos that excite me.

Thanks and no worries about using my post as an example. It's a valid concern, just not one that I have. I have thought about it a little, but it wasn't enough to slow me down. My chest rarely sees the sun. When it does, it's when I'm swimming with my kids...and we're super careful with the sunscreen with them, which makes it easy to remember to protect myself.

@Tornado6 I'm gonna echo the placement argument here. A few months ago I started a new sleeve, and the first hour or so was spent finalizing the design and figuring out how/where to lay it on my arm. The artist went on to explain how the arm is basically a cylinder, so a cohesive sleeve is about creating an image that complements and enhances your natural movement. (I hope I'm doing justice to his explanation.) So when I bend my arm now, the bottom bird's wing creates this really nice spiral where before was just a hard, 90-degree angle. What I had originally imagined got changed completely, but it was absolutely for the best. I have no gift for composition, haha.
Placement is important for a piecewise sleeve too, of course, but you can get away with a lot more with this approach.
As for the feminine/masculine thing and how people will read it, I don't think you should worry about that. It's going to be on your body, so on days you are feeling more girly, your tattoo will complement it. On days you're feeling tomboyish, your tattoo will it as well. In a way, a tattoo is the ultimate accessory, so how you carry it can change its quality.
I hope this makes sense.

Hey guys, a quick n00b question: how well do you think stippled/dotwork tattoos age? Everyone here seems to agree on the importance of outlines in making a tattoo last, but that mandala doesn't have one. Just curious.
( @losParanoyas Sorry to use you as an example, haha. I'm getting work from Thomas again soon, so it's not like I'm picking on you/your artist. Excellent tattoos, by the way.)

@sourpussoctopus so true, I wish too!

@dcostello totally crazy you're getting on a plane and coming into town for this. And you too @CultExciter, stoked to meet you! We'll have over 50 pieces to bid on, doing a limited run of t-shirts and a limited print run of the piece Nash did for the flyer.
Without getting too long-winded, this project has really picked up steam and it's been a very humbling experience. The response has been incredible.. to see how the tattoo community has gone all in for this, and to see how positive everyone's reaction has been. It's been stressful but super rewarding and I'm already looking ahead to next year, thinking of what else to do, how to improve it... @ShawnPorter had some good ideas, too. Also have to thank @CultExciter once again for helping me out with getting flyers done -- dude, you were a life saver. We've gotten a little press, had a nice little piece up on Inked mag's blog which you can read here. (Disclaimer: didn't realize it was gonna be a straight up Q+A otherwise I would've tried to sound a little more intelligent with the As.)
Attached a few photos for your viewing pleasure for those that don't have Instagram, since most of the online presence has all been through that. T-shirt design by the very talented Matt Arriola, a piece by Tim Hendricks and the last image is by Cheyenne Randall, who goes by Indian Giver on Instagram.. really talented artist who is one of the few non-tattooers that's part of the show. A bunch of you probably know his "shopped tattoos" work that blew up a little last year.. but he's also done some great work with Shepard Fairey and Honor the Treaties, an art advocacy group for issues facing native people. Check those guys out, too, really awesome stuff.
The show is less than a week away so I hope anyone in the area can make it out!

Just finished with the captain america coverup on my left arm. The pic was right after, so a little swollen and still a little bleeding, but anyway.....

Had my 2nd session with Thomas Hooper yesterday. Mostly dot shading and mostly sat okay for it. Much easier than the line work during our first session.