The Tig

Howdy folks. My name is Rachael :rolleyes:
I've only been tattooing since last year of June.
I now work at Spectrum tattoos on E. Dakota St. Bay view WI
If anyone is interested in making an appointment with me
email me or call at
[email protected]
414-800-5019
Facebook




I also do digital art

Clever bird name! :D
A year ago, I was out in the back yard with the dogs when I see a green parakeet land on the porch. The seed feeder was empty and he was looking for food. I managed to keep the dogs back when the chihuahua walks right up to it and the bird didn't fly off. I do the same and reach down. It hops on my hand! Obviously a hand fed pet that was released or escaped and will die outside, being so tame.
I think the word has gotten out among animals that our house is a sanctuary (we have 5 adopted dogs and 3 cats). We bought him a female to keep him from getting lonely. He moved in on her right away, preening her face and playing Barry White records. Sadly, he no longer jumps on our hands and instead protects his woman.

My lady and I just got a pet bird, he's a fancy green cheeked conure and he's just about 12 weeks old. Since we're both tattoo nerds and because puns are irresistible, his name is Oliver Peck. Haha.
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My recent tattoo and my previous tattoo were done 17 years apart. That's a pretty long time for us.
During that time a divorce (and child support) and then another marriage have kept my money away from most luxuries. Plenty of great times happened in between tattoos with my priorities and responsibilities being all over the place. The whole time I kept putting my next tattoo off, but it was still nagging me in the back of my mind... I finally gave in and am extremely happy with the new addition to my skin. I feel more alive. More confident. I want to keep "expressing myself" for lack of a better term.
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Here's something to think about:
How many objects do you own that are relatively old, as in stuff you've had most of your life?
I'm 52 and only a very few objects I've had more than 30 years. I've seen so many things I once thought were important become distant memories. Cars, bikes, guitars, clothes, and even some art are all gone.
So, I love the longevity of tattoos, even my 25 year old tribal bear paw print on the shoulder. The commitment runs deep when it becomes a part of you.

i swear by this method !Tattooing is very demanding on the body. Not just the needle-to-skin pain but the process is very hard on the muscles and tendons, counteracting whatever contorted position and force your tattooer puts you in. ALWAYS stretch before a tattoo. This is so important. Not just a quickie stretch a minute before you jump on the table but stretch the week leading up to the tattoo, the night before, the morning of...hell, just stretch all the time! It's good for your health :)

My recent tattoo and my previous tattoo were done 17 years apart. That's a pretty long time for us.
During that time a divorce (and child support) and then another marriage have kept my money away from most luxuries. Plenty of great times happened in between tattoos with my priorities and responsibilities being all over the place. The whole time I kept putting my next tattoo off, but it was still nagging me in the back of my mind... I finally gave in and am extremely happy with the new addition to my skin. I feel more alive. More confident. I want to keep "expressing myself" for lack of a better term.
- - - Updated - - -
Here's something to think about:
How many objects do you own that are relatively old, as in stuff you've had most of your life?
I'm 52 and only a very few objects I've had more than 30 years. I've seen so many things I once thought were important become distant memories. Cars, bikes, guitars, clothes, and even some art are all gone.
So, I love the longevity of tattoos, even my 25 year old tribal bear paw print on the shoulder. The commitment runs deep when it becomes a part of you.

The pain did take my mind off the tattoo pain, that's for sure! But it made me want to squirm because I hurt so much. When I had a few minutes reprieve (post-stretch/break), the tattooing felt blissful/fine then the non-tattoo related pain would creep in. Yes, it was a distraction but an unwelcome one! We tried a roll of paper towels under my butt, so I could sort of lean back onto it and it didn't make a difference. This is the first time I've had this happen, and I've had some sessions where I've been in super odd positions for the same length of time. It was a strange experience this weekend.

Wow, what a great thread this turned out to be. I read it all and you've been bringing up some very interesting points and perspectives. I want to thank _everybody_ who contributed so far!

Luxury or not there is a particular stigma about money and tattoos that doesn't seem to apply to other goods and services. I had a friend (who has tattoos and knows what they cost) say to me when I started my sleeve something like, "You guys must be doing pretty well," which kinda stuck in my craw. I mean would anybody say that to someone if they pulled up in a Lexus instead of a sh*tbox car? Both take you from point A to B. Why go out to dinner when you can just eat rice & beans from the bulk bin for every meal?
For me the experience of getting tattooed is definitely worth something -- like going to a spa or something. But when you get a massage you don't walk away with anything except a good feeling and that fades. There are also few things in life that are truly one-of-a-kind other than a painting or a sculpture, but with tattoos you carry the art with you all the time.
As far as the money goes, I do feel guilty about it sometimes for reasons I can't quite explain. Then again since I quit drinking and smoking weed, tattoos are pretty much my only vice, and if I added up the $$$ spent on booze and certain illicit substances, I can say with some certainty I'm well ahead of the game!

Tattoos are a luxury good, but they are also in a way the anti-luxury good. I hate having a lot of possessions, and I hate how society encourages us to buy new, not reduce the amount of things being put into production. Tattoos are anti-production because they are a luxury we can have, that go with us to die, and leave no additional lasting fingerprint afterwards (anyone who's had to deal with what to do with a loved one's possessions after they have passed will understand the struggle!). I like the idea of them being a statement against physical goods and against wastefulness.

"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.

Welcome to LST. I just saw those tattoos you did on your grandma's hands and face. Now she'll never get a job! ;)

@hogg That sounds okay, but I think I have you beat because I made this guy:

Don't think I've seen this one mentioned: support_good_tattooing is wasting huge amounts of my time the past few days.

For the first time, I saw tattoos I recognized from Instagram in public (and in a non-tattoo setting like a convention or shop). I was walking down the boardwalk in OCMD and saw a kid with the back of his calves done by Civ. They were two of my favorite tattoos, so it was cool to actually see them. I guess it was bound to happen. I wish I'd had the chance to talk to the kid about them, but it was pretty crowded and I only noticed them in passing.

Agree with your perspective on instagram.
For me it's the methadone substitute to my addiction. Not as good as getting a tattoo, but viewing the work still stimulates me. The challenge for me has been following too many tattoo artist and get away from the "disposable" aspect that you stated. I follow and unfollow based on content. I've cut the list down considerably and challenge myself on seeing a tattoo and being able to pick the artist. By my memory I'm really good, but that's MY memory.

The next one is the larger one with the light on the front, it would be the outside of the leg you can see it in the first picture of the plan.
That one is is going to have a green background on it.
In the new year I will then do the Penny Farthing which is the one with the huge wheel, I believe it will have a purple background.
The other 2 will have red and yellow but I'm not sure how long until I get back to have those done.

Kruseman does at least appear to be one of the more decent human beings. Have to say, I was happy for Duffy when she won that victorian challenge. This show, as sucky and annoying as it may be, is still one of our guilty pleasure shows...

Maggie's body is covered in tattoos, and her parents have no idea. So we made a video for Maggie to show her parents the tattoos she's been hiding. Made by Bianca Giaever and This American Life.

Granddaughter's 6th birthday party yesterday.

We noticed that "Marshall" the mule next door was in distress. We found he had a 2 1/2" infected cut on his lower leg. The owners disappear for weeks at a time so we had to call the SPCA. The poor guy can barely walk and needs immediate medical care.

Maggie's body is covered in tattoos, and her parents have no idea. So we made a video for Maggie to show her parents the tattoos she's been hiding. Made by Bianca Giaever and This American Life.

Maggie's body is covered in tattoos, and her parents have no idea. So we made a video for Maggie to show her parents the tattoos she's been hiding. Made by Bianca Giaever and This American Life.

it gets interesting when you go forearm which i did this summer onto both forearms - i wear short sleeves at work (school counselor at a primary school) and as i predicted the kids love them and the adults have a multitude of comments and questions which have mostly died down
its funny as my overall coverage increases i get more comments and let me tell you it is quite a revealing experience in terms of the social skills defecits that many adults around me have
i myself feel that i have quite good tact when speaking with others - understanding what topics or commentary are in good form or poor taste, etc - but those around me - wow
"how much did that cost, how can you afford that?"
"why would you do that to yourself?"
"what do you think you'll look like when you're 80?"
and of course "what does it mean, it must mean something?"
but i have no regrets going below the elbow and i intend to add more :)
its funny though - i'm telling my wife how so many times in conversations that peoples eyes dart around to my tattooed areas and how that feels weird - she said - "now you know what it's like to have cleavage"

Thanks for the feedback guys.
The Tig, you mention "images each with a unique style" that would be interesting too. But the plan is that they will all be from the same artists and will be in the same style as the tricycle.
The only part that I am thinking over is the color schemes at this point. The current plan is that the bikes will always be blue but have different accent colors (Green, Purple, Red, Yellow), but I did have the thought to make both the bikes and accent colors change, I just thought that seemed too busy for me.

Maggie's body is covered in tattoos, and her parents have no idea. So we made a video for Maggie to show her parents the tattoos she's been hiding. Made by Bianca Giaever and This American Life.