joakim urma

I'm currently reading Last Words, by William S. Burroughs. It's his collected journals from november 1996 until he died in july 1997. I first got to know his name when I was interested in the beat generation authors about 10 years ago. Tried reading some of his cut up-stuff then but couldn't get into it. Now I picked this book up at in book shop i Poland this summer and getting to know him this way.

If you think about it, people have been getting tattooed long before there were any electric tattoo machines, even long before there were any electricity (even long before there were any "civilization").. so what's the traditional method?

- I hope my pain threshold holds up for another few years so I can get the worst spots done without too much trauma. Or else I'd have to resort to using cream, which would feel like a cop out after having gone this far au natural.

- I hope being at a steady schedule at work will be more good than bad. Yay to: predictability, stable cash flow, real free time. Oh shit! to: not being as free to take time off, becoming an adult.

- I hope I manage to direct my free time and energy to wortwhile and fulfilling pursuits and not just waste it on stupid time sinks and laziness.

- I hope to learn a lot of new things about the world and about myself. More personal development and unlocking of doors

- New friends, new trips, new experiences. Hardships and bliss.

- A post-capitalist society with freedom, peace and eco-friendly mindset

@bongsau Thank you! A practical question, when you're healing your ass, how does that affect your daily life? Can you sit down normally at all? I'm thinking if it's possible with a few hour long flight soon after...

@Cork @bongsau

Yeah they both wanted to put two big eyes on my cheeks... But I opted out of that, not fond of eye-tattoos. Probably it's going to be Iain who will get to do it in the end anyhow. I think that all this thinking about ass (tattoos) has made me enjoy non-figurative tattoo styles a lot more. For me it would be kind of weird to have an image on the ass, like why d'ya have that for? I think Junior Goussain, Tomas Tomas, Curly, Jeroen Franken or Gerhard Weisbeck would be my top choices now if it were not for how far away they live from me/having to travel with a newly tattooed butt.

Here's one that I like

Tas Danazoglou made it on Guy Le Tatooer

@The Tig

Hooper is just how I hope to be when I get mine done. I think I might be hoping for too much, fuck it's going to be nasty

@Hands On

That ass is phenomenal. I don't care as much for the whole tattoo, something with the layout and proportions feel off to me. But dat ass!

Come on, once you get most of your thighs done and the backpiece is in place (not covering the your whole behind) sooner or later a time comes for getting the ass tattooed. Am I right? Would look really weird of you saved that part of your body but covered the rest. Personally I'm leaning towards marquesan style tribal, but haven't really thought too hard about this yet.

So for those of us who was not smart enough to extend the backpiece the whole way down, what are good type of designs/subjects/styles to be put bellow the belt? This is a threat to discuss and post pictures of your favorite tattoos centered around the butt.

@jadore Cool! Trieste is a nice city, I liked it a lot. Been tattooed at Original Classic twice. Amazing place and Rudy is the best. Wish I could slow down time when talking to him so I could absorb it all, he's got a lot to teach those who listen.

Just got thumbs up from ol' Rudy Fritsch about the Scottish Convention in march next year. Getting my second elbow tattooed. Iain Mullen did my right elbow more than three years ago, and him + Rudy finished my backpiece at the convention this year. So this feels just perfect. Looking forward a lot!

Since your original artist doesn't seem to want to finish it, just ask him/her if it's cool that you go to someone else. This way your honest to everybody involved. If the artist says it's not ok and still don't want to continue, go to a new artist anyway. It's your body, your choice.

Welcome! :)

So in love with that Jeff Zuck piece ^

Here's one that's all ready healed, hairy, a bit dry and shiny:

Chad Koeplinger made this at the Stockholm Inkbash in august this year. I wanted a meditating figure but not in buddhist or hindu style and send him a bunch of different ideas of present and historical cultures/religions to get him started. I was very happy when I arrived for the appointment and he decided to not draw one of my suggestions, and instead made this hopi indian in a thunderstorm. Also this is the first tattoo with tattoos that I have my body, and the first swastika. Happy about that

Welcome to the forum!

Interesting questions, I hope we get some answers to them

Also: let's see some of your tattoos!

@Pigmentos

Wow, well fought! Mine was around three hours and it was more then enough for me. Considering the size I'd stay armpit is the worst spot I ever gotten tattooed.

Really the big things and the small things in this thread, that's what I like about it. Positivity vibes!

Last week I visited a long time friend in her new home city for the first time, after she'd allready lived there for four years. That was nice in and of itself. She told me that she just learned to really believe in compliments that people give her, and for the first time got those warm feelings that an honest compliment can give. I could relate a whole lot and realized I too changed in this aspect over the past years. We talked about that and coincidently I got four really nice compliments by other people just around that week.

By my friends kid: - Mommy is good! And you are good too!

By my friends friend: - You're great at hanging out with kids

By random girl getting off the train, where I was drawing in my notebook: - I just have to say: that looks really nice!

By a person I am seeing: - You are really very fine in bed

Each compliment of course boosted my all ready alarming illusions of grandeur to new hights in their own way ;)

Welcome Hassan!

Never heard anything about tattooing in Pakistan. Would be very interested to hear about how common it is and what kind of attitude people have towards it over there. What kind of styles and motifs are popular? Are people doing tattoo adaptation of traditional Pakistani folk art? Do you as an artist, and people with tattoos, face discrimination? I have a lot of questions. Any info and stories would be very interesting.

@SeeSea

Sounds like a one of a kind experience, go for it! Also sounds like total madness.

Just booked in to do the touch up session on my backpiece finally. Also going to make sure I get help with making photos of my recent tattoos that haven't been posted anywhere

Some from the past year. I think I did them in this order too. Watercolors and black marker.

It's fun to look back and see what you keep doing over and over again, and what you would do different now.

I think it looks great! Good choice :)

Been meditating every day for the past two weeks. Feels really good to get back to my old practice after I had to stop due to turbulent life and a messed up back late this spring. It's amazing the effect, even now when I feel very "out of it" and have a hard time concentrating and sucessfully being in the mind frame where I try to go. I've slept really good these past two weeks and I usually have problem sleeping. Also I feel much calmer and centered throughout the day, I worry less. While I sit, trying to meditate, I come up with solutions to problems spontaneusly, just from sitting down and turning away from distractions and inputs. Now I just started to add extra minutes, hopefully I'll be back to sitting for 30 min within 2 months or so. Mental fitness

Also I've been reading Paul Wades book Convict Conditioning, on body weight exercising, and will make time today to write a training regime for myself to follow. Each of the 6 main exercises has 10 steps where you start from the bottom and work your way up over time as you gain strenght in muscles and joints. So it's going to be a schedule of 6 exercises and once I can do about 3 sets of 20-30 reps on each exercise I'll make a new one with step 2.

Hopefully this will be good for me, I never liked going to the gym and have tried training at home but never commited to a regime.

@sophistre

People have been telling me to read The Selfish Gene for years. I think I will soon.

By the way if you are into Chuck Palahniuk I really recommend the Amy Hempel book I wrote about above. I think his humor and way of letting the reader go inside the head of the main character almost positively has to be influenced by Hempels storytelling. It's great, I'm sure you will enjoy it.

You can also check Joel Madberg, @joel_soos on instagram. He sometimes does some japanese traditional with his own twist to it, I think it's really cool. But mostly he's doing more american style work. He's a nice guy, fun conversations.

I know for a fact by the way that Iain is not very busy these days so I'm sure that you will be able to land a spot with him. Good luck!