Matthew Thomas

In some ways, that is true at times. But my previous post was not about that. I will choose for myself, whether wisely or unwisely, what to say, do, think, and feel, and I am responsible for what I choose. You may choose what to think, say, feel or do to me, but that is also your choice which you are responsible for. It is not my place to tell you how to choose, nor am I responsible for what you choose. I'm not attempting to get a rise out of anyone. I'm just saying, feel free to feel how you choose to feel about me, but own that choice.
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With the exception of calling a machine a gun, who decides what terms are proper or correct? These are all words that to me, mean the same thing. Tattoo is one word that describes markings made on the body with ink. All the other terms that people use to describe them mean exactly the same thing. People call money different slang terms, but I don't see accountants getting all upset because I called a dollar bill a greenback, do you? And yes, tattooists do try to steer people away from tattoos that they don't think they will be happy with, but that's not the same as one person telling another what to think or say. You can ask members of a community to change something. Some will comply, others won't. It doesn't mean that the people who choose not to comply don't respect the community. It's just means that they think and choose for themselves.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion of me. However, acknowledgement of that entitlement does not imply any obligation on my part to rectify the opinions of others, nor does it imply that rectification of anyone's opinion is required. I have been called fat, stupid, ugly, cracker, bald-headed bastard, etc etc. None of these words mean anything to me, nor will they ever. I will describe the art on my body as I choose. Those who don't like it are free to feel how they choose to about it.

Referring to a machine as a gun is more of a habit then anything. Grew up hearing it called that, have heard almost everyone I've ever known who has tattoos call it that and even a few tattooists, and I'm trying to break that habit. As far as the other terms, tattoo artists and people who have tattoos live in a world where conformity is akin to a mortal sin (at least in my mind), so why try to tell people what terms they are allowed to use to describe their art? You might as well tell them what tattoos to get (or not get). I'm not purposely rude or offensive unless someone is to me first, but I hardly see how the words I use to describe the art on my body is going to hurt anyone else, and if it is, grow a thicker skin. You can get through the pain of a tattoo, but catch feelings when you don't like the words another person uses to describe their art? I think we are being a little too sensitive to words here. I'm a non-conformist. I do, say, think and feel what I choose, not what someone else chooses for me.

1, other forms of self-harm including incarceration? I mean yeah, incarceration isn't fun but it's not something most people do to themselves on purpose to hurt themselves or others. 2, I'm a christian and I have tattoos, including a grim reaper. I'm not one of the ones who shove it down people's throats and I don't judge anyone for how they believe or don't believe. But just...wow. I'm as offended as anyone else with tattoos would be, maybe more. I can't believe the person said they are little better than comic book drawings. I'm astounded in this day and age that someone could still have such a primitive ideology about tattoos. It's sad that people can still be so prejudiced and close minded about something as mainstream as tattooing.

Can't make this shit up. Two recent conversations from the bar.
Number One!
Me: What're you up to tonight?
Girl: Well I supposed to get tattooed but my tattoo artists rejected me!
Me: What?! What happened?
Girl: (Pulls out a piece of paper with a crazy long math/physics equation and begins to unfold to show me.) Well, I was supposed to get this on my finger, but--
Me: (Bursts out laughing) Yeah, that ain't going on your finger...
Girl: He laughed at me, too!
Me: Yeah. Sorry to laugh, it's just so long you won't be able to get it that small and still see what it is. What about on your arm, or wrapping around your wrist?
Girl: Yeah, that's what he suggested, too. Especially because it's my only tattoo or whatever. But I'm a programmer and I want to look at it while I'm working at the keyboard. He also suggested that I shouldn't get it in white.
Me: White.. ink?
Girl: Yeah. Because it's for me. And I don't want anyone else to just be able to see it like that.
Me: Sounds like maybe you should think about it some more..
After that initial talk we had a pretty cool conversation about the equation and the dual reality somethingorother it pertains to. She was a super smart person in that realm for sure. I left her with the suggestion of getting a cat in a box as a much cooler design (part of this theory about a cat being in a box with the lid closed and there being two realities..) but she was pretty set on the equation.
Number Two!
The set up here.. it was late, this chick was at the bar for a while so obviously a little drunk.
Girl: Hey, you get your tattoos here?
Me: Yeah, mostly, at this point kind of all over.
Girl: Where should I go?
Me: Hard to go wrong in this neighborhood, Three kings, Eight of Swords, Adorned, Saved...
Girl: Are they open?
Me: When...?
Girl: Now.
Me: It's almost two in the morning -- no shops are open right now.
Girl: Really? None??
Me: You could go into the city and check out West 4th St. but I really encourage you to not do that.
Girl: So.. there are no tattoo shops open in Brooklyn right now is what you're telling me.
Me: That's what I'm telling you.
Girl: (Takes her drinks that I made her and begins to walk away.) Fuck this borough.
And I thought that would be the end of it! She came back and wanted to talk some more.
Girl: So, it says XXSHOPXX is right off of XXSTREETXX -- is that close by?
Me: It's not far but I'm telling you it's not open. Why don't you just wait?
Girl: YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND. My friend over there is only in town tonight and we won't be in the same city again for like maybe a couple years.
Me: Well that might work better, you can both get great tattoos in your respective cities and they'll probably be way better than trying to get it in at like 2 AM. You could get something awesome!
Girl: Nope, you don't get what I'm saying.
Me: (Past the point of patience and I can't walk away because I'm making them another round of drinks.) It sounds like you probably shouldn't get tattooed. It sounds like a bad idea is what I think you're saying.
Girl: Well aren't they all?
Me: I'm sorry..?
Girl: All of this (pointing to my arms) -- you can't tell me any of this is actually a good idea.
Me: Did you really just say that?
Girl: Well, I mean, come on.. when you're 90. They're going to look like shit.
Me: No, they're going to look awesome and I'm going to be an awesome 90 yr old with tattoos that I didn't get at fucking two in the morning. This is going to be your last round, I'll have the server bring your check over and you can still make it over to West 4th, the cab ride shouldn't be much more than $20!
Girl: Whatever.
Me: Have a good night! Good luck!
Hope I'm not sounding like too much of an asshole.. My bar persona is always ten thousand times nicer than my real life demeanor but this second girl really pushed it. I'll put up with a lot of idiots and I know how to handle plenty of bullshit but when you outright insult me in my own bar..? You're done. I hope she went and got tattooed.. everyone gets the tattoo they deserve!

I'm just super glad that we worked it out and she was able to fix it for me. It's not a "perfect" tattoo, but it appeals to me in its own weird, funny way. I'm the kind of person who digs things others might consider low-quality, like ratty bikes or beat-up old furniture. This might be a super low rent, ratty black star but dammit, it's MY super low rent, ratty black star :p
P.S. Even sometimes with a good artist, not every tattoo comes out perfect. In case the artist who did it ever reads this, I'm NOT dissing you. You did your best and I completely respect that. I don't think this tattoo is ratty or low rent. I used those words to turn up my nose at any "potential" snobs who may not accept this as a "good" tattoo. Not every tattoo has to be technically perfect to have an appeal. And the way I see it, if the tattoo appeals to the person wearing it, that's all that matters. All the tattoo elite can say anything they want. You're a very good artist, and I'll defend your work no matter what. And I really do like this star.

It's still not perfect, but it's better than it was. My artist definitely appreciated the cookies.

Just saw this on facebook.
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www.facebook.com/HorribleTattoos
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The picture is not from the page I linked, it's from a different page.

LOL no,you can keep your crackhead loser asshole politicians !

If I go into a shop and ask for a price on a tattoo, I realize two things. One, I may not be able to afford it right away, and two, the price is not set in stone until the actual design is drawn up, unless it's flash art which I have not gotten in a long time and probably never will again.
It's funny, my current artist has a wall full of flash and has never once directed me to it. But even if I happened to have some money while discussing the price of my next piece, I still may not have the amount I need. Sometimes I even know that I'm asking way far in advance. But my artist will still quote me a price and even write it down on a card. But if I wanted the piece sooner, I would still say, "hey, I can't afford that right now, so I'll just wait until I have the rest of the money".
And I have a perfect analogy. I built my own custom motorbike about a year ago (nothing fancy, just a bicycle with a minibike engine). I knew from the outset it wouldn't be cheap. I built it from the bare frame up, and some people were nice and helped me out with some of the parts I needed. But I had to wait to have the money for a lot of the parts I needed. Online vendors usually don't haggle over price. And if I'd been impatient and rushed to build the bike with substandard parts, it would not have come out the way I was imagining it. And I feel the same applies to tattoos. If you want it for less than its worth, rush to get it done or go to a substandard artist, it's not going to be what you want. Every potential client really ought to keep that in mind.

This is ONLY my personal opinion and before expressing it I realize that some people will disagree. So please keep that in mind. The eagle, skulls, HD logo and the flag are all part of a style referred to as Americana or American Traditional. Of all of the Americana tattoos I have seen, the more things incorporated into a single design, the more overdone it seems to be. Again, only my personal opinion. And like I said, many will not agree with me on that. I just happen to think that Americana looks much better when kept simple. The thing is, even though your current tattoo is "worn" as you say, there is still a strong possibility that it could be a quality tattoo. If you show it to us, we can all offer opinions on that. But ultimately, you are the person who has to live with the tattoo, and if you don't like it you don't like it. But if it is quality work, then there is the option of another quality artist touching it up for you. Sometimes if you liked something enough to get it in the first place, then you might like it enough to keep it if it were touched up a bit. But as far as the cover-up goes, the best person to ask for advice is the artist who will be doing it. I would be sure to go to someone who is experienced at doing cover-ups, and ask to see their portfolio if they have one. Sometimes it's best to take different elements you like and break them up into more than one design. Sometimes these elements work well together, and if you go to a competent professional artist, they will have a good instinct as to how to design a piece that you will be happy with. It's not always best to just go to an artist who will just do whatever you want instead of sharing their ideas with you. Either way, good luck and welcome!

This thread has been very enlightening. For my last tattoo, I applied ice immediately after to reduce the swelling, because I read that reducing the swelling makes for lighter scabs and faster healing. It helped with the soreness a lot, but there was still some heavy scabbing in certain areas. Next time I will try hot water first and then ice, to get all the crap out of my pores before reducing the swelling. Thanks guys!

My artist is also doing MLP tattoos for the entire month of April in support of the Morones boy. $40 cash and $15 from each tattoo goes to his medical fund. 2 designs to choose from, a purple pony and a blue one (don't know their names because I don't watch the show).
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For the record, I'm also glad I stuck around @HaydenRose. Lesson learned: don't leave the party just because someone shit on your birthday cake. Instead, break out the expensive wine and don't let the shitheads have any!

I'm a bigger guy, standing at 6 ft 2 and weighing in a few hairs under 3 bills. I honestly have never given a thought to what a fat person looks like tattooed, because it makes no nevermind to me. Never thought for a second about placement or visibility vs body type or any other dumb shit. I personally don't believe that tattoos and body shape should have anything to do with each other, one way or the other. Just my personal opinion.

I think we are missing the point here. I would totally put a bumper sticker on a Ferrari. Especially one that says "I have a Ferrari, and you dont."

Something tells me her body probably wouldn't turn my head without tattoos and from engulfing everything she has her opinion on I have to add mine to say that she definitely isn't good enough for a tattoo and will die the prude that she is.....without illustration.

Got this done today. 4 hours under the needle. Can't even tell it's a cover-up. Absolutely love this tattoo. Favorite one so far. Lindsay Fulk, Prismatic Ink Tattoo, Lebanon, PA.

I'm actually envious of bigger people who get tattooed whether "fat" or "built", trying being a skinny short arse and getting tattooed, not enough real estate for Tattoo's! In all seriousness fuck what people think, enjoy getting tattooed and proudly showing them no matter what body shape you are. Tattoo's are not just an accessory for Gym Bro's showing their guns.

Here is how I have found peace and happiness in my life. As a non-conformist, I believe very strongly in my right to feel, think, say and do what I choose for myself, not what others choose for me. With the right to this choice comes the responsibility to choose what is best for myself and the people I choose to be responsible for. I am literally responsible for my own happiness. No one and nothing else can make me unhappy unless I allow it to. I freed myself from the chains of conformity and stripped society of its right to judge me. Though they will still try, their judgments have absolutely no authority over my life or my being. You will never be happy trying to conform, because you'll never be "good enough" for anyone but yourself.

I'm a bigger guy, standing at 6 ft 2 and weighing in a few hairs under 3 bills. I honestly have never given a thought to what a fat person looks like tattooed, because it makes no nevermind to me. Never thought for a second about placement or visibility vs body type or any other dumb shit. I personally don't believe that tattoos and body shape should have anything to do with each other, one way or the other. Just my personal opinion.

I decided against the coffee, because I didn't want to amp myself up too much. Figured it would be easier to stay calm this way. So, I got there a few minutes after she opened, and she had another client getting ready to sit down. I asked her if I could talk to her for a minute, and she came over to the side and I quietly explained the situation. I did it quietly so as not to alarm the other client or make him think she doesn't do good work. I showed her where the star was uneven, and she agreed that the best way to make it all even was to fill it in all black. She was very understanding, and I made sure to explain to her from the start that I was not angry or upset and nor was I planning to drop her as my artist. We both remained calm and reasonable and were able to reach an agreement without either one of us becoming upset. I'm very glad we did, and this makes me want to stick with her even more. I have an appointment for some other work this coming Tuesday, and she said she would have time to go over the star then. I'm just so glad that it went well. It's a tough call asking an artist to cover their own work, but she was reasonable and understanding about the whole thing and I feel very lucky to be able to have her as an artist. It takes a strong person to be able to look at their mistakes and say, "yeah, I messed up, but I'll make it right".

I'm a bigger guy, standing at 6 ft 2 and weighing in a few hairs under 3 bills. I honestly have never given a thought to what a fat person looks like tattooed, because it makes no nevermind to me. Never thought for a second about placement or visibility vs body type or any other dumb shit. I personally don't believe that tattoos and body shape should have anything to do with each other, one way or the other. Just my personal opinion.

I'm a bigger guy, standing at 6 ft 2 and weighing in a few hairs under 3 bills. I honestly have never given a thought to what a fat person looks like tattooed, because it makes no nevermind to me. Never thought for a second about placement or visibility vs body type or any other dumb shit. I personally don't believe that tattoos and body shape should have anything to do with each other, one way or the other. Just my personal opinion.

I decided against the coffee, because I didn't want to amp myself up too much. Figured it would be easier to stay calm this way. So, I got there a few minutes after she opened, and she had another client getting ready to sit down. I asked her if I could talk to her for a minute, and she came over to the side and I quietly explained the situation. I did it quietly so as not to alarm the other client or make him think she doesn't do good work. I showed her where the star was uneven, and she agreed that the best way to make it all even was to fill it in all black. She was very understanding, and I made sure to explain to her from the start that I was not angry or upset and nor was I planning to drop her as my artist. We both remained calm and reasonable and were able to reach an agreement without either one of us becoming upset. I'm very glad we did, and this makes me want to stick with her even more. I have an appointment for some other work this coming Tuesday, and she said she would have time to go over the star then. I'm just so glad that it went well. It's a tough call asking an artist to cover their own work, but she was reasonable and understanding about the whole thing and I feel very lucky to be able to have her as an artist. It takes a strong person to be able to look at their mistakes and say, "yeah, I messed up, but I'll make it right".

I decided against the coffee, because I didn't want to amp myself up too much. Figured it would be easier to stay calm this way. So, I got there a few minutes after she opened, and she had another client getting ready to sit down. I asked her if I could talk to her for a minute, and she came over to the side and I quietly explained the situation. I did it quietly so as not to alarm the other client or make him think she doesn't do good work. I showed her where the star was uneven, and she agreed that the best way to make it all even was to fill it in all black. She was very understanding, and I made sure to explain to her from the start that I was not angry or upset and nor was I planning to drop her as my artist. We both remained calm and reasonable and were able to reach an agreement without either one of us becoming upset. I'm very glad we did, and this makes me want to stick with her even more. I have an appointment for some other work this coming Tuesday, and she said she would have time to go over the star then. I'm just so glad that it went well. It's a tough call asking an artist to cover their own work, but she was reasonable and understanding about the whole thing and I feel very lucky to be able to have her as an artist. It takes a strong person to be able to look at their mistakes and say, "yeah, I messed up, but I'll make it right".