I had my head tattoo finished two days ago and I wanted to write more about my thoughts and experiences being a heavily tattooed person while it was in the healing stages.

I’ve also been neglecting cyberspace lately, so I wanted to put a lot more effort into this entry.

---

---

i live in a country where many people have tattoos. In my relatively small city there are probably 70+ tattoo shops. Most that do just have one, or a few small ones. I’ve been getting tattoos since I was about thirteen years old… However I have more visual tattoos than most other people (hands, neck and face). I have been in older tattoo magazines and tattoo shows because of them.

i haven’t honestly had many bad interactions. Many people look on curiously or stare politely, some ask question and now and then I get compliments. I’ve only had one negative interaction (so far) years ago from an elderly woman on the street and haven’t lost any personal or work opportunities. This also includes my time living in Tokyo which actually presented me with new opportunities despite its reputation on having a negative attitude towards tattooed foreigners. I met people through their curiosity, I was tattooed twice in Shibuya and I had even met a friendly yakuza man in a Yoshinoya (a small fast food restaurant) during Christmas day with my girlfriend who was eager to show us his own traditional tsuchigumo spider he had across his entire back (I now have one on my ankle too!) I also had the chance to meet Lyle Tuttle in my own city before he had passed away, which was extremely cool, as well as Eric the when I was a teenager, who is a well known sideshow performer with world records related to his body modifications and showmanship.

In the west religious ideals and political scrutiny seems to ebb and flow naturally- and with the rise of more puritanical thought processes these days there are a lot of “loud” ideas online about tattoos, particularly (and spitefully) directed towards women most of the time. With these people there is zero ambiguity or understanding and the most insidious voices also link it to their views on how the “low IQ” people affect society negatively as a whole. They feel things have become too lax, decadent or anomic around them and see tattoos as a symptom of that- holding onto stereotypes that are lagging behind reality, lashing out venomously.

However much to their own Chagrin (if they even realize it) when people react this way it just makes the tattoos (or art in general) more intriguing to the general public again. It essentially lifts it up for everyone to see. It is the simple cause and effect that sometimes regarding things as more explicit makes them more interesting, especially if the craftsmanship is well done or it presents new ideas or perspectives. Some people even get tattooed because they -want- to be considered as an outsider to those sorts of people. (Shocker)

Thankfully on the flipside… most normal people are aware tattoos have been around for thousands of years. Otzi the iceman from the alps being one example from 3300 BC. the siberians and Egyptians also had tattooed mummies. It is completely normal for humans to express themselves with their appearance and every individual has a particular line between what they consider to be modification or mutilation.

Thracians, Crusaders, Tsars of Russia, European kings, SS Nazis, Americans on both sides of the civil war, sailors, the Māori, the Inuit, the Ainu, Vikings, the picts, scythians, circus performers, Sir Winston Churchill, George Orwell… even Thomas Edison had mysterious geometric dots on his arm. He also created the electric pen which was later patented by Samuel O’Reilly as the first electric tattoo machine. All of these sorts of people had tattoos and as the culture shifts in the future, I believe tattoos will always continue to adapt.

---

---

As for me personally, I’m just one person and I’ve gotten tattoos since I was young and I had never really thought about how others viewed them. I just simply liked them. I think if malicious people wanted me to doubt myself there would be easier ways to make me feel insecure like my bad skin, being raised in a trailer park or my own artistic abilities. I honestly wish I could be as confident in other places in my life as I am about my tattoos. Ironically even though my appearance is quite bold I am a very shy guy and do not like being the centre of attention.

For me I simply like being able to express myself or look down at my body anytime to be reminded of the things I love. Dinosaurs, nature, yokai, kaiju, horror, video games, heavy metal and rock music, folklore, dead relatives, my travels, etc. some don’t even have a reason, or it might come later because I love the symbolism of the art itself aesthetically.

If you’ve made it this far through my rambling wall of text id like to apologize for the length and any grammar/spelling errors. i’d also love to ask cyberspace: do you have any tattoos or body modifications such a plastic surgery or piercings? what are your thoughts on tattoos? What do you consider “too much”? No judgement from me! Just out of curiosity.