P I X I E wrote:

I'm glad s/he doesn't tattoo anymore. I hate those arrogant tattoo artists who think they're better than everyone else.

Especially if someone has no pride in his own work (tattoos) and no respect for the collectors at all...

udor wrote:

Especially if someone has no pride in his own work (tattoos) and no respect for the collectors at all...

Yep. When I was an ink newb, I was a little intimidated just by going to a tattoo/piercing studio because I felt like the people working there would judge me by my lack of body mods. Some artists ARE exactly like this, but thankfully, the woman who tattoos me is so very amazing and we've become very good friends! I like that I can trust her - kinda essential when you get something that permanent. Some of the tattoo artists in that shop are so arrogant it's ridiculous - she gets lots of crap for being one of the newer girls who tattoos, but I find she's a lot better than them actually.

Michael Pandolfo wrote:
It's a lot like drugs. If you do them you know exactly where to go to get the best.

exactly!

Michael Pandolfo wrote:
It's a lot like drugs. If you do them you know exactly where to go to get the best.

Katie   Martin  wrote:
exactly!

Nicolette wrote:

Michael Pandolfo wrote:
It's a lot like drugs. If you do them you know exactly where to go to get the best.

Yeah, not quite the best analogy out there...

I prefer this:

IMAGINERIES wrote:
Am I retarded..I thought I tattoo was kind of permanent..Unlike a photograph,
a baby sitter or a fire place....

Thats for you to know, and us not to judge you on. Srsly. Since you have tattooed, then you would know that the ink IS permanent. SILLY. Sheesh, some artist you were.

P I X I E wrote:

Yeah, not quite the best analogy out there...

I prefer this:

O_O!

udor wrote:

I don't know... you sound like some ex-whoremonger who is now a born again Christian, found Jesus and talks down on his former life with religious zest.

Who are you to tell me that I can't explain why I have the tattoos that I have, what it symbolizes to me, the research I did and then telling me that I am emotionally too attached to make a rational decision.

I don't know in what kind of scene you've been tattooing, but, c'mon... it almost sounds like you have no clue about the body mod scene!

Body mod scene? lol...I don't have a clue. I'm just an artist that gets paid to do what people pay me to do. I'd like to think I'm more part of the "art scene" I think in the whole, it's a little bigger pond than the "body mod" scene. But fortunately for me. I can pretty much swim in any pond.

I'm no born again anything...lol. I am a person who is blessed to have a choice about any and everything I do daily.  I don't have to do anything for a buck that I don't want to. Tattooing is something I just determined wasn't for me, because I can't deal with stupidity that many times a day. My personality doesn't work for so called "body mod scene". I am black male with no tattoo's.  Never apprenticed and I'm pretty sure I can out tattoo any artist you can put up against my portfolio. Doubt what I say, do some research!  But anyways,  I hear people make statements like "how can you be a tattoo artist if you have no tattoos?" "you need be able to feel what your customers feel"  Thats ridiculous ideology...lol. A brain surgeon doesn't have to have brain surgery before being able to operate. This amongst all these other tattoo myths and superstitions the   so called "body mod scene" has. Plain stupid..lol sheep parroting something they heard somebody else say.

Your comment is exactly what I'm talking about. Look at your emotional attachment to some silly pieces of art.  I've tattooed, painted and drawn over a bazillion pieces of art in my life, and I could care less about any one piece to have some attachment to it and think it's so special. It's not that serious. Becaue every day and every new piece for me is an adventure.  But dealing with people who make all their decisions on emotional basis all day doesn't sit well with me. I don't know you personally, so I don't know what I think or feel applies to you, but it did apply to over 90% of the people I encountered in my tattoo career. People who make life long decisions (like tattoo's) based on some fleeting emotional attachment are a liability to me. And I chose not to deal with them.

Airballin wrote:
Body mod scene? lol...I don't have a clue. I'm just an artist that gets paid to do what people pay me to do. I'd like to think I'm more part of the "art scene" I think in the whole, it's a little bigger pond than the "body mod" scene. But fortunately for me. I can pretty much swim in any pond.

I'm no born again anything...lol. I am a person who is blessed to have a choice about any and everything I do daily.  I don't have to do anything for a buck that I don't want to. Tattooing is something I just determined wasn't for me, because I can't deal with stupidity that many times a day. My personality doesn't work for so called "body mod scene". I am black male with no tattoo's.  Never apprenticed and I'm pretty sure I can out tattoo any artist you can put up against my portfolio. Doubt what I say, do some research!  But anyways,  I hear people make statements like "how can you be a tattoo artist if you have no tattoos?" "you need be able to feel what your customers feel"  Thats ridiculous ideology...lol. A brain surgeon doesn't have to have brain surgery before being able to operate. This amongst all these other tattoo myths and superstitions the   so called "body mod scene" has. Plain stupid..lol sheep parroting something they heard somebody else say.

Your comment is exactly what I'm talking about. Look at your emotional attachment to some silly pieces of art.  I've tattooed, painted and drawn over a bazillion pieces of art in my life, and I could care less about any one piece to have some attachment to it and think it's so special. It's not that serious. Becaue every day and every new piece for me is an adventure.  But dealing with people who make all their decisions on emotional basis all day doesn't sit well with me. I don't know you personally, so I don't know what I think or feel applies to you, but it did apply to over 90% of the people I encountered in my tattoo career. People who make life long decisions (like tattoo's) based on some fleeting emotional attachment are a liability to me. And I chose not to deal with them.

Again, look at your shitty attitude. I'm fucking GLAD you're no longer a tattoo artist. You were clearly not doing it because you believed in it, and to me that's not a real dedicated tattoo artist. Good riddance.

But what the hell do I know, right?

Michael Broughton wrote:
*reads airballin's nonsense*

*facepalms a bazillion times*

There are so many tattoo artists out there who aren't complete jaded arrogant jerks. Thankfully.

P I X I E wrote:

There are so many tattoo artists out there who aren't complete jaded arrogant jerks. Thankfully.

There's lots of arrogance and nonsense in this thread, already, I'd think.

aspergianLens wrote:

There's lots of arrogance and nonsense in this thread, already, I'd think.

Yep. Sad.

P I X I E wrote:

There are so many tattoo artists out there who aren't complete jaded arrogant jerks. Thankfully.

LOL

I think you should stop. You're just proving his point.

Drew Smith Photography wrote:
LOL

I think you should stop. You're just proving his point.

This! lol
No need for me to say anymore.....hahahahaha

P I X I E wrote:

There are so many tattoo artists out there who aren't complete jaded arrogant jerks. Thankfully.

i just hope the models he paints now aren't stuck listening to this sort of stuff for hours at a time.

Airballin wrote:
Your comment is exactly what I'm talking about. Look at your emotional attachment to some silly pieces of art.  I've tattooed, painted and drawn over a bazillion pieces of art in my life, and I could care less about any one piece to have some attachment to it and think it's so special. It's not that serious. Becaue every day and every new piece for me is an adventure.  But dealing with people who make all their decisions on emotional basis all day doesn't sit well with me. I don't know you personally, so I don't know what I think or feel applies to you, but it did apply to over 90% of the people I encountered in my tattoo career. People who make life long decisions (like tattoo's) based on some fleeting emotional attachment are a liability to me. And I chose not to deal with them.

I don't know who you've been tattooing but most of who I know, including myself, who have tattoos weren't going off of anything "fleeting".
Sure you've probably seen shit tattoos but there's always going to be shit artwork out there that somebody else sees great value in. Won't matter if it's shit, it just matters that it was given life, because art IS emotional, and that is the purpose. Unlike you I can't say that all the pieces I have drawn and painted didn't mean anything to me.

George Ruge wrote:
I would never get a tattoo for religious reasons, but if the tattoo "artist" can't draw exactly what you want freehand while you watch, then they aren't an artist as far as I'm concerned. If you can't put it down on paper you sure as fuck shouldn't be allowed to do it on someone's skin!!

What religious reasons are those? Do the Bible/Qur'an/Talmud prohibit tatooing specifically?

RKD Photographic wrote:

What religious reasons are those? Do the Bible/Qur'an/Talmud prohibit tatooing specifically?

Yes, if you'll read Leviticus 19:28 it says not to make cuttings in your flesh for the dead. Some will argue the point but it's good enough for me.

IMAGINERIES wrote:
Are you always satified with your tattoo(es)?
I have shot  a few models with tattooes and some are gorgeous and
some......How do you know how to find a true artist that can create
a beautiful, unique piece of art, and not a pre-design stencil pattern
you can Google any time?
Just curious...

1. I am satisfied with my tattoos
2. I searched for the artist and selected among a handful that I thought were very good and brought my idea to him, (to two photographers with two ideas) they were my ideas and the photographers hand drew the work on me prior to inking and then inked in what wasn't drawn.

I guess the best way is to find an artist whose work you like and then to also have your own concept.
Jen
p.s. Oh yeah, and do not rush into anything!

IMAGINERIES wrote:
Suppose you get a tattoo you are ok with.... Then you find a great tattoo artist
that make the first drawing look, kind of mediocre... Then what?

Then you didn't wait long enough or do your homework well enough.
Jen

Drew Smith Photography wrote:
LOL

I think you should stop. You're just proving his point.

Really? Explain. I'm genuinely asking.

Amelia Talon wrote:

I don't know who you've been tattooing but most of who I know, including myself, who have tattoos weren't going off of anything "fleeting".
Sure you've probably seen shit tattoos but there's always going to be shit artwork out there that somebody else sees great value in. Won't matter if it's shit, it just matters that it was given life, because art IS emotional, and that is the purpose. Unlike you I can't say that all the pieces I have drawn and painted didn't mean anything to me.

You haven't worked in a tattoo shop all day everyday for a great period of your life to know, see or have the experience of watching people making fleeting, irrational decisions about something that is going to be with them for the rest of their lives. I have. I have seen people over and over daily make the stupidest emotional irrational decisions when it comes to a tattoo. Equivalent to the same irrational decisions a drug addict would make behind their next fix. Does this apply to you? I don't know. I don't know you. But in "my experience" as a tattoo artist it applies in more cases than not. And being a tattoo artist really made me lose faith in the common sense of the average adult infatuated by tattoos.

Is art your primary income? When art is not a hobby for you and you make your sole living from art, there is no emotional connection to art. You just produce what you get paid to produce.  Anybody creating art on emotion is probably the typical "starving artist" or financially secure in other areas of their life. And if art is such an emotional thing. The next tattoo you decide you want, (I don't know if you have any or not, not looking at your portfolio) go ask your tattoo artist to do it simply for "the love" of it and no compensation. And you will find out how much of a emotional connection your tattoo artist really has or doesn't have to your specific tattoo you want.

Airballin wrote:
You haven't worked in a tattoo shop all day everyday for a great period of your life to know, see or have the experience of watching people making fleeting, irrational decisions about something that is going to be with them for the rest of their lives. I have. I have seen people over and over daily make the stupidest emotional irrational decisions when it comes to a tattoo. Equivalent to the same irrational decisions a drug addict would make behind their next fix. Does this apply to you? I don't know. I don't know you. But in "my experience" as a tattoo artist it applies in more cases than not. And being a tattoo artist really made me lose faith in the common sense of the average adult infatuated by tattoos.

Is art your primary income? When art is not a hobby for you and you make your sole living from art, there is no emotional connection to art. You just produce what you get paid to produce.  Anybody creating art on emotion is probably the typical "starving artist" or financially secure in other areas of their life. And if art is such an emotional thing. The next tattoo you decide you want, (I don't know if you have any or not, not looking at your portfolio) go ask your tattoo artist to do it simply for "the love" of it and no compensation. And you will find out how much of a emotional connection your tattoo artist really has or doesn't have to your specific tattoo you want.

A few things to discuss here. Now I was never a tattoo artist, but I was engaged to one, am friends with a few, and worked in a shop on and off for several years. Needless to say, I have spent a few hours in the chair. I am pretty accustomed to them. Alongside that, I am an "artist". (visual) I hate that word. I would rather say I play with stuff. Anyways...

The bolded statements are what I would like to address. It looks like you are saying that you werent fulfilled because in order to be happy, you NEEDED to have an emotional connection to your artwork. You had no passion to tattoo. Problem A.

You are saying that you couldnt find a way to "find" yourself in ANY of your clients pieces. You couldnt find a way to make yourself happy in your work. That must have sucked. No wonder you are bitter.

What was your reason to go into tattooing to begin if I may ask?

"Anybody creating art on emotion is probably the typical "starving artist" or financially secure in other areas of their life." Could you explain this to me?

Airballin wrote:
Body mod scene? lol...I don't have a clue. I'm just an artist that gets paid to do what people pay me to do.

Tattooing is something I just determined wasn't for me, because I can't deal with stupidity that many times a day. My personality doesn't work for so called "body mod scene". I am black male with no tattoo's.  Never apprenticed and I'm pretty sure I can out tattoo any artist you can put up against my portfolio.

This amongst all these other tattoo myths and superstitions the   so called "body mod scene" has. Plain stupid..lol sheep parroting something they heard somebody else say.

I don't know you personally, so I don't know what I think or feel applies to you, but it did apply to over 90% of the people I encountered in my tattoo career.

There it shows how little you know...

You are not interested in tattoos, and frankly, you are so judgmental and condescending, it's borderline arrogant.

90% of your clients were stupid... okay... those maybe a reflection of your attitude that you attracted those type of people.

There is an estimate of 24% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 are tattooed... that's around 50 Million people in America alone... how big is the percentage of YOUR STUPID clients compared to the rest?

If you had any interest, beyond your prejudice in the body mod scene... (heard of bme.com?) you'll find that quite a lot of those who are tattooed have advanced degrees often in sciences and technologies, as well people in the arts and creative fields.

FYI, I had researched every individual part of my suit for many years before I got it tattooed by two Japanese masters, one of them is Horicho of Asakusa (Tokyo). Very conscious long term decision!

My irrational attachment to those "stupid" pieces of art is that each one represents a lifelong interest that has been with me since childhood (scuba diving, mountain climbing, martial arts and mythology).

Furthermore... one of the best tattoo artists in America is Anil Gupta in NYC. He is a specialist for H.R. Giger's biomechanical art tattoos.

Guess what, he is also not tattooed.

IMAGINERIES wrote:
"Coming from an ex tattoo artist who stopped tattooing to do what I currently do now.
I have never in my life seen a single tattoo or piece that has enhanced a person's beauty. But I have seen over a baziilion that detract from a person's beauty. The chances of getting a bad tattoo so much out weighs the chances of you getting a good tattoo. I'd tell any bare skinned model it's not worth the risk.

Something I've learned as a tattoo artist. People have these deep emotional connections to these miscellaneous pieces of art, they can't make rational decisions about them because they are too emotionally attached to them. It's like being in an abusive relationship, as long as you love the abuser, no matter how bad he/she is for you to or to you. You will keep defending them even when you know its bad for you. lol"


Most interesting comment that makes one wonder

Hi,
And you are the OP here. Nothing like having a loaded notion that you are hiding in a neutral first post, eh?

Sounds like you were really invloved in some rubbish, I mean, you state you know that people are "too emotionally attached" to their tattoos...Well, shouldn't they be if they are connectecd to the idea of having it permanently?

Not sure where, why or how you see a tattoo as an abusive relationship but, I think you may have been surrounded by one or two compulsive folks and I doubt they are the norm!!
Jen

udor wrote:

There is shows how little you know...

You are not interested in tattoos, and frankly, you are so judgmental and condescending, it's borderline arrogant.

90% of your clients were stupid... okay... those maybe a reflection of your attitude that you attracted those type of people.

There is an estimate of 24% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 50 are tattooed... that's around 50 Million people in America alone... how big is the percentage of YOUR STUPID clients compared to the rest?

If you had any interest, beyond your prejudice in the body mod scene... (heard of bme.com?) you'll find that quite a lot of those who are tattooed have advanced degrees often in sciences and technologies, as well people in the arts and creative fields.

FYI, I had researched every individual part of my suit for many years before I got it tattooed by two Japanese masters, one of them is Horicho of Asakusa (Tokyo). Very conscious long term decision!

My irrational attachment to those "stupid" pieces of art is that each one represents a lifelong interest that has been with me since childhood (scuba diving, mountain climbing, martial arts and mythology).

Furthermore... one of the best tattoo artists in America is Anil Gupta in NYC. He is a specialist for H.R. Giger's biomechanical art tattoos.

Guess what, he is also not tattooed.

I guess there is no point in trying to reason with the guy, he made up his mind already, we are irrationally attached to stupid pieces of art that we decided to get inked on our skin. We're super super dumb people. I have a degree in Biotech, but still, according to some body painter, I'm stupid!

I called him out on his arrogance, and it's apparently making his point.

Gennaver wrote:

Hi,
And you are the OP here. Nothing like having a loaded notion that you are hiding in a neutral first post, eh?

Sounds like you were really invloved in some rubbish, I mean, you state you know that people are "too emotionally attached" to their tattoos...Well, shouldn't they be if they are connectecd to the idea of having it permanently?

Not sure where, why or how you see a tattoo as an abusive relationship but, I think you may have been surrounded by one or two compulsive folks and I doubt they are the norm!!
Jen

Hold on right there. OP didn't say these things, hence the " ".

Airballin wrote:

Is art your primary income? When art is not a hobby for you and you make your sole living from art, there is no emotional connection to art. You just produce what you get paid to produce.  Anybody creating art on emotion is probably the typical "starving artist" or financially secure in other areas of their life. And if art is such an emotional thing. The next tattoo you decide you want, (I don't know if you have any or not, not looking at your portfolio) go ask your tattoo artist to do it simply for "the love" of it and no compensation. And you will find out how much of a emotional connection your tattoo artist really has or doesn't have to your specific tattoo you want.

Art should never be robotic, it feeds off of passion. I have done artwork my whole life, I even consider modeling and photo editing an art. I don't make any pieces I don't put myself into, that's just not how it works. I am sorry you live this way.

P I X I E wrote:
I have a degree in Biotech, but still, according to some body painter, I'm stupid!

Quod erat demonstrandum!

udor wrote:

Quod erat demonstrandum!

Amelia Talon wrote:

Art should never be robotic, it feeds off of passion. I have done artwork my whole life, I even consider modeling and photo editing an art. I don't make any pieces I don't put myself into, that's just not how it works. I am sorry you live this way.

I agree to a degree. When you are doing art for the love of art it should not be robotic.
But art is my job, day in, day out. it's the only job I have ever had in life. Whether I feel in the mood or not I have to get up, paint, draw, tattoo, body paint something everyday.
And though I love what I do. I don't paint out of love. I paint out of the need to feed my children, pay my mortgage, pay my car note, etc...So the only emotion evoked for me through art is the same emotion most every other responsible adult has when they get up and head off to their job. "I need to work to provide for myself and my family". My bills don't take a break because of my mood swings, if there are no stars or butterflies in the sky. And because I approach what I do like a job and not a fleeting hobby that I can do when I want to. I've been lucky enough to have a little more success at what I do than most artist I personally know.

Airballin wrote:
I am not bitter in the least bit. I just chose not to tattoo nor deal with people who are so emotionally attached to something that is really so meaningless in the big scale of things of life. In my opinion, not very good decision makers. And in choosing not to be involved. Things have been working out pretty swell for me All my above opinions are solely based on my experience as a tattoo artist. You haven't been me, nor lived my life, so you can't validate or negate my experience.
I love the life I live. I have a wonderful fulfilling life. I can't wait to get up every day and start a new adventure. How many of you can actually say that?

Degrees? Degrees don't compensate for common sense. Degrees don't compensate for emotional issues, dependency and co-dependecy. I could give the best rocket scientist a tattoo machine and airbrush gun. And ask him to take apart both, clean them and reassemble them. And I'm pretty sure he couldn't do it. So higher learning degrees, which are very important, and I applaud any who have achieved such success, only count in the field in which they are used in. And there are no degrees for common sense, body mods and tattoos. So degrees are irrelevant in this discussion.

Why did I tattoo? Because like any other art form. Me being an artist, and not a biochemist. I want to be proficient in all mediums in my field. I tried it, got good at it, very good at it. Was making very good money when I decided to walk away from it. Because I  didn't like what came with it and being around people who were so engulfed into what they believe to be some privy subculture. blah...... Tattooing is not the holy grail of art. Its no different than body painting, pencil art, oils, ceramics color crayons for that matter. But tattoo's are the only art I see seemingly logical people lose all rationale when it comes to good decision making with something that is so permanent. I get emailed, texted and called daily and offered very large sums of money to do tattoos. And you know what, I'd tighten my belt and starve before I'd do another tattoo. And anybody who personally knows me, knows this to ring true.

I am by no means arrogant. I am very confident in everything I do. As should any of you be. Arrogant would to think that I am better than others. This I don't.
I actually believe we all shine. Some have yet to learn it. And while they are figuring it out. I will just keep working on me.
But I am glad my confidence is projected enough for any of you to misconstrue as arrogance. If arrogant is the worst you can call me....sheeez...I'm making progess...lol We all make mistakes, we all do stupid ish, including me. Making stupid decisions is a very big difference than being stupid. But continuing to make the same stupid decisions over and over, probably qualifies a person as stupid. And when I sit in a tattoo shop for 8-12 hours a day and watch the same people come in and get tattooed, come back a month later and want to cover up their kids father name, and in another month putting the next boyfriend somewhere else on their body. That pretty much spells out stupid. And these are the people who are a liability in life to me, and I don't want to be anywhere around them.

I'm not trying to force my views on anybody. I am not even arguing or debating all the reasons why you all think your tattoos and tattoo artist are so great. All I am doing is expressing my opinion of my experience in the tattoo community. And being in a shop all day everyday for a good part of my life, I am sure I have a lot more insight than 99% of people commenting in this thread.

But don't take stuff so personal. Most cases it never is.
If I ever wanted anything to be personal. Whoever it was personal towards they would know

Nighty night!

Cool story bro. You should post some pictures of your "really good" tattoos here or better in a critique thread. Every one determines quality by different things.

Airballin wrote:
You haven't been me, nor lived my life, so you can't validate or negate my experience.

Ha, there you go. How can you judge the decisions people make (ie. getting tattoos)?

Take your own advice...

For the record, I am extremely happy with my life. No matter all the ink I have. I got married to a wonderful man recently and landed an amazing job. Aaaand, I'm healthy. Got issues of my own that are under control and I'm proud to say that. Bigger issues than getting tattoos.

So yeah, degrees don't matter in this discussion. That's correct. But as you said so well, you do not know me, or the other posters who got tattoos, so to paint us with the same brush is unfair.