Tattoos

Yeah, I know, really imaginative title right there, unless I end up talking about something else. I've been thinking about tattoos more and more of late, I was thinking about them more or less all day today so since I haven't done a blog entry in months I guess now's as good a time as any. At present I have one tattoo, a lizard on my right arm representing Saffron, the gecko I've had since I was eleven. The tattoo doesn't look like her at all, due to it being done in a very unrealistic style, it's supposed to look like a cave painting. I've got another one in the pipeline that's going on my back which is the 'vital point' symbol from Shadow of the Colossus. Think what you will about getting a tattoo based on a video game, frankly I think that games are as valid a source of inspiration as anything else, particularly one as incredible as Shadow but that's another point of discussion entirely. I plan to get a fair few, until I have enough to cover a decent portion of my upper body, mostly on my back but also on my upper arms and chest, I'd like to make it so that you can't really see any of them until I go topless. It's not really an ego thing, but what is it? Not just for me but for anyone? What makes people want tattoos on a fundamental level?

For some people I suppose it's just about looking good, tattoos never go out of fashion and they have the potential to look very sexy, at least in my opinion, a girl with a lot of ink will get my attention very quickly indeed. I know for a fact a lot of men get more female attention for it as well. It was never about that for me otherwise I'd get more of them in noticeable areas and maybe choose designs that looked cool in general, rather than just meaningful to me (my gecko has been referred to as both 'queer' and 'stupid' by various people, this bothered me a bit, it shouldn't really and I try not to care). To some people it's a case of their bloodline, Japanese Yakuza and people of Maori descent in particular (it's a very bad idea for someone outside of that culture to get that sort of work done). Again, not why I got mine. I suppose you could link the main fundamental reason to the saying "Fashions change, tattoos are forever".

It's one thing to go through life constantly changing hair, clothes, jobs, houses and even lifestyle but if one day I can stand in front of a tall mirror and trace back my entire life through what is etched on my arms, chest and back I think that will mean so much more. It almost forces you to single out what is really significant to you, it took me six months to summon up to courage to get Saffron done and I love that little gecko more than any worldly object that I own. The vital point has taken me even longer, largely because it's out of artistic appreciation that I'm getting it, rather than love. That old, worn-out view that when you're 85 you'll be ashamedly looking over a collection of wrinkly blurs on your body is fairly redundant as far as I'm concerned. Yes, there is an element of narcissism about it, when I'm 20 and conscious of whether or not I look good, when I'm 85 I won't care, I mean who the fuck am I trying to impress? The nurse? My butler (here's hoping)? Frankly if I look all weather-beaten when I'm old, I'll be delighted, it's the sign of a life that's been lived, not squandered. 40 years of happy, thrilling, fulfilling life is better than 90 years of drinking nothing but fucking herbal tea and sitting in ergonomic chairs with good lumbar support.

Every tattoo should tell a story, evoke a memory, it's just another form of self expression so I guess it goes back to my whole Bruce Lee thing. That's kind of why I don't understand getting Chinese characters if you aren't actually from there, it doesn't add any additional meaning, it's just a way of putting it in code, it's almost pretentious, like you believe that Kanji script has some spiritual significance beyond that of our alphabet. Having said that I am planning to get a Sak Yant tattoo at some point in my life. Sak Yant tattoos such as the ones pictured on the left are Buddhist and done traditionally via a long stick with a sharpened chisel-like end (supposedly it hurts like hell). This may seem like a contradiction but I love the idea of getting a tattoo in a style as old as tattoos themselves, done in a traditional way. No I'm not Buddhist, I'm not Thai, I don't believe myself to have a spiritual connection to them, I just want to get one of their tattoos both to show my appreciation for tattoos as an art form and because I know for a fact that going to Thailand to get one would be a defining point in my life. If I die with a rich collection of interesting artwork on my body I think one that represents tattoos themselves is a must. Call me cheesey, but hey, it's my body, I can do what I want with it.