"Quest For Ink"

tattoo ²

verb ( -toos , -tooed |-ˈtoōd|) [ trans. ]

mark (a person or a part of the body) with an indelible design by inserting pigment into punctures in the skin :

My quest for ink began about 9-10 yrs ago.  The lifetime commitment and what to tattoo on my virgin skin has been a great challenge.  I will call this a procedure because I am more comfortable with this term, it sounds medical and not so thuggish, and helps me to maintain the thought I am doing the right thing.   I had decided a tattoo was for me during the height of tattooing in the 90’s.  It seemed everywhere you looked someone had a tattoo.  However as a quick side note, I never got into the piercing.  What was, and is the fascination with placing additional holes somewhere they do not belong?  I have difficulty talking with just my tongue let alone a stud to contend with, or phlegm shooting out of an extra hole in my nose.  How about the ever-popular Prince Albert? I find most men have difficulty hitting the hole why would you put an extra challenge in the mix?  Chipped teeth, gushing phlegm or urine sprays, and boy I am happy I missed that phase, but I never got over tattooing.

I am always curious why a particular subject matter is selected, but each person seems have a story why they selected their particular markings.  Some of these reasons can be as shallow as it seemed like a good idea over spring break, during a blackout, my freshman year in college, or as relevant as memorializing someone special dead or alive.  Whatever the reason tattoos are very personal to the owner, but I have encountered some who regret their decision to tattoo. 

I remember years ago talking with a patient when I worked in addiction treatment. He was riddled with tattoos.  Some were professional, some he did (he was an artist), others were done when he was very young and spent some time in prison.  I will never forget his words to me about tattooing, “don’t start because one leads to another and another and another”.  He was correct because while I have not taken the plunge and been marked with the indelible ink yet, my procrastination has arrived at not a single tattoo but a collage of many all interconnected.  This would be typically of my family and how we collect.  Most people start a collection and over the course of their lives build upon it.  Not my family we decide we are going to collect something and over the course of a weekend we gather, catalog and display collections that would rival the most avid life time collector.  So in short I have decided to begin with a collage of pictures resulting in a collection of tattoos.  Waiting as long as I have to pursue this venture has culminated into yet another illusion of a mid-life crisis for Shane.  Motorcycles last year, tattoos this year where will it all end.  No Crisis, just me once again transforming like the Phoenix from the fire.   Remember, I am a little past middle aged unless I plan to live to be 94, and I do not, at least not at this time that might change when I am 93.   So crisis obverted and crisis resolved, I am not in crisis, but in a transition, or is this a crisis?

I promised and committed to myself several years back to; do what I wanted to do as long as it didn’t hurt anyone else, to stop settling for something just because it is a better buy when it was not what I wanted, to find at least one thing a day that makes me smile, to always be true to myself and what I stand for, and to ignore what others think about my decisions.  I am a work in process and some days I do it better than others.

The tattoo has been more difficult to commit, than having a child.  I think it took my wife all of 30 minutes to convince me that we needed to have a child.  But a tattoo now that takes 10 years to commit… priorities, priorities.  My quest for ink really got rolling hot and heavy about a year ago.  Since that time I have discovered so many levels of sub cultures and groups in the ink business. This rant is about that journey.

Know this, not all tattoo establishments are the same.  Even what they are called is varied; tattoo parlor, tattoo studio, tattoo artistry, skin designing, you get the idea.  Each establishment has its own way of doing things.  Most have a cattle call, take a number take a seat type attitude.  True establishments who honor what they do work by appointment only and require a super secret handshake. Most of these establishments are located in seedy neighborhoods.  My family has been very supportive and displayed a great level of patience with me.  They are good to accompany and cover me as I go in, like Ma Barker and her boys or Bonnie and Clyde. 

More frightening are the characters that set the stage at each establishment.  Some look like real people, others a tapestry of their own design, while yet others have taken the route of piercing everything they can over their entire body.  I suspect this is going to create a real challenge at the airport. 

Lets start by defining the technicians; I just cannot call most of them artists because some just are not.

The “Emo Technician”, dude look at the wall or the books and if you see something you like let me know, he will be in the corner in the fetal position contemplating how bad his life sucks.

The “Over Zealous Technician”, they can do whatever, wherever you want.  Most technicians in this category have been tattooing for a couple of weeks, total, you are literally their fourth victim.  They are certain they can produce whatever you want, right now, sit down lets get a tattoo.  If they should screw it up they are prepared to fix it for free.  I don’t think so. 

The “I Hear Your Vision But Here Is My Vision Technician”, they really don’t care that you will wear this for a lifetime they just want to express themselves and your hide is the canvas.

The “Big Talker”, they have been in the biz for years.  They are not artists and their tattooing skills really have not changed much since they started.  They talk a big story but when you ask for samples of work or to have them sketch some ideas you never hear from them again. 

The “Liar Technician”,  they have been doing this for twenty-five years and they won’t be happy till you are satisfied with your tattoo.  The liar is always under the age of twenty, so there is no way in hell they could have the experience they profess to have. 

The “True Artist Technician”, these technicians are the anal group and they produce true works of art.  Be prepared however for the cloak and dagger, mind meld, secret handshake from this group.  They are the most costly of all the technicians.  Where the others may have specials ranging from; bring a friend get a free heart tattooed on the location of your choice, to I will tattoo as long as you take it, tap out when you are near death, all for the low….low price of.  In the world of tattooing you do get what you pay for. 

Selecting the correct technician can be as important as choosing the best Ivy League College for your child.  If there is any college money left after the ink monster has visited your home. 

Big surprise I selected the “True Artist Technician”, this seemed to resonate with my being true to myself.  It did take me a week or so to learn the handshake but I perfected it and actually got a session with the tattoo king.  I laid out all my examples, to which he replied you have a clear vision of what you want (this is what ten years of research will do for you).  He said to give him some time and he will put together some ideas and present them later in the week.  So I am in a holding pattern but anticipate art any day now.  Once the art is completed and signed off we will begin the process.  I am a little apprehensive with the whole process, but I trust the group I have selected and they are excited to be working with me.  At least on the outside they appear somewhat normal and benign, but time will tell. 

Some cultures use tattooing as the right of passage into manhood or the conclusion of a spiritual journey.  I would love to tell you I am doing it for such a reason but I would be lying.  I am not at the end of a vision quest or having a mid-life crisis I am just trying to suck the nectar out of life and experience all I can before the lights go out. 

More to be revealed………………….