Art for arts sake or deep and meaningful?

Molberts

Just watching Miami Ink atm. Yes yes, I know its all staged :rolleyes:

I was curious to see if many people here feel its important or necessary to have a lengthy/deep/personal meaning attached to your tattoos?

Or do you just pick a design you like and get it for arts sake?

Or, did you just really want "a tattoo" so got one just to say you have one/cross it off a list of things to do? Do people think this is a bad thing or just think each to their own?

Personally, I think f*ck it its your skin and its your business so its totally a personal thing, no right or wrong answer, was just curious to see peoples opinions.

Me? Well my first tatt was a matching one with my brother, we wanted to get buddy ink and we both liked the design that we chose. So yes, it makes me think of my brother and I probably wouldn't have got such a simple design (outline of two shining stars) for no reason.

My second one was my Koi piece, while I can appreciate the mythology/tradition behind the piece and I really like Japanese culture and art, tbh I got it cos I liked the design and colours of the piece the artist did for me.

My cupcake - is a cupcake. end of. it was a 25th birthday present which is nice yeah but... its a cupcake, I got it cos its fun and I like it.

IMO its no less of a piece because I didnt get a certain number of sprinkles on it to represent stuff :rolleyes:

Any other tatts planned are just cos I like em tbh. They are an expression of me, I like the artwork... and thats it!

So what do you guys think? What (if anything) does your art mean to you?

Lilliput69

My first Tat was a small shoulder tat, its the same design as a ring i wear on my index finger, i luved the ring the first time i seen it, so i guess its just a design i liked

Second was sun moon and stars with tribal on lower back, always had a thing for ying/yang, sun moon and stars, so i guess its just the art again

Third is a chakra wheel at top of spine, it is supposed to symbolize positive energy but to be honest it is a necklace i wear and thought it would make a cool tat, so art again

Fourth is a pixie fairy sitting on a crystal ball, i have my three kids names under this one, to me its me looking at their future, that tat is from under my arm to my hip

Fifth is my most feminine tat, its a yellow rose (for me Ma) a smiley flower (same as the one me Da always drew on everything) a bluebell (for me, only flowers i really luv) and tribals from my shoulder to my hip. So i suppose this tat has meaning for me, the flowers remind me of when i was a kid.

No idea what my next tat will be but there will be more

Will

A mix, but I've only one thus far. Maori side piece. Like the flow of the lines and the general look of it on my body.

Queen-Mise

lilliput do you have any photos of your tats, would love to see them. how did the bluebells come out, I love them too.

QOTSA90

I only have one piece, its a pair of wings real low down on my stomach. I got them for aesthetic and personal reasons.

Personal/Meaning: They're to help me rise above all the petty things in my life that I know Im bigger than but always seem to get me down..

Aesthetic: I always thought tattoos on the lower abdomen are sexy! and mine sure are lol aswell as that wings are very over done and aren't very unique.. so I made sure mine are.

They're kind of tribal and scribbley and NOT on my arms or back..

Crumble Froo

mine are all quite personal.

stars are something i promised myself when i was 12 i'd get done when i was 18, and i did, they were my little representatives of hope during a very dark period...
text on my neck is representative of an element of myself that i both embrace and battle against, that will always be there.
polar bear is representative of a person who is really really important to me, and got me from one crazy (dark) period of life, to another crazy (brighter) period of my life.
fourth is from some album art, that i loved, but i had been searching for an image that suited my 'holy **** im emigrating' piece of life, and the lyrics beside this as well as the image made it perfect.

they're all a mix of pretty and sentimental, but more sentimental than pretty.

Lilliput69

queen-mise wrote: »

lilliput do you have any photos of your tats, would love to see them. how did the bluebells come out, I love them too.

Cause of where my tats are i can't take a pic myself, one of these days i will get round to getting pics of my tats, the bluebells are stunning, so is the rose, my tat guy did an excellent job on them

djrlittleton

i got a few tatts just for the craic, convention pieces etc,

my back and arms have meaning to me. months of tought b4 each little addition is made in every case

my left leg is all random pieces.. anything can go on it.. i dont have a clue what its going to end up looking like.. e.g. i was chatting with bernie luther over pints at a tattoo convention when he was in dublin.. and he drew up a freehand piece straight on and i did not know what i was getting i love it some rush lol:D

Toots

My first tatt was a tiny kanji (yeah I know!! :rolleyes:) symbol on my ankle. It means 'dog', and i got it in memory of my first dog, who had recently died.

Second tattoo is a kinda celtic butterfly, but the body is a pentacle. It represents two things to me, my faith and also my grandmother.

Third was cherry blossoms around the kanji symbol. No meaning behind this one, I've always loved cherry blossoms, and oriental type art, so this was art for arts sake. Regardless of that, I love them all!! Although I think the butterfly is my fave.

missannik

I got my tattoos for sentimental reasons, but also because I like the design. I got both of my tattoos whilst on long, soul searching travels and they reflect that. I have a pentagram, which symbolises my faith and also for a means of protection, and a triquetra, which symbolised my travels with my Grandma and mother.

As for my opinions on others reasons for getting tattoos, each to their own. I certainly don't like those who look down on people for not having tattoos with some sentimental reason or for arts sake, although I probably would never get a tattoo on a whim.

Fiii

My first (and only so far) holds a whole heap of meaning for me, but my next will be just because I think it's hella pretty

Star Lord

My phoenix tattoo is very meaningful to me, whereas the dragon is just cuz I like dragons and like the design!

The future ones will be art for art sake methinks

Shimei

mine are all just for teh lolz!

ass was a bet.chest was a bet.the rest were cause im weird.
the only tattoo with real meaning is my girlfriends name.

the main thing for me with a tattoo is for it to be original. thats all.

vangoz

The Art for me really...... and the actual proccess of getting it done. Nothing beats the buzz of the needle and the smell of antiseptic:D

mouwt

Not much meaning in mine...........

Molberts

yea Mouwt but theyre awesome so its all good :cool:

pixiestix

i have 10 tattoos at the mo, hoping to get more sooish, but all mine except for 2 that i got done when i was 16 are meaningful, but the 2 that are not meaningful are getting a cover up job. but i can understand when people get tattoos just cos they see a nice picture or something, there are good reasons for doing everything, some reasons are just gooder than others

FTA69

My first tattoo I got when I was 15, its on my chest and it represents my political beliefs. (I don't regret it at all).

My second one was quite large, its a detailed Celtic motif of intertwining birds and it covers the inside of my forearm from my elbow to my wrist. I got it because I have an interest in Celtic culture and thought it an expression of my identity. Simple enough. Sometimes people ask me the reasoning behind it and seem a bit disappointed when they hear my explanation, as if they were expecting something profoundly deep and spiritual. Not every tattoo has to have some convoluted life-story behind it, to each their own.

As someone said, it's your own skin so f*ck what anyone else thinks. If you get tattoos for people other than yourself you'll only end up regretting it.

vangoz

FTA69 wrote: »

My second one was quite large, its a detailed Celtic motif of intertwining birds and it covers the inside of my forearm from my elbow to my wrist.

Any Pics???

FTA69

I don't, sorry.

Lilliput69

queen-mise wrote: »

lilliput do you have any photos of your tats, would love to see them. how did the bluebells come out, I love them too.

Lilliput69 wrote: »

Cause of where my tats are i can't take a pic myself, one of these days i will get round to getting pics of my tats, the bluebells are stunning, so is the rose, my tat guy did an excellent job on them

Finally got a volunteer to take pics of my Tats , realized afterwards that he got them all except my first tat (it was just a wee one but a tat all the same )
LMAO


My sun moon and stars shining out my ass!!


Chakra wheel at top of spine / base of neck


My pixie


Full pic of Pixie


My only tat with colour


Full tat, complete with smiley face

:):)

FTA69

They're really well done, where did you get them?

Lilliput69

FTA69 wrote: »

They're really well done, where did you get them?

Thanks very much, David M (also known as "Loco Martinez") in Foxes bow in Limerick.

I have one other tat he did, my first one but its small and haven't got a picture of it, i luv his work and find him great to deal with

missannik

They're beautiful Lilliput, I especially love the flowers design and all the detail of your fairy.

Lilliput69

missannik wrote: »

They're beautiful Lilliput, I especially love the flowers design and all the detail of your fairy.

Thank you, i can't recommend my tat guy enough, i have an itch to get inked again ....... hmmmmm what to get now lmao

Melion

Ive only 3 at the minute.

F.E.A.R on my inner wrist, not only my favourite song but i like the meaning...For Everything A Reason.
Liverbird with 5 stars on my right calf, i love Liverpool and i always knew id get something to show that.
Tribal/Thundercats symbol across my upper back. Just for the laugh

I will be getting something in a few months when my son/daughter is born. Not sure what yet, but it will obviously be meaningful.

marti101

Most of mine are what i liked at the time 1 i got done is a memorial amd the geisha is gonna be my swansong so its gonna be decent.They are a mixture of styles and whatnot but i do still like them.I might get 2 of them covered up but thats cause they small and they dont really fit in with what i like now.