??? Would it be different if I had lots of ink myself, then spent time looking at yours? Would it be different if I prefaced my stare by saying, "Fascinating! Beautiful work! Do you mind if I look at the detail?"Ya i got alot of work done its technically one piece covering my entire back and both arms jsut above the elbows, i can throw on a tshort and you dont notice a thing but with the art i have i get stopped by some curious people which is nice at times and at others i jsut want to be left alone.
What really gets me though are the type of people that just stare and stare and treat you like a diseased abomination when ya wear a sleeveless top even if all my work IS in good taste and one of a kind.
people need to realise that tattoos are a form of expressionism (sp?) oh look tats and a shaved head ... must be thug (sigh) surely cant be a university student, that shaved his head for hygene and ease of maintence since he trains alot ;p
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the only thing most people will see is my arms if i wear a sleeveless top BUT look dont STARE i find it quite rude and dont stare at them for their lack of fashion sense![]()
??? Would it be different if I had lots of ink myself, then spent time looking at yours? Would it be different if I prefaced my stare by saying, "Fascinating! Beautiful work! Do you mind if I look at the detail?"
You have something on your skin that you know will attract attention, then you get annoyed when it attracts attention. You also "project" a person's thoughts and intentions when they look at you. How do you know if they are staring because they like it, or staring because they don't like it? You said that your work is well-done and unique, yet you assume that if someone looks for more than (perhaps) 5 or 10 seconds, they are labelling you an abomination. That may not be the case.
Just so you know, it took me three full days to get through the National Gallery of Art, when most people get through it in one day. When I see art, especially art that attracts my attention, one quick glance is not enough. I like to stand back, look at the whole picture, get close, check out details and colors and brush strokes, then stand back again and see the whole thing. It's just the curious artist in me.
I'm just saying you should not be so sensitive and defensive.
:biggrin1: Monk, some of those are entirely other issues. Yes, there are people out there stupid and rude enough to walk up and start asking personal questions of a stranger in the middle of his meal!
Relax a little and enjoy your uniqueness.
This refers to a talk I've had last night, I was out having a couple of drinks with some girls at work. However, the girls have brought a newbie with them, only with us for a week now. Talk about welcome drinks.
However, I noticed her staring at the tattoo I have on my left shoulder. Furtive glances at first, but throughout the night I've noticed her stare at it for longer (I was wearing a top with short sleeves, so short in fact they cover only about the top quarter of my inkwork there). I was thinking she's a little shy maybe, too shy to inquire about it, and so I pulled up the sleeve and showed her the whole thing, asking whether she liked it.
Well, she didn't. She said she'd never get one, and that she absolutely couldn't understand why anyone could ever. It didn't piss me off necessarily, nobody has to like it after all, but most don't run out of words if you push on and ask for the reasons of their dislike. This time, nothing. She was shrugging it off, but it put me to think. Especially since there also appear to be some issues among men against women with ink.
I am, however, not talking about the badly done ink jobs. With tattoo artists it's always a gamble, I must admit I think mine could also have been done better, but I know girls who really have great ones. Great in execution, symbolism and taste. And I wonder what's there against these? Why do even these better ink-jobs turn some guys down, or what makes other women crinkle their nose at the sight?
Maybe the great LPSG can help me out with my questions.
Over all if they can't be covered in professional clothing or your work attire, not acceptable to me. When my old employer was in hiring stages, rule of the front office to to notice for ink work peeking or out right visible. They would also state in thier job posting not to bother applying.
I'm very heavily tattooed, every piece I have is a custom piece that was very thought out before getting it, I draw all my own work and seek out the individuals who in the industy have been doing it for quite some time and are known in the industry for their work...most are all friends of mine anyways.
I don't have any on my face but do have my hands and knuckles tattooed and I get alot of looks, stares and questions about them. I don't let it bother me because that's just the way that I want to be and it's my way of telling a story through my ink. Each piece has a personal meaning and it pretty much describes me and my life.
The old addage of "Don't judge a book by it's cover" should be applied here, for those who don't know me they look down on the tattoos and tattooed people, not everyone but there are some...do you know what the difference between a tattooed person and a non-tattooed person is?
Tattooed people don't care if you have a tattoo or not!
I should also mention that I've been a Tattoo Artist for 17 years, it's not only a way to earn a great income but I get to meet so many interesting and differect people, we get to talk about various things while I'm doing the work and you make great new friends!
I use the term "Artist" because that's exactly what it is, it's an art form, the only difference is that the skin is the canvas for my trade and love.
I'd also like to mention that even thought I'm heavily "Inked", I also have a a double Master in Art history and Physics and I'm asked to speak and do guest appereances at 3 State Universities in the area.
...soory for rambeling, just my 2 cents.