Have your tattoos changed your life?

[donbcivil]

You are my hero for saying what I often think! It's sad how little people are willing to settle for out of life. I've made big mistakes in 55 years, but my biggest mistakes were the times I DIDN'T go for it.

Thank you! Much appreciated.

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I agree with the comment about people being too timid and living life in fear. I quit a pretty good programming job to do this:

Got the commemorative tattoo a year after I completed hiking the trail. Spent two summers hiking that trail and the months in between and right after working some interesting and unusual jobs.

In fact, even though I have gotten tattoos that didn't turn out that well, I never regretted them because I have always valued living life to the fullest, just doing things that make life more interesting. Even if they don't always work out. Even if that means I've never been much of a career-oriented person.

Excellent - well said! That's an awesome tattoo to commemorate a tremendous achievement.

[motsimus]

the only things that have changed for me is when I was a teenager and had no tattoos all I wanted was to be tanned and impress girls and now that I have tattoos all I do is hide in the shade trying to keep my tattoos fresh.

also when I get out of the shower I find myself staring at my body for ages just thinking "how fucking cool do I look" which usually results in me being late for work.

[hogg]

"

You beat me to it!

[else]

You beat me to it!

Ha! Ha! There's a whole swath of us I bet that can't hear the word "regret" without thinking "SATAN, SATAN, SATAN"

[keepcalm]

also when I get out of the shower I find myself staring at my body for ages just thinking "how fucking cool do I look" which usually results in me being late for work.

Hahahah awesome.

To answer the main question of this post: They've made my mom love me less (I'm pretty sure).

Just kidding.

Mostly. :D

[joakim urma]

I was going through a really rough period of my life when I got my first tattoo. I don't think I would have it now if I was thinking straight back then, but everything was very confusing to me and it must have seemed like a good idea to get ink. After coming down from the chaos I felt "ashamed" of the tattoo and tried really hard to hide it, when changing clothes at the gym and so on. Maybe I would never have started getting into tattoo art and have tattoos if I didn't start like that? So in a way I am happy that I got started, despite the circumstances. It took me a year before I finally had the first tattoo fixed with new outlines and some leaves around it. A year after that I got my second tattoo and this week I got my 22:th. I remember thinking up until quite recently that the tattoos I got was partly to lessen the impact and "stigma" of the first tattoo.

I don't know.. I feel narcissistic whenever I talk about my tattoos, but I really like my tattoos now. Looking at them in mirrors whenever I get the chance and looking at my legs in the shower and so on. I follow a great number of tattoo blogs and instagram-accounts, it's a part of my day to day-life to look at great work and think about what I like to get, find new artists and refine my taste. I also have a new way of relating to my body now, I like it much better and some days I even like the attention I get from other people.

[Colored Guy]

I had gotten most of mine before I was age 30 and by the time I was age 50, they had faded for the most part. At one point I considered getting them lasered off. I practically had a long-sleeved shirt on all the time.

Then I walked into a shop a friend recommended to me to get a lizard tattoo on my foot. IT came out great and I got talking with the artists there... "old work.. pfffffttttt.. we can make them look like new again.".

So I took them up on it and had 2 large pieces on my upper arms freshened up and added to. OMFG, what a difference. Got an old horribly faded tattoo? Slap something NEW on top of it!

Now people stop me, show me their ink all the time. I've met some awesome people this way. I wear short-sleeved shirts all summer now, got nothin' to hide. So I'll say they did change my life for the better.

Rob

[Devon Larz Kasler]

Tattoos have drastically changed my life. For starters, I'm a tall awkward looking skinny kid. Like, 6 foot tall, 130 pounds, skinny. I have always been tall and skinny, and have always been teased about being tall and skinny. I'm 20, and now have a full chest piece, six big pieces on my legs, and a full asian sleeve on my right arm. Now, people don't notice the tall skinny guy at the pool/beach. Now they see the tall guy with a ton of tattoos. People come up and ask questions all the time, and when they mention me being skinny, they comment how much I kick ass for having so much work on bony places hah. Having the work I have makes me feel a lot better about wearing shorts, having short sleeved shirts, going swimming, anything that exposes my bony limbs.

Reason number two how its changed my life, my love for tattooing and frequency of getting tattooed, led me to my job at High Tide, and my eventual apprenticeship. No more making coffee and bagels for this tall skinny guy!

[Genie of the West]

To be quite honest, amongst my peers my feedback on my tattoos has been almost all positive. Anyone amongst my age group (18-23) typically likes my tattoos. But EVERYONE who is older has been nothing but negative feedback. My parents, employers, family friends, etc have all had nothing but negative things to say about my tattoos. Especially since one of them slightly peeks onto the front of my neck so it is often visible if my t-shirt sags a little. I remember one time my mom's friend came over and asked me about my tattoo and her tone of voice was so droll and the look in her eye was so put off I could tell she instantly thought I was an absolute fucking moron the instant she saw me. In fact I would say that a majority of people over 40 instantly think anyone with heavy tattoos is an absolute moron and a waste of life.

Even my cousin and her husband who are about 5-7 years older than me at around 27/28 were very judgmental about how heavily tattooed I've decided to be, despite my cousin saying she wants a small one on her back, and her husband having 2 pretty conservative ones on his upper arm.

The good thing however though is it has helped me not to care or live solely based on the opinions of others. It has really helped me realize that I should not live my life looking for the validation of others. Whether the decision is about my body, my significant other, or my career, I've learned that I should live for myself. I can never be free or true if I go through life wondering what will make other people happy or sad. Furthermore, I've found that a lot of people are ignorant, close minded, and unwilling to go against the status quo. Why should I want so hard to fit neatly into society's little box for me, if society is so fucked up in the first place? If I do something that I desire, and someone else doesn't approve that's their problem. I've got one life to live and I'm going to live it how I want to, with or without anyone else's approval or support.

[Kev]

I've met some very cool people and made some good friends of both artists and fellow collectors. I've developed a deep appreciation for not only other people's art but my own.

[Delicious]

Ok, I dont know if you all remember my thread, Fat people and tattoos, but ever since I have gotten more tattoos, I feel better about my body. No, it doesnt negate the fact that I am obese, but at least I have something on my body that makes me feel positive, instead of making myself feel like there is nothing good about me. Plus, people love my tattoos. gives me a little self confidence boost on the days I am especially hard on myself about my looks

[sbhikes]

Ok, I dont know if you all remember my thread, Fat people and tattoos, but ever since I have gotten more tattoos, I feel better about my body. No, it doesnt negate the fact that I am obese, but at least I have something on my body that makes me feel positive, instead of making myself feel like there is nothing good about me. Plus, people love my tattoos. gives me a little self confidence boost on the days I am especially hard on myself about my looks

I don't know that I saw that thread. I'm not exactly obese but I have always been heavier than I should be and self-conscious about it. Plus I'm large-framed and short so there's really no hope I'll ever be lithe and sleek ha ha. But since I've gotten some larger tattoos I've noticed how they do make me feel better about my body. I saw a girl on campus with nice generous thighs like mine. She had the start of some kind of impressive dragon tattoo or something. I thought wow, how brave of her. Then I thought, wow, that really looks good on her. Made me think maybe I shouldn't be so scared to put a tattoo on a large body part.

[Abellve]

I think for me tattoos are part of a larger thing that changed my life...not caring what people think.

I was a really nerdy kid -- like cartoonishly so. To a great extent I still am it's just less evident at a glance. You have to wait til I open my mouth. I was a bullied, targeted kid with more heavy problems than I care to share. I did not fit in...anywhere...but something happened when I was young. Punk rock. Changed everything. I was never going to be a part of the group. I was never going to be accepted or acceptable and more than that, I didn't care to be. If you're going to keep me on the outside, fine. Now I have no reason not to just go about the business of being true to myself. There's something liberating about removing yourself from the struggle to be accepted...outwardly sending the message: I don't need you to be ok with who I am.

Flash forward to today and my tattoos are just one way that same mindset shows through. I know tattoos are going to keep me out of certain social circles...and they're the ones I don't want any part of. It's less about defiance and more about a disregard for convention. That's not why I get tattooed really. I get tattoos for their own reasons or none at all...but there is a reason I have "Outsider" tattooed across my chest and "Stay True" on my knuckles.

[iowagirl]

I don't know necessarily that they've changed my life, but I certainly enjoy having them. They're like accessories to my body. I have a Tigger, and he more than any of the others has been a draw for kids and adults-he's the one people ask about more often. I was worried when I started my job last year at a preschool that people would be freaked out, but so far everyone has been accepting, and the kids seem to get a kick out of them. They're very gentle the times I've gotten new ones, very cautious not to hurt me. After I got my feet redone, one of the boys came to school a couple days later and had "tattooed" the tops of his feet w/orange paint. So far, no notes have been sent to school about kids drawing on themselves more than usual, although instead of just one stick on tattoo, they come in w/5 or 7 all over.

[mkersey24]

Tattoo for me are just an awesome way to make things that are important to me even more important and personal

[else]

I don't know necessarily that they've changed my life, but I certainly enjoy having them. They're like accessories to my body. I have a Tigger, and he more than any of the others has been a draw for kids and adults-he's the one people ask about more often. I was worried when I started my job last year at a preschool that people would be freaked out, but so far everyone has been accepting, and the kids seem to get a kick out of them. They're very gentle the times I've gotten new ones, very cautious not to hurt me. After I got my feet redone, one of the boys came to school a couple days later and had "tattooed" the tops of his feet w/orange paint. So far, no notes have been sent to school about kids drawing on themselves more than usual, although instead of just one stick on tattoo, they come in w/5 or 7 all over.

My daughter was so into drawing on herself when she was little!! Every time she got ahold of a marker she was coloring on her arms and legs... one time (while I was out of town) she got into a multi-pack of colored sharpies and drew on herself scalp to toe!!

I'm not at all surprised that now, as she approaches her 18th birthday, she's planning to get a tattoo!!

[iowagirl]

My daughter was so into drawing on herself when she was little!! Every time she got ahold of a marker she was coloring on her arms and legs... one time (while I was out of town) she got into a multi-pack of colored sharpies and drew on herself scalp to toe!!

I'm not at all surprised that now, as she approaches her 18th birthday, she's planning to get a tattoo!!

Haha awesome! My daughter is currently scared of needles so insists she won't be getting anything when she's of age...we'll see tho!

[fortunes]

Hmm... interesting question.

<maybe the first tattoo i did in my younger age gave me some self esteem boost.

But nothing more then that... :cool:

[SacramentoDan]

Have your tattoos changed your life?

no,I can't say that tattoos have changed my life really,

I've always been an outgoing confident person,

having tattoos has been fun,because it's made me a little different than many people I encounter and that is the fun part of having tattoos IMO,

I like the attention and stares,etc,etc that having tattoos causes in public,

what I can say is (since I have been getting tattoos for probably 30 years now) is that my life has changed the tattoos I get,it's been an evolutionary process,constantly changing,and my tattoos are a road map of my life,including people,places,& experiences that I have encountered along this crazy trip we call life.

[slayer9019]

Really the only things that have changed is the fact I am now multi-colored. I've always seen myself as a person that will have a lot of tattoos, so actually getting them hasn't really changed anything. I guess as of recently I do have to deal with people always pulling my sleeve up or similar as they want to check out the bigger stuff. Honestly the metal shirts I wear grab more attention that my tattoos. A Cannibal Corpse or Darkfuneral shirt is a bit more out there than tattoos at least in my area of the country.

[tatB]

I have significantly less money now that I have begun getting tattooed.

[SacramentoDan]

I have significantly less money now that I have begun getting tattooed.

for sure that ! LOL

[Gloomy Inks]

I agree, tattoos have changed my life. I was reading this great thing on Jack Dracula (RIP) done from a sociological standpoint. From what I can gather from my family I was born weird. I never bought into Santa or the Easter Bunny, and most of the time had hard time dealing the other kids.

Most, not all mind you, people who get tattooed self identify. If you're military it's a delineation from others who wear the same uniform. Back when side shows were still allowed to operate the "self made freaks", the tattooed, were an entity unto themselves, while the "very special people" were the same.

If you look to extremes in tattooing, like Dracula or Lucky Diamond Rich, having facial tattoos does set you apart.

Where I'm at in Florida we have a ton of shops and a few metric tons of tattooed people. On occasion, rare, I get a strange look from a pious man or priggish woman, but most of the time I get a pretty positive reaction from people. Some still assume that I'm a hood, but you don't get a whole lot of whispering these days, at least I don't.

About the most I get it is the "That must hurt!" or the "I'm afraid of needles," but on the whole my tattoos have been pretty positive in my life.

[MrToby]

As has been mentioned by others here the two obvious changes for me are that I have less money and am now much more colorful. But it definitely goes beyond that personally. It has become a huge part of my life, from the magazines and websites I read to the art I choose to put on my walls and the conversations I have with people. I have had some totally fantastic conversations with people just because they see I'm tattooed and open up with "I've been thinking of getting [this or that tattoo]". I've found these conversations really interesting. And then the random comments that I get from people are more often than not great. Just yesterday I got on a bus and the drivers first comment before "Where are you going?" was "I would be walking round in a t-shirt too if I had tattoos that good." It's little things like that which make me smile and make my life more colorful now than it ever was before.

[JoeJett]

Now more conscience of wearing sunscreen...positive side affect of being tattooed!