Trendy or against trends?

[misterJ]

mandalas and sacred geometry already nauseate me. I'm soooooo deep maaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn my mandala proves it. Let's get more Starbucks. it's hard not to fall into some trends I will gladly admit that, but this isn't for me. I'd wear a feather bursting into doves before sacred geometry

[Suiren]

mandalas and sacred geometry already nauseate me. I'm soooooo deep maaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnn my mandala proves it. Let's get more Starbucks. it's hard not to fall into some trends I will gladly admit that, but this isn't for me. I'd wear a feather bursting into doves before sacred geometry

If that is a trend now it sucks for me because I have been into the occult since the early 90's :( I hate when people get occult symbols tattooed, yet they never even invoked a demon...

Haha jk

[DavidR]

I hate when people get occult symbols tattooed, yet they never even invoked a demon...

Don't ya just fucking hate that!

[Graeme]

Who cares what motivates people to get tattoos and to choose particular imagery as long as they're getting good tattoos.

[OutOfIdeas]

Who cares what motivates people to get tattoos and to choose particular imagery as long as they're getting good tattoos.

This. My brother got an owl tattoo towards the end of their trendiness, and just got a mandala. He isn't the kind of person to follow trends, I'm guessing he was just exposed to those images because they were trendy. Both are awesome tattoos and will age well. Trendy things don't always have to be bad.

[Suiren]

Who cares what motivates people to get tattoos and to choose particular imagery as long as they're getting good tattoos.

I was kidding...and I don't really invoke demons :)

[PinkUnicorn]

Is there a tattoo trend now that will be the equivalent of the tribals of the 90s? Is it possible to predict?

Whatever styles are most popular now with prominent athletes and well-known singers...

[xcom]

I had no clue mandalas and shit like that was a trend nor had a "deep" meaning.

I actually started a geometry piece because it expresses the logic of my thinking as a IT/IS/Coder.

[Cork]

So are you saying I should regret my Taylor Swift tattoo?

[Lance]

So are you saying I should regret my Taylor Swift tattoo?

Well maybe not the Taylor Swift tattoo, but your Miley Cyrus chest piece? Um, yeah.

[tatB]

So are you saying I should regret my Taylor Swift tattoo?

Didn't you start the Robin Williams tribute tattoo trend with your Genie backpiece?

[Margarita Yaschenko]

Trends are bad, people who are doing something just because it's now in the trend wrong. And if relatively unserious things like hairstyles, clothes or selecting what to see - it does not affect a person's life. But the tattoo will last a lifetime/

And when the trend to something will pass the poor man would have to go either to laser removal or a cover because the new trend appears.

The choice of a tattoo should not affect neither trends nor the popularity of a topic, any advice from the (if not only the technical aspects) or opinions familiar / friends / relatives. This individuality and personal choice. This is my opinion. =)

And vice versa - if a person wants to do something owl mandala or not because it's fashionable, but because he had long wanted to do it - then let him do.

[Suiren]

Trends are bad, people who are doing something just because it's now in the trend wrong. And if relatively unserious things like hairstyles...

I think people that follow trends do so because they are not very creative either. They chose what is available, acceptable and easy to put together.

Maybe that is why certain tattoos become so trendy. I agree that if one really really likes something trendy, regardless of a trend they should do it. I do wear my Goth, Vintage or Period Fashion as well as normal trends because I will wear whatever I like no matter if people think I'm shizophrenic :-). I'm always in this sort of dilemma...I listen to Black Metal, but sometimes Pop Music, so Metal friends will complain about Pop music and other friends about Metal...

[Margarita Yaschenko]

Creativity and imagination should be the master, who will do a sketch for a tattoo. And the client just needs to be determined to what he wants, excluding the impact of trends.

Often people come and ask to do something with the note: you're a tattoo artist, pick me anything you like, you're a pro.

But my preference - it's my preference, preferences of the person - is his preference. They hardly identical. Therefore, if a person wants something and does not know what or wants something popular just because it is popular - I send him a little longer to think on his idea.

Because professional tattooists not in the for the client to come up with something that will be on the client for life, and to take the idea of the client and make a qualitative sketch (it is already on the creativity of the master), and do it on a quality tattoo. From person is not required creativity or ability to imagination, requires only a good consideration of what he wants.

[Suiren]

It really doesn't seem like a good idea to have the artist decide on everything. I'm so picky about what I want and the placement and draw my own ideas on paper and my body months before I decide I want to get the tattoo.

[marley mission]

It really doesn't seem like a good idea to have the artist decide on everything. I'm so picky about what I want and the placement and draw my own ideas on paper and my body months before I decide I want to get the tattoo.

eh i dont know - to each their own - but i more and more like the process of letting the artist do their thing - i dont think i would say to an artist 'hey tattoo whatever you like' but i like being able to say - 'here's what i'm thinking do yo thang' - if you like the artists style and consider them sufficiently competent and consistent in their body of observble work then i find that freedom makes the whole thing much more fun and enjoyable for both parties - just my .02

[Suiren]

eh i dont know - to each their own - but i more and more like the process of letting the artist do their thing - i dont think i would say to an artist 'hey tattoo whatever you like' but i like being able to say - 'here's what i'm thinking do yo thang' - if you like the artists style and consider them sufficiently competent and consistent in their body of observble work then i find that freedom makes the whole thing much more fun and enjoyable for both parties - just my .02

Yeah that I can understand, when you let the artist know a little bit of what you invision. But I think completely letting the artist decide might be risky....like if he decides for a skull and you absolutely hate skulls haha.

I personally definitely do need more planning though. But I can see how some can let the artist be creative about it.

[marley mission]

I have been focusing more on artist style lately - seeing more and more my tattoo future being in the ballpark of traditional meets 'weird' - i ahve a couple artists i like that seem to delve into that area with the traditional style but with cool / clever twists on things

anyway that said - i'm in next week with a total custom deal planned

[blujax01]

It's an interesting conversation. Some trends hit society like the whole Middle Earth/ Celtic thing of the late 80's early 90's and boom everyone has Knotwork. Also, some is due to advances in Technology. Ther technique of color wash/water color tattoos lent itself to softer tattoos without an outline. And in came all the girls with their Audubon bird images. WWF wrestling became popular on TV and there were a ton of barbed wire/tribal arm bands followed soon after. Tattooing has always been a marker for a point in time(Tazmanian Devils, Little Devils, marijuana leaves,etc, so whatever style one chooses will become dated. And hats as it should be. We wear our history on our sleeves-hey I just made a pun- but I fear a lot of kids are thinking that here will be an eraser cream so they don't even try to be original. Hey, try to keep a "PMA" because after all "YOLO."

[RoryQ]

Seems like there is a new regard for that spiky black tribal trend of the 90s again - and rightly so.

First it was a little bit ironic (black tribal creeping into traditional motifs) and now it feels like it is heading towards a wholesale reappreciation. People are like, wow, Leo Zulueta style tattooing can have massive visual impact and hold up well.

I always thought it was odd some people who loved recent geometric and black work might have turned their nose up at 90s tribal.

Paul O Rourke from All Star tattoos a lot of this type of thing and man, if this is what 90s fad tattooing looks like then they weren't as bad as I remember.

I don't think this ever went out of style for tough guys.

When it comes to later fads for feathers flocks of birds - where it's more about iconography than just style - I wonder can you think of them as just being new entries to the pantheon of popular flash. A feather is not to my taste, but it's no more arbitrary than a swallow in some ways.

Now, Victorian dressed animals smoking pipes... I can't stretch to getting on board with those.

[tay943]

In response to the title question; I try not to let trends directly influence my opinions about things, negativly or positivly. A bad tattoo is a bad tattoo, but if someone really loved feathers and studied them and just generally thought they were awesome imagery it would be unfortunate that they felt like they couldn't get a really nice feather tattoo because people may think they are 'mainstream' or shallow. Love what you love, take inspiration from everywhere and people will appreciate you for your confidence and individuality; don't hold off on something based on what unimportant people think (not related to career advancements or the like of course).

[SeeSea]

I could see myself becoming a victim to trends. On one hand, I love the birds with light lining - the ones that are sort of geometric and sort of watercolor. Don't know what they are called. If I started getting tattooed more regularly, I might get one of those. Knowing they may not last well. One the other hand, I have completely jumped on board the Monmon Cat trend. So, yeah, that is becoming a trend, especially since others are starting to mimic/copy Horitomo's work.

[Suiren]

I'll definitely be someone with "trendy tattoos" too I guess...unintentionally..I don't know exactly what is trend but I love finer lines, water color and geometric tattoos, nature motivs...But I have never wanted any of the more classic styles personally. Since I started in 2004 I have been admiring delicate tattoos or very simple, minimalistic art. I want a moderate amount of tattoos, but my goal is not to cover up all too much (if I can ^^) so less heavy tattoos are a way to balance it out for me.

If watercolor tattoos should go out of trend, I'd still love them. And I know no matter how trendy portraits or hands would get I'd never want them for myself ;).

[Suiren]

Is that trendy enough for ya?

[jen7]

I never judge based on 'trendiness'. if someone sat through a tattoo and are wearing it for life, that's badass no matter the design.