Isotope

Hi all!
I'm a research scientist who studies paleoclimate, climate change, oceanography, and archeology/anthropology through stable isotope geochemistry.
Stuff about me. My grandfathers pretty much raised me. Both were WWII veterans.
My grandfather on my dad's side was a BAR-man in the USMC with the Pacific from 1942-1944. He was the embodiment of the Greatest Generation, I loved the man to death. He essentially raised me: he taught me how to shoot a rifle, how to fish, and gave me my moral compass and innumerable life skills. I miss him every day. He fought on Rennell, Bougainville, then was assigned to the First Provisional Marine Brigade, where he fought in the Second Battle of Guam, losing sight in in his right eye to a Japanese Grenade, sending him home. The Brigade would go on to Iwo Jima. The grenade probably saved his life. Yes, he was tattooed.
My other grandfather was a total badass, as well. Field Artillery in the battle of Kasserine Pass. He was captured by Rommel's troops, and was a POW at Stalag III-B in Furstenburg. From which he escaped. Twice. Ratted out both times by refugees. They used to trade red cross cigarettes to the guards by making them give a salute and yell "Heil Roosevelt!"
My dad was a 3rd generation Marine, of the Full Metal Jacket era. He was also a real POS of a human, and being in the Corps did that part of him no favors. He told me, to quote, that if I tried to carry on the family tradition, he'd kill me himself first.
So, having grown up in Florida, I pursued what interested me. I'm not the kind of person who could ever have a job just to pay the bills. I get totally enrapt in whatever has my attention and interest. So science was a natural fit. I went to school for way too long. I paid my way through undergrad (chemistry/marine science) working in a boatyard, at a public aquarium and TAing/tutoring. I did research and taught more to survive through getting an MS in Oceanography and a PhD in Geoscience. Now I wake up and get to do what I love every day.
So my main fascinations are the history of tattooing insofar as to be tattooed is to be human. Then, secondarily, American Traditional. As a scientist and person who tries to be an autodidact (and has sailed in the South Pacific, and was raised by Veterans), it's impossible for me not to be fascinated by and deeply respect Sailor Jerry. And as a general person who loves tattoo history, Paul Rogers, Cap Coleman, Amund Dietzel, Thom DeVita, etc. etc. etc.
I am not a tattooer or artist. I don't have a visually creative bone in my body. To me, good tattooing is an ultimate and purely human art form. As human as paintings of mammoths and ungulates on cave walls. It's a truly special, endemic form of tool use that pushes the human brain out to the max.
As a final note, the university I work at has a very conservative student body and is in a very conservative town. It's also too hot for long sleeves all year, so all of my past and future work is necessarily coverable by short sleeves, and preferably shorts as well.
Thanks!

personally I think that second link looks like a mess of random stars and lines... but that is what fireworks are. So, maybe it's great?
I understood what yours was when I saw it immediately, I think you have some buyers remorse and cannot really admit that.
This is how you should fix it :D
http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lswtybVsZk1qfp499o1_500.jpg

I do it for the fame, and the sex.

There was a thread about "dotwork" a while ago and I got fairly involved and possibly upset a few people. Check it out, I think I already answered the question posed by your thread title.
Also, the word "fad" is inherently insulting in modern usage - but you knew that already.
While researching tattoos, tattooing, tattoo styles, tattoo history and tattooers is interesting and probably fun. It's still kinda like researching swimming. Most of it's value comes from being involved, taking part, doing it, getting it done and having it be part of your life.
Then again... On a long enough time scale, ALL tattooing since Ed Hardy opened the first appointment-only studio is a fad. Sailors going to war, getting tattooed in Honolulu was a fad. High-Society Europeans shipping esteemed Japanese irezumi artists over to tattoo dragons on them in the 1800's was a fad. Internet forums will be seen to be a fad. Finally, tattoo customers stressing about being period-correct like vintage clothing aficionados will be seen to be a fad of the early 21st century.

You can't learn to swim by reading a book.
To expand on that again, tattooing is best experienced first-hand. Many times, here on this forum, in the shop I work at and conventions etc, someone has mentioned that they wish there was a book that had all the information they were looking for about a particular subject at that moment. It usually doesn't exist. You have to find it yourself.
With regards to tattooing and "tattoo culture" We're living in a folk art culture. We should embrace the folk art tradition of oral storytelling and first hand knowledge and be relieved that we not (yet) shackled by the literary bounds of other art movements, cultures and historical societies.
But to be more on topic, in a general sort of way...
I'd stick my neck out and say that any style of tattooing (until maybe around 2000-2010) is influenced by the popular culture surrounding the people who get those styles. Sailor Jerry cribbed movie posters and other advertisements for many of his designs between the 40's - 70s. Mike Malone used objects and paintings he found in Chinatown as reference for many of his popular designs. It stands to reason that Charlie Wagner would have used Edwardian style filigree ornamentation (from a variety of sources, jewellery included) in his designs.
The dotwork thing is slightly separate. During the first decade of the 21st century tattooing entered a more post-modern, referential phase where most styles of tattooing referenced or were influenced by earlier styles of tattooing. Except dotwork. I consider the work of Thomas Hooper, Xed Le Head, Jondix (I'd extend that to Duncan X) to be the only "new" style of tattooing since biomech in the 90's - but that didn't seem to catch on outside of tattoo culture the way their work did.
That's why I still bother to get involved when someone refers to dotwork as a "fad".
While it is imitated ad nauseam, we've alive to witness the birth of a new tattoo style that was influenced by disparate artforms outside of tattooing to the point where it works and it's possible to have a coherent bodysuit of that style. Pretty exciting stuff.

I think hipster fits kinda well for that trend.
To me hipster tattoos lack a genuine commitment and honesty. It's easier to be ironic and mock something than to put yourself out there with a belief that goes deep for you. I don't mean a tattoo that has personal meeting , but for me it would be like getting some horror tattoo and deflecting with how funny it is rather then how much I love horror.

"I don't understand how being so called anti establishment means not taking care of your own body. WTF."
This is such a problem in Austin-makes a 105 degree day that much closer to Hell

They're not mine to charge for, Pete. I'm just glad they're getting seen.
I've had people send me stuff in trade; drawings, books, etc- but I wouldn't feel comfortable making money from them.
Speaking of- Cliff Raven. 1974.
This video features Cliff tattooing in New York & Florida. And generally not wearing pants.
There was no audio originally, so I decided to leave it silent for now. Enjoy-

Chris Conn is definitely one, I like the way Nick Ley does them as well.

Nguzunguzu.
I did my PhD dissertation on the paleoclimate and oceanography of the Solomon Islands. They are smack dab in the West Pacific Warm Pool, one of the "heat engines" of the Earth's climate. They also sit under the largest perennial rainfall feature on earth, the South Pacific Convergence Zone. I spent a lot of time out there caving, sampling fossil corals, and hanging out in villages listening to villagers and elders tell amazing stories of the past, and depressing stories of the present; logging and overfishing are becoming epidemic.
In the Western Province, tribal warfare and headhunting raids were often conducted between the small islands, with warriors transporting themselves in large Tomoko war canoes. One of the iconic images of the Western Solomons is the figurehead that adorns the prows of these canoes: the Nguzunguzu. A guardian God carved of ebony wood and painted black, with v or z shaped shell inlay. The eyes are always open, on alert. They are mostly either depicted holding a head or a frigate bird. Frigate birds are merciless, hardy, seagoing predators that will not spend the night at sea. They hold a place of reverence in the West Pacific. When I got my diploma, I got this piece on my chest. The flowers are Dendrobium laevifolium, an orchid species native to the remaining Western Solomons primary rainforests.
The artist was Chelsea Kotzur at True Blue on Red River in Austin.