Jake Anderson

Don't worry about it. At all. Really cool, clean tattoo. Enjoy it.

Love it!

Nope. I'm actually a pastor. Been here for a little over two years.

That was epic. Next, summer, you just know the shit is going to hit the fan and this whole thing is going to get burned to the ground. It's gonna be crazy.

Both replies are helpful. Thank you. I'm struggling with fleshing out my thoughts on this, which is why I decided to start a thread. I definitely didn't write this to say I'm right and you're wrong. I'm looking for input to help form my ideas. SStu, yes, thank you. That makes a lot of sense. Dan, I am most decidedly not first, last, and foremost an intellectual. My job is first, last, and foremost relational. Intellectual studies should inform how I do what I do, but intellectual studies in and of themselves are not what I do. I found this line most helpful: "To my mind, when you say "craftsman", or "tradesman", you are talking about someone who makes things, who works with their hands. Anyone who makes their living with words, well, they're something else. Not better, not worse, but not tradesmen or craftsmen...or Women." I'd agree with you. Like I said, I'm struggling to flesh this out. I need a different word. But as to my question about tattooists and my reluctance to call them "artists" because of the full-breadth of meaning that the term "artist" implies; I just wish there was a way to maintain the positive connotations that accompany the title "artist" while at the same time giving a nod to the reality of them being expected to produce quality work day in and day out.

I think our American culture has a severe lack of respect for trade professions, especially trade professions in which the educational model is based on an apprenticeship relationship. Skills like welding, carpentry, and fabrication all require an enormous amount of skill, patience, vision, and aptitude. My mom is an educator and my dad is a Snap-On Tools franchisee. I think these careers also fit into this skilled tradesmen category. As for myself, I am a pastor, and was required to attain a four-year bachelors degree, before attending seminary. My seminary education required four years of rigorous study and practical application to attain a masters degree. In fact, in two short years of part time schooling, I could obtain a doctorate degree in pastoral leadership. I was trained in academia, but in actuality, what I do for a living is really a trade. I make this argument to other pastors who were trained in the same way as I, and many of them are offended by this notion. They see themselves as rigorously trained artists, in many ways, and reject the idea that we are "mere" tradesman. And there is an artistic piece to it, for sure. Just as there is for welders, and fabricators, and salespeople. And tattooers, I think. But I'm not sure I want to be seen as an artist. Artists are often flaky and produce only when they feel inspired or moved to do so. Tradesmen aren't afforded that liberty. Pastors are expected to produce and perform day in and day out. As are teachers, salesmen, and tattooers. I claim my profession as a trade proudly, and I think calling a tattooers merely an "artist" sells them short in a big way. What they (and I, if you'll grant me that) produce is most definitely an artform, but I think a good tattooer must be so much more than simply am artist. Am I the only one who feels this way?

Grand Forks for me, too. Maybe I'll see you around some time.

Looks great!

You got it. You in Grand Forks or Fargo?

I go to Darkside Tattoo in Grand Forks. They have three really good artists (Bryon, Brown, and Roy) and a couple more that I'm not quite as impressed with.

"plus, I don't like getting tattooed." Me neither!

I apologize for offending. I certainly didn't mean to say that you existed as a tool to help get my religion going.

@Our Endless Days - No problem, I like answering questions. The idea of tattoos being sinful really comes back to Leviticus 19:28, which says, "Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves." Leviticus is the third book in the Bible; it's really old. It was put together beginning at the time that Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the promised land. There was period of 40 years between when the left Egypt and when they entered into the promised land. They were basically nomads during that time, travelling into many different lands, and associating with many different peoples. At that point in time, God had "set apart" Israel as the chosen people who would eventually share God's blessing with the whole world. Being "set apart" meant that, at that time, God didn't want them losing their identity by taking on the customs of the many other tribes they came across. Some of these tribes tattooed themselves. Incidentally, the stuff you hear today about homosexuality being sinful comes from this portion of the Bible too. Homosexuality was a practice of some of the tribes, as well. There are hundreds of laws like this in Leviticus. Planting a field with more than one crop in it is an abomination, punishable by death. So is wearing clothing that is composed of more than one textile (cotton-polyester). So is eating shellfish. So is divorce. These laws were put in place in a specific time and context to make sure the Israelites were able to maintain a national identity, until the time came that God's blessing was to be shared with the whole world. Jesus' purpose was to make that happen. So the time for those laws had past. They're not valid anymore. And for most of those laws, the "conservative" Christians would agree with. They don't think you should be stoned for divorcing, or for planting multiple crops, or for wearing cotton-poly T-shirts. Yet for some reason, they think the one about tattoos and homosexuality is still valid. It isn't. What you see is a case of people using scripture as a way to reinforce what they already believe, when what they should be doing is using scripture to shape what they do and believe. I tried to be concise, but am happy to clarify or say more. P.S. - I am a Lutheran pastor, and have been for just over two years. I got my first tattoo when I was 16. I completed my 4-year college degree in 2006, and 4-year seminary study in 2010.

Here's the anchor again. And here's the ship. Super red and puffy. The anchor was completed about an hour or so prior to taking the crappy phone pic, and the ship was completed about three hours prior, so the defintition isn't really evident in the pics. (For instance, on the right side of the top two sails, the lines look super muddy, but they aren't.) But close up, you can see it's a nice clean tattoo. Can't wait for it to heal! Wish I would've gotten a chance to snap pics right away.

Well, I think the darks should mellow out nicely. One complain I have is that most traditional stuff I see these days doesn't have enough black in it, so that's just my preference, and my artist knows that. Obviously in this pic my skin is super red and inflamed. Like, really red. I have pretty sensative skin. Once it calms down I think it's gonna be just what I wanted. I'm happy with it.