YOMONEY

ahh haha.. im going for it.. i just wish you guys would lie to me at this point..

ive said a few times in my relatively short period of time here, that i feel as if im rare because i actually enjoy it.. or just talking tattoos with people in general.. as long as its not the flyby douhe "sick ink, brah" type, like i said in the stare thread, its cool.. and the only reason sick ink brah guy isnt cool is cause i doubt he even saw any of the work as much as he saw a guy who was inked and wanted to look cool giving props.. my buddy on the other hand.. hell fight you for stares and better not ask him abot any of his work.. were usually pretty bent, and im like yo, youre sensitive, but lets start shit anyway..

if i ever caught anyone staring, theyd usually explain themselves what they are doing, because ill say someshit depending.. and they either stop there, or have a question.. i dont mind.. i also get a lot of people like, "yo, man! nice ink", when they just barely saw it for a split second while walking by.. thats what bugs me.. when somebodies just trying to give drive by props on something they barely even saw.. - - - Updated - - - there was a big craigslist rants and raves fight a while ago, locally.. some guy, out of left field, went on about tattoo'd people and how hell be the guy who stares you down and says some shit.. he later threatened to drive you over the hill in his pickup truck and murder you lol.. i dont normally participate in faceless internet arguements like that, especially on fucking craigslist.. but i felt like i had to call his bluff.. in this area, anyway, the a lot of the people with tattoos are g's or tough ass biker- criminals.. the other majority consists of maybe not criminals, but people who would fuck you up for that.. the few are the meek, who even they would have something to say/do, if theyre willing to throw it all on their sleeves anyway.. so, i figured, its a numbers game and dude was lying about staring down all tattoo'd people he sees.. also, i love when some girl is showing off a rad chest peice and i get caught looking at it..

yeah, i ment the respect thing should go both ways.. not the i act one way, then in return you do this for me when i come through.. thats just my experience of being a good customer, you usually get treated well back.. and if i didnt, thats cool too.. but it def. makes me want to put my money in said artists pocket..

seriously.. your last pics made me cringe a bit.. i think talking to the laser dude, he could tell that i was a little worried lol.. my arms have been through hell and back.. i got a bad(?) degree burn on the inside of my forearm, thanks to some rad. tech dick hillbilly.. ive never felt pain from a tattoo.. i can sit in the chair for hours, and be swollen up like a football, and still be cool.. ive completely sober taken steel wooland pipe cleaners to a spot to try and lighten it (with SOME results).. i was at it for hours, didnt bother me the least.. i guess this will hurt though, even though all of the other articles and some of the discussions out there say that it will not be much worse than getting the tattoo.. boy i hope this is true.. but no matter what, its just one of those things that id be willing to sacrifice a crapload of pain for, just because i know id be happier with the results.. thanks for fucking with my head though, about "when the laser goes on".. my mind is gonna be fucked now asking myself "do i really want to do this".. haha..

that bad? the way people in the community act as if almost this is all part of the game now.. i have a consultation next week.. just some bullshit script i got a long time ago that id like rid of.. no pain, no gain..

fuck.. im in the market to get part of my sleeve removed.. i can take pain, but this does not look good! the results seem to, though.. im being met by stand-offish receptionists at derm. offices who claim on the internet to do this procedure.. this last lady.. "we do not, nor do we know anybody who does.. goodbye.. *click*"..

i think that its definantly important (for me) to have a repoire built up with my artist.. maybe not if i were to get just a peice, but somebody who i hand my flesh over to draw on to on a regular basis, we definantly need to vibe as much as i like the persons work.. a tattoo to me is a pretty intimate and personal thing.. this goes for my barber, lawyer, doctor etc. (well, maybe not if i were dying or facing life).. i need to connect with them on some level.. this works both ways.. its just respect.. i would never show up fucked up, blow off an apt, tip wack, act entitled, or go in just hang out and bother people while theyre at work.. ill only go to the shop, outside of getting work done or discussing work, to bring customers in.. in return for having this type of relationship; you get better spots, better prices, my artist will go the extra mile.. - - - Updated - - - i guess, and correct me if im wrong, artists.. that yes, friendships can be built.. but the foundatin ultimately has to be built upon being a good customer/good artist and the mutual respect.. i talk with my artist like he is my buddy, but i also dont see him outside of the shop..

yeah, i dont seem to ever have many problems, because of the way in which i present myself.. ive heard it time and time again, maybe even here too.. that theres a huge difference in an inked person with a button up and nice hair cut, than one with holey jeans and a band tshirt.. i wear a lot of button ups, not even for professional reasons.. i think my fears (yes, its fear and worrying) is irrational.. im told time and time again.. i get old ladies always looking at my arm and thinking that its neat, which is cool, and i think its because of the type of person i am.. and i always get a kick out of it actually (i know a lot of people hate this).. ive never had (to my face) any sort of discrimination, that i know of..the only time i thought that i might, is when this old conservative guy was like, "hey boy, let me see that arm".. i immediatly thought, "oh crap, here we fucking go".. but the guy was like "hey, thats alright".. then rolls up his sleeves and shows me his arms with a few large-ish faded as crap peices he got in japan during ww2.. i thought he was the raddest conservative type old guy ever.. i also dont mind talking tattoos with people.. people always ask, im happy to talk.. im also happy to listen to what people want to get, or what they have, which makes me rare.. but im all for it.. only when its brought up in a professional setting that it seems to bug me for some reason.. like "when it keeping it real goes wrong".. wu-tang!

the more ink i get, the more i appreciate all ink.. even homemade, flash, and prison stuff can be cool to me- artistically.. not like, "hey i want that".. to me that stuff is way more respectable than some guy whos like BRO LET ME A GET A ROBOT ARM!!!

FINALLY. a real-ass discussion about this.. was getting tired of all the typical hate shit that was coming up on search engines; somebody with a question regarding a specific profession, then a bunch of people, "tattoos are bad/ugly".. let me hit you with a different perspective, though.. for those who are certain about their careers and the lines drawn for where they will and will not work.. life is crazy unpredictable.. at 25-26 id never have thought that id get the big "C" and get knocked out of the working mans game for a couple of years.. or at 28.. after having a couple (yes, just that) at lunch wih a friend, then some asshole smashing into your car, totaling it, you having to go away for a while.. not on some victim shit, just saying, we never know what life has in store for us.. its strange and scary sometimes.. whats also is strange is this.. i dont "dislike" any of my tattoos.. theyre not the sickest sleeves youve seen or anything.. but what i do DISLIKE the hell out of is the internal conflict that many of us are describing here.. as i too love tattoos.. i too want to do big things with my life.. i just jumped the fuck in.. like quick.. i thought i was waisting time not getting all done up.. which is alright, i guess.. but all of my ink has meaning to me, unlike the "tattooed professionals" who are featured in articles with floral sleeves or top of the line work and whatnot.. i have a lot of skateboard art, music stuff, tribute to pops (rip), friends, places ive lived, nice scripts, cartoon characters, tons of japanese influenced stuff, etc etc.. most of what i have are things that shaped me/gave me the worldview that i have today.. but who knows where my mind will be at 10-20-30 years from now.. things are already seeming different to me at 30.. definantly was never down going into a shop and being like, "can you sleeve me out with a my favorite tv show theme?".. or, "just paint some shit on me, like do a painting".. i went in for an interview today, where i swore up and down that my sleeves were covered.. but the interviewer, who was talking resturants with me and trying to explain to me where one was, said something to the affect of, "youre into tattoos, its right by *shop name*".. not cool, even if he was trying to be cool (i honestly couldnt tell).. jobwise, its whatever.. i can get a job.. im a fairly friendly and pretty articulate- things you need to land min. wage gigs w/o experience.. but the ink doubled with an f'd up economy sometimes makes me sometimes think like- "ok, what CAN i do?".. instead of ,"ok, what do i WANT to do".. which is extremelly fucked up mindset, i know.. im just a few credits shy in an associates in english, ill go for the b.a... ill write, edit, freelance, do whatever needs to be done, basically.. i dont think ill have any problems with ink there.. but to be completely honest, i do sometimes fear that an oppurtunity may come along that i might want and wont be able to pursue.. or even much much much much much worse- having to hide the fact that i even have any ink at all, just so some ignorant shmuck will take me as a professional.. ive always been a "ill do it my way" type of dude.. or thinking i was special or someshit, and some amazing stuff would just fall into my lap.. the older you get, the more you realize that that is just not true.. rant done.. im sorry, but also feel pretty unapologetic about rehashing this thread.. and im glad i found these boards.. will stick around.. and good luck to everyone.. screw any advice that anyone else but you will give you.. just gotta do whats in your heart..