Tattoo Exegesis

This is my first tattoo. I got the same one as my mom, we did to mark our eternal love. It’s from a...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:37:55 -0400

This is my first tattoo. I got the same one as my mom, we did to mark our eternal love. It’s from a TV show called Revenge, Emily’s dad used to say: “You know how much I love you” and she’d say: “Infinity”, he would complete: “Infinity times infinity”. Years later when he died she got this tattoo and my mom and I watch this show together, so we thought it would be cool to do it, I love it!

I got it in BH, Brazil

The contrast between the eternity of this tattoo and the ephemerality of the TV show Revenge is giving me the chills.

These are my 3rd and 4th tattoos, done by Race Dylan at Ink & Dagger in Atlanta, GA. On my...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:31:05 -0400

These are my 3rd and 4th tattoos, done by Race Dylan at Ink & Dagger in Atlanta, GA.

On my right middle finger is an Aya, or fern; a West African Adinkra symbol of resilience, resourcefulness, and perseverance through difficult times. I recently graduated college and also resurfaced from several years of deep and persistent boughts of anxiety and depression. For me, it represents not only my years of academic and emotional perseverance, but also a future reminder to ‘bloom where I am planted’.

The bottom image is of the line sets on my lower back. These are an homage to Otzi, aka “The Iceman” who I have been fascinated with for nearly my entire life. Found in 1991 in the Alps, Otzi is the oldest mummified human ever to be found in Europe at around 3300 years old. He has these same tattoos on his lower back, which are hypothesized to have been a form of mystic or holistic medicine (as similar marks appear on the back of one of his knees and one of his ankles) likely as a means of targeting joint pain. As a child, I was obsessed with a PBS Nova documentary about him which would eventually sparked my interests in history, global culture, material culture, archaeology, and the human body. These childhood interests led me on to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with focus areas in Paleoarchaology and Material Culture this past spring. I also have an extensive background in film and now hope to pursue a career helping to make documentaries along the lines of the ones that inspired me most as a child.

Future Prediction #1352: When applying for jobs, members of the next generation will be able to submit photos of their tattoos in lieu of a cover letter.

Done by Trevor at Falcon’s Tattoo in Columbus, GA. This is my Vlad the Impaler tattoo. I am a...

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 15:24:34 -0400

Done by Trevor at Falcon’s Tattoo in Columbus, GA.

This is my Vlad the Impaler tattoo. I am a huge fan of bram stoker’s dracula, as well as the awesome reputation Vlad himself acquired, and I just finished reading Salem’s Lot… So when I went in for a whim tattoo, this happened. I think Trevor did a great job. I found the flash online, a deviantartist who goes by PeggySue13

“Estimates of the number of his victims range from 40,000 to 100,000, comparable to the cumulative number of executions over four centuries of European witch hunts. According to the German stories the number of victims he had killed was at least 80,000. In addition to the 80,000 victims mentioned he also had whole villages and fortresses destroyed and burned to the ground… In a letter to Corvinus dated 2 February, he wrote: ‘I have killed peasants, men and women, old and young, who lived at Oblucitza and Novoselo, where the Danube flows into the sea, up to Rahova, which is located near Chilia, from the lower Danube up to such places as Samovit and Ghighen. We killed 23,884 Turks without counting those whom we burned in homes or the Turks whose heads were cut by our soldiers…’”

At first, I was going to interrogate this person’s assertion that Vlad the Impaler had acquired an ‘awesome’ reputation, but then I realized he was just using the original definition of ‘awesome,’ namely: Extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.’ And it is in that sense that I can honestly say: awesome tattoo, dude.

: My knuckle tats I got done this morning by Barry at King St Tattoo, Newtown AU. What a...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 10:03:51 -0500

My knuckle tats I got done this morning by Barry at King St Tattoo, Newtown AU. What a swell guy. I got them because I’m a fairly decisive person and like to be straight forward so here is me displaying it for the world to see. The ok is positive, and when paired with the peace sign is like twice the positivity. nope is a negative, and so is violence so when paired with a fist is like a double whammy of negativity. I can’t believe it but I forget which font I chose… but I chose it for the clean lines. ITS NOT HELVETICA.

QUICK SOMEBODY SET THESE TWO UP ON A DATE!

Done by Billy Toler at Cherry Bomb Tattoos in New Port Richey, Florida. I chose a vulture...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:27:21 -0500

Done by Billy Toler at Cherry Bomb Tattoos in New Port Richey, Florida.

I chose a vulture because they do not fear death, they embrace it. When I was ten, my grandfather told me not to fear death. Later that year, he passed away. I saw his lifeless body, knowing he was at peace. This tattoo is dedicated to everyone who has passed away in my life. This is dedicated to me, no longer fearing death and not letting it define me.

To be fair to vultures, they probably fear their own deaths (and those of their loved ones) as much as the next bird, but I’m not going to unravel that metaphor any further. Nice job dedicating your own bird tattoo to yourself, though - <3 it when that happens.

This is my flower of life tattoo that I’m in love with. And although there are some...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:19:00 -0500

This is my flower of life tattoo that I’m in love with. And although there are some imperfections that I’ve spotted, I’m still head over heels for it.

I got it done at Adrenaline in Montreal by Ron Smith.

I have a couple of other flower of life tattoos, but I’m platonic friends with one of them, another one I’m barely speaking to, and the last one is my friend with benefits.

It’s pretty simple; my Mum’s birthday is on the 14th of February. I moved to Amsterdam from the...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:15:15 -0500

It’s pretty simple; my Mum’s birthday is on the 14th of February. I moved to Amsterdam from the UK a couple of years ago and I miss her everyday.

Do you think that if you dated this guy, every time Valentine’s Day rolled around, instead of getting you a present, he would just sullenly pull his shirt down, point to his shoulder, and shrug?

Turn, turn, my wheel! All things must changeTo something new, to something strange;Nothing that...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:20:00 -0500

Turn, turn, my wheel! All things must change
To something new, to something strange;
Nothing that is can pause or stay;
The moon will wax, the moon will wane,
The mist and cloud will turn to rain,
The rain to mist and cloud again,
To-morrow be to-day.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The only constant is change.

Done by Topher @ Iron Butterfly Tattoo in Danbury, CT

Just kidding. The only thing that’s constant is bird tattoos. Twenty-four bird tattoos* posted on fuck yeah tattoos in the past three days. Meanings include, but are not limited to: new inspiration, new life, good beginnings, Pelican island, Mom and Dad, Peruvian heritage, freedom, independence, family and death.

*(And one pterodactyl.)

I got this a couple of weeks ago. It’s a quote from the song “vox populi” by thirty seconds to...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:03:00 -0500

I got this a couple of weeks ago. It’s a quote from the song “vox populi” by thirty seconds to mars. They mean the world to me and that song is one of my favorite. The feeling when I hear the lyrics is beyond this world. It really means a lot to me, like if I could do anything I want.

One of the strangest things that I’ve learned from doing this tumblr is that sometime when I wasn’t paying attention, the next generation decided that 30 Seconds to Mars was a legitimate band.

Well played, next generation! You never cease to surprise me.

4 and 20 blackbirds :} My favourite tattoo so far! Done by Mat Lapping at Creative Vandals 4...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:52:41 -0500

4 and 20 blackbirds :} My favourite tattoo so far!

Done by Mat Lapping at Creative Vandals

4 and 20 blackbirds falling out of a cage and landing, SPLAT, in a pie.

This is my first tattoo on my forearm, it means “Never give up” in braille, is a phrase I will...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:51:12 -0500

This is my first tattoo on my forearm, it means “Never give up” in braille, is a phrase I will always use to remember my father, because he was a blind man. Made at LuaArt in Mexico.

Braille tattoos are ironic, because blind people can’t read them.

(Did I just BLOW your MIND?)

Braille piercings, on the other hand, would make a lot of sense.

This is my first and currently only tattoo, but definitely not the last. I get a lot of...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:48:00 -0500

This is my first and currently only tattoo, but definitely not the last. I get a lot of questions about what it stands for and it has a lot of meanings. For one I got it because a lot of people feel caged and bored and don’t understand why, I think it’s because we’re/they’re afraid to take the chance to do something radical or to test themselves and just get comfortable in patterns. Eventually they feel like the caged bird. It’s kind of a reminder for me to never settle until I’ve lived.

There’s also a quote from a Suis La Lune song that goes “you will stay in my memory, like a bird in a cage” which means a lot to me for reasons.

Made at “Circle Tattoo” in Stockholm, Sweden by Dawid (who always uses vegan ink.)

Maybe when people feel caged or bored and don’t understand why, it’s because they’re afraid to take the chance to do something radical or to test themselves, like getting a tattoo that isn’t a picture of a bird in a cage that they’ve heavily loaded with “meaning.” Break the patterns you’re comfortable with, people! Get a marmot tattoo! Get a water buffalo tattoo! Get a giant weta tattoo! No, seriously, somebody get a giant weta tattoo, STAT. Did you know those things can eat carrots? Although, imagine if you got a giant weta tattoo on your leg, and then you woke up and a giant weta was on top of you, trying to mate with it? Top ten worst nightmares ever, right there. So get a giant weta tattoo, but maybe cover it up if you ever go to New Zealand.

from my soulmate’s text message: “my mind at the very least, it could be so many things!!!!! or...

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 11:36:00 -0500

from my soulmate’s text message:

“my mind at the very least, it could be so many things!!!!! or nothingness & everythingness.. Some ancient filipino theory on the origins & fate of the universe… Whatever it is, it represents u..& all of us.. in Quasars accreting & excreting creating one unit, plank time.. or binary black holes.. or electromagnetic fields imploding & exploding into one another.. in any case, i digs. or maybe its ur soul bounded & enclosed, & when u release ur arms u open & invite & extend & embrace the world before u and from what i know, ur arms r always open;) luv u shen”

tl;dr Your soulmate must have an iphone.

Left hand says “Fancy.”Right hand says “Classy.” I wanted them on my pinkies, but my pinkies...

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:57:22 -0500

Left hand says “Fancy.”
Right hand says “Classy.”

I wanted them on my pinkies, but my pinkies are too small. I like them better this way anyways.<3

They only look crocked and messed up because of the why I have my hands positioned. They don’t normally look like that.

According to the philosopher of language JL Austin, language is not just a passive practice of describing a given reality, but a particular practice that can be used to invent and affect realities. Some words are performative utterances —that is, they are not used to describe and thus are neither true nor false. Instead, to utter one of those sentences in appropriate circumstances is not just to ‘say’ something, but to perform a certain kind of action. For example, by saying “I christen this ship the ‘Queen Elizabeth’” or “I take thee as my lawfully wedded husband,” you are not merely using words to state what you are doing; the words themselves contain the action. Similarly, when you tattoo the words ‘classy’ and ‘fancy’ in large letters on the side of your hand, you are not describing yourself in a way that could be deemed true or false; rather, you are performing an action which creates the reality — a reality in which you will never be either classy or fancy, but instead will be stuck with these tattoos for the rest of your life.*

*(Half of this was culled from Wikipedia and the other half I just pulled out of my butt, so please don’t use this post to try and pass your philosophy final, kthanksbai.)

When i was young, my mom and me were going for an walk into the forrest. it was absolutely...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:53:23 -0500

When i was young, my mom and me were going for an walk into the forrest. it was absolutely nice. So i ‘ve seen this deer, and i was stuned all the time about this amazing animal. Thats the reason i wear him on my chest. forever.

Oh look, little Carl from the Walking Dead grew up and got himself a tattoo.

I got these in september. I’d wanted my feet done for ages, but pussed out for awhile since I...

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 10:48:51 -0500

I got these in september. I’d wanted my feet done for ages, but pussed out for awhile since I HATE feet. Haha. The left foot is Harry Potter inspired, as i’m a mega geek, we decided to make the deathly hallows symbol ornate, so only fellow geeks would call it out for what it was but no one else would instantly know. The rose was added because my artist does amazing roses & I wanted a rose off her for sure. The word ‘always’ is another Harry Potter reference.

The Right foot is a globe (obviously!) and the quote ‘I read more maps than books’ Lyrics from Brand New. I grew up fascinated by globes, maps and even reading street directories. I’ve always wanted to explore. As soon as I hear the lyrics, I knew they’d be perfect to add to the piece.

These were done in the one sitting, about 2hrs by the gorgeous & so talented Pip, At True Love Tattoo.

Only a person who really does read more maps than books would think that a single Harry Potter reference makes her a “mega-geek.” You’re lucky you live in Australia, lady - you should SEE some of the Harry Potter tattoos the kids are sporting on this side of the Pacific.

Here is a guest post from an anonymous guest blogger at Tattoo Exegesis: “This tattoo haunts...

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 10:13:58 -0500

Here is a guest post from an anonymous guest blogger at Tattoo Exegesis:

“This tattoo haunts my dreams. In other news, this tumblr is the best tumblr ever. It’s soooooo hilarious and beautiful and deep. I can’t believe you don’t have a book deal yet. And that you only have like five followers. What is up with that? The world truly doesn’t appreciate greatness.”

Okay, so no one’s said that (yet). I made it up. But I really do think I should have gotten a book deal by now. Or at least a tentative email inquiry from an intern at a mid-size literary agency. Come on!

This was taken right after I got my tattoo, so sorry for the bloody bandage. My tattoo was done...

Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:19:12 -0500

This was taken right after I got my tattoo, so sorry for the bloody bandage. My tattoo was done by Raymond at Altered Flesh Tattoo in Santa Clarita, CA. I got five cherry blossoms because they represent life and joy, and I have five family members. Two of the blossoms are noticeably bigger and those one represent my parents. The other three represent my sister, my brother, and myself. Raymond sketched them himself and sent me the design and I fell in love with it. :)

’Sorry for the bloody bandage?’ Oh, no, no, don’t apologize at all. Of course, no one could expect you to move your blood-soaked garbage away from the camera in your headlong rush to document your boring-ass fucking cherry blossom tattoo. I mean, think of all the work that would have involved! Think of the precious seconds that would have slipped by, as the world waited with bated breath to discover what banal shit your cherry blossoms symbolized! I, for one, am simply grateful that I get to gaze on this work of profound beauty, and the fact that I had to look at your gnarly bloodstains was a price well worth paying.

Just kidding, you’re disgusting. WTF is wrong with you? I think I’m going to puke a little. I hate you.

This is my first tattoo. It’s a line from You’ll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins. I got this...

Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:40:30 -0500

This is my first tattoo. It’s a line from You’ll Be in My Heart by Phil Collins. I got this because my mom would always tell me how much it reminded her of me, being a little girl dealing with a severe phobia and anxiety. It will always be extremely special to me.

I’ve been saying for a while now that Phil Collins is the next generation’s Fleetwood Mac, and now here’s my proof.

My first tattoo done by Kris at Hell To Pay Tattoos In Camden Town, London.The tattoo says...

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:45:38 -0500

My first tattoo done by Kris at Hell To Pay Tattoos In Camden Town, London.

The tattoo says “Every Rose Has Its Thorn”.

The tattoo itself is a metaphor. I’ve met many people who, at first I thought were amazing, friends, lovers etc, but it’s only once you really get to know them that they show their bad side, they may seem beautiful or lovely on the outside but at the end of the day every one has a “Thorn”

I got this tattoo to remind myself that everybody basically sucks.