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by Pat Fish ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Tattoos Are For Every Woman ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  I often joke with my friends that the reason I got into doing tattoos is because I can't tell blank people apart. Everyone looks so similar to me, so bland, so alike. But with a tattoo, ah, then they start to differentiate from the herd. They begin to be unique. They have taken a stab at externalizing their personal aesthetics, and given the rest of us a clue to their internal secret self. Of course, the sad but true truth is that many people choose to have the same tattoo they have seen on a zillion other people. This sort of herd behavior is like dressing in branded logo clothing, a way of fitting in with a "tribe" of like-minded individuals, expressing the same taste. But why suns on butt cracks? In my tattoo studio we have done a sun on some girl's lower back every day for the past 3-4 years, sometimes more than one a day. And why words written in Japanese and Chinese characters? My theory for that one is that when people are desperately searching for "meaning" in their life they gravitate towards the symbols in Asian languages that have "meaning." And now this is currently the most popular tattoo. But what tattoo does a Woman of Wonder get? Many of the ones who come to me do so because my specialty is Celtic tattooing, making the ancient patterns in the illuminated manuscripts come alive in the skins of modern Celts. I started tattooing 15 years ago, with the specific goal of becoming able to reproduce the complex knotworks and interlaces such as those found in the Book of Kells and Lindisfarne Gospels as skin art. My bloodline is Celtic, and I feel a great sense of ease and rightness during my frequent trips to Ireland. By specializing in this type of tattooing I get to meet people who are my same kind of dog, who think bagpipes are thrilling and knotwork mazes are a kind of visual prayer of complexity. I truly believe that the way to live a fulfilled and satisfying life is to follow what you love, and let that interior gyroscope lead you to the things that make you happy. Tattooing allows me to be an Agent of Completion, a person who helps others to achieve a goal of wearing art on their bodies, in their skin, that can never be taken from them. For every person there should be passions, enthusiasms, even obsessions, that can rightly give a clue as to what the appropriate tattoo should be. It is never for me to say what image a person should choose; your body is a temple and I'm just there to paint the walls. I heartily encourage every woman to search her heart for some image, some allegiance, some dedication that is worth wearing as permanent adornment. Whether a totem animal or a favorite flower, a tattoo is a way to wear beauty forever close. Every woman is unique, with her own special beauty. A tattoo can celebrate this with jewelry that can never be lost or stolen. This article was written in response to a request from WomenofWonder.com (no longer active). | |||
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