Bazaar News Story

Girl has 56 stars tattooed on face after 'falling asleep'

A furious Belgian father has gone to the police after his teenage daughter ended up with 56 stars tattooed on her face after allegedly asking the tattooist for "some points of colour".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/belgium/5551636/Girl-has-56-stars-tattooed-on-face-after-falling-asleep.html

* This story to me in beyond bazaar! Supposedly the young women feel asleep...for me it is hard to believe that someone fell asleep while getting their face tattooed!! For some yes it may be a stress reliever and not bother some, but it should never satisfy a person to the point that they are able to fall asleep during the process.

My Story

This is my second tattoo. It is an original, all mine, design. I went into Mr. Adam's Tattoo's with my design and told them where I wanted it, they tweaked some areas that needed to be and I let her have free reign on the colors that she used on within it, I have her a few colors that I like and she went from there.

The lotus flower has many meanings behind it, but the one that caught my eye and also had a personal connection to me. The meaning that I found was remarkable and I could not find a flower to better represent me and my life:

"The lotus flower starts as a small flower down at the bottom of a pond in the mud and muck. It slowly grows up towards the waters surface continually moving towards the light. Once it come to the surface of the water the lotus flower begins to blossom and turn into a beautiful flower...Lotus flower tattoos are also popular for people who have gone through a hard time and are now coming out of it. Like the flower they have been at the bottom in the muddy, yucky dirty bottom of the pond but have risen above this to display an object of beauty or a life of beauty as the case might be. Thus a lotus flower tattoo or blossom can also represent a hard time in life that has been overcome."

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Meaning-and-Symbolism-Behind-the-Lotus-Flower-Tattoo&id=95396

The nautical star also had a close personal connection to my life, most of my family are fisherman and I have a love for the ocean that goes way beyond it's essense and smell. Also my brother was in Navy. I also found a meaning behind the nautical star that connected to me and my family:
"Early on sailors navigated by the stars at night and the north star became the symbol for finding ones way home. Once you know where the north star is you can point your ship in the right direction to get home. So the star became a symbol for finding ones way home or more symbolically even finding ones path in life."
http://ezinearticles.com/?Nautical-Star-Tattoos-The-History,-Meaning-And-Symbolism---What-A-Strange-Mix!&id=67116

Overall the tattoo turned out just how I had envisioned it and knowing the meaning behind it, knowing my story...I decided to put it in a place where I could wear it and hold it strong, on my back.

Telling a Story...

I believe that a tattoo can tell a story, even without words. It may not be clear for one that it is looking at it but there is always a story behind it, a meaning. You can look at it and have an idea what the story could be, but you never know you can only make an assumption and to me that is the great thing about a tattoo, it's personal. Just because a tattoo is viewable does not mean that you know what it means to that person, so even though it's not personal and private it's still personal.

But telling a story with words can be even more interesting...It may not even be the story but it has meaning and leading to the story.

Photograph to Portrait

Some of the work that Kat Von D does, that she is most well known for are her portrait tattoos. She has a way of capturing every little detail of a photograph and transferring it on to the body perfectly. There are not many tattoo artist that can do it like she does. I personally think that her work is outstanding and I would be absolutely ecstatic to have a piece done by her, it would truly by one my dreams to have her do a portrait of my father on me.

Tattoo vs. Careers

There are many jobs or careers in the work force that DO NOT want tattoos to be visible while at the work place...so many times if you have tattoos that can not be covered like on the face, hands, neck (depending on the length of hair), etc., there can be instances where you do not get a job offer because of them.

Now in my opinion, I do not think that it should make a difference! A tattoo is a way of expressing yourself and who you are and that should not make a difference in how people see or treat you. Some people get labeled as a freak, someone who has been in jail, in gang, etc. just because they have tattoos on their body. For most people the tattoos that they have, have a significant meaning behind them and tattoos are a great way to build and tell a story without words or need of explanation.

To me, a tattoo on the body is no different then hanging a painting or photograph on the wall...the only difference maybe is that it generally can not be removed as easily.

If you are going into a career where you know that tattoos just are not generally acceptable then get the tattoos in places where they can be hidden OR choose another career if the tattoos have that much meaning to you and you want it/them in a place where they can not be covered!!

I think that the body can be a complete canvas and placement for ink, but for some reason I can not find the appeal to get a tattoo on the inside of my mouth. For one I think that it would hurt like hell to get one on the inside of the lip, two it wears off after a while and three all I think about is getting ink poisoning from having it in my mouth where it is constantly damp..I don't see how it heals properly!!

But I'm not going to judge anyone who has them that is their own personal choice.

Tattoo Placement

After venturing around Florida, for my Spring Break, I have seen a whole new spectrum of not only people but tattoos. Some of the most popular placement for tattoos that I have seen are sleeves (for men) and across the chest (for women).

Sleeves or the arm tend to be one of the most popular places outside of the back for ink. And I think that they work both on men and women, it is a good way to build a story or collection of art; the same goes for the back as well. As far as the chest, I think that they are a great place, for women there tends not to be a lot of space to work with. I have seen a few people that have some interesting ones...they tend to be flowers, birds or scripture, mostly symbols that are feminine.

I think that whatever you choose to be on your body that it has a personal connection and is something that you will want to look back on and love forever. Placement is one of the biggest choices in making the decision in getting a tattoo, you may just find the perfect design or come up with an idea that you think may work perfect here or there....and sometimes they do and sometimes hey do not. Make sure that you discuss designs and placement with the artist that you are thinking of having do your work and see what they think as well, the process of decision making is almost even more intense then actually tattooing!