I am so tired of being asked to explain my tattoos! Sure there are a couple that have meaning behind them but most are there for no reason other than I thought it would look good. I actually miss people asking me if they hurt!
I took my kids on vacation last week and instead of feeling like a freak show, I felt like an afternoon special! Tattoos seem to make us worthy of strangers' attention. That sucks!

Too bad they don't just focus on the art and the artist rather than the customer and their shitty life.

I stopped explaining the meanings of my tattoos a long time ago.
I just tell people "I'm a collector" and it's usually enough for them.

The one thing I really do hate is when people with a tiny little tattoo feel the need to wrap "ink talk" with you because they think they've joined some elite club because they got a tattoo. I'm sorry but your barbed wire armband is not the same as my 2 full sleeves and gigantic ribcage pinup. The fact that you have a tattoo and I have a tattoo does not make us best friends.

I'm happy to field serious questions about the art but don't bring it up to make small talk with me.

As a tattoo Artist I have a Love/Dislike relationship with this show. I admit I have only watched a little of it. It's too much like being at work. After a long day of tattooing the last thing I want to do is watch some one else doing my job. I want a break from it.

That being said, the show has been good for the industry. Clients seem to be thinking more before they come in. I get less of the "I want a tattoo" but the person doesn't know what to get do they just look for the cheapest thing.
People are beginning to understand that this is real work and how to communicate with the artist about what they want. Yeah a bit "Too Much Info" some times but so much better than it was. I've also noticed an upsizing with customers. Seeing lots of big pieces on the show that look great seem to be making people see the value of a tattoo bigger than a quarter.

I also think that middle America seeing that lots of normal folk get tattoos is making lots of people rethink their prejudices against the heavily inked. And considering it for themselves.

Yeah it's a pain in the ass to be asked what your tattoos mean by total strangers, but now they aren't thinking that you are a criminal/ drug addict/ whore..

I like watching Miami Ink for the art, not for the whole meaning behind it. I guess the meaning part is there to make the show more interesting..!
I want to get a tattoo of a snowflake - why? Because I like snow. 'Nuff said!

Judging from the beginning or yr story, looking tough is a big part of it too.

Yr saying that deliberately doing something that makes you stand out from the crowd is drawing attention?! Mon dieu!

But seriously. I hear just as much bitching about tattoos becoming mainstream or less edgy as I do about people with tattoos not wanting to be judged or shamed. News flash: those two things go hand in hand. If you want tattoos to be accepted, they're going to be mainstream.

I personally cannot stand Miami Ink. I'm so fed up of all the firefighter memorial tattoos featured and the other silly back stories. It's fine to have a meaning to your tattoo, just as it is perfectly acceptable to not have one. I just hate how the producers need the people to have that story. Why can't it be more realistic?

Who says I'm not a criminal, addict or whore?

I personally enjoy telling the story of my tattoos because they are part of who I am. Each tattoo is a representation of me and why wouldn't I want to share that. Any body adornment: tattoo, piercing, scarification, etc... should have some meaning to you otherwise it is as superficial as fake breasts, collagen injections, plastic surgery, etc... If it doesnt mean something to you and is only done for the aesthetic pleasure then it is meaningless. You have one body and what you do to it should have meaning and a purpose.

I can't work this one out

Is it that they pass out from the pain or that they pass out from holding back pee because they don't want to take a toilet break?

While i have tattoos i have never regarded myself as in with the ink scene <shrug> I got tattoos i liked by tattooists that were recommended. I've never been hugely interested in anything beyond that. This said, having a reason for getting a tat is a lot better than getting one because of peer pressure or being blind drunk.

Also while none of mine have stories other than the fact I had come across and liked the images in question (though why I liked them is peronal to me) I have never understood why you would simply take something off the boards in the shop? If you are going to have something placed irremovably on your body you'd think you would want something personal and at least somewhat particular, rather than something any bugger could have (and probably does).

I don't think Miami Ink is shown down in OZ, but if it leads to better informed choice all the better.

so on this show, every tatttoo they make needs to have a story or something?

Reality TV tattoo shows. From my perspective as a tattoo artist, it's a double edged sword.

I admit that Miami Ink has it's good sides. Yes, it's been good for business. Yes, more often these days the casual and spontaneous shopper will choose something a bit more involved and pricey than the doo-dads they might have chosen had they not been inspired by last night's episode. In the big picture, broadcast media has put tattoo in the homes of all classes of people, all over the country, all over the world. Sports figures, rock stars, celebrities of all kinds sport their ink on television. The advertising industry has caught on to the trendiness of body art, and tattoos get featured in TV and magazine ads. That all has a positive impact on me, one of the guy's who makes their living through tattoo art.

On the down side? I can't tell you how tired I am of being told about what happened on Miami Ink last week.

Yes, Chris Garver does good, solid work.
Yes, Kat Von D is too sexy for her job.

People idolize the personalities and events they see on television. Not to put down the tattooists on Miami Ink, but just because they're on a reality TV show, they aren't the pinnacle of fine art tattooing. The average customer doesn't know the first thing about the *real* who's who of tattooing. I could list *scores* of tattooists who do work that's light years beyond what is showcased on Miami Ink, but to the average uninformed customer, these folks must be the absolute best - why else would they be on television? Gah.

I could go on about my issues and pet peeves with the show, the way it's completely sensationalized, the ugly aspects all whitewashed away, the glamour outshining the *true* reality of tattoo... suffice it to say, I'm not personally a fan of Miami Ink.

Alas, I must admit it again - in spite of the down sides, it's good for business.

You approached your article in a very analytical and neutral way, Marisa. You summed it up as with "I'd be interested in knowing what you think" finale. I'd like to know what you really think, passing your own judgement. Do *you* like Miami Ink?