tattoo
/təˈtuː/
verb
mark (a part of the body) with an indelible design by inserting pigment into punctures in the skin.”his cheek was tattooed with a winged fist”
noun
noun: tattoo; plural noun: tattoos
a design made by tattooing.”they were muscle-bound men covered in scars and tattoos”
collector
/kəˈlɛktə/
noun
a person who collects things of a specified type, professionally or as a hobby.
“an art collector”
an official who is responsible for collecting money.
“a tax collector”
Of course definitions change from person to person, but in general a tattoo collector is someone not necessarily bound by a single tattoo artist, tattoo style or design. Perhaps there might be an overall theme, such as : black and grey, linework styles, Japanese, trad styles. But in general, it is an eclectic collection of permanent, wearable art that represents the owner in a deep way.
Not all tattoos are meaningful, perhaps they were traveling and got a tattoo as a souvenir, or they got a tattoo done in memory of a passed love one, or they just liked a piece of flash posted by an artist. Or perhaps the beauty in it, was that there was no meaning at all, it just marked a moment in their life.
If you are thinking of adding to your tattoo collection via a souvenir tattoo, then here is your checklist of things to consider!
Do your research, and be respectful. If you are in another country, it is possible you might be choosing something with a cultural meaning, or in another language. Triple check the translation (and then again when it is stencilled on you!) Check the cultural meaning, is it offensive? Are you at a reputable studio? Look around, does the studio look (and smell) clean? Different countries have different sanitation standards. Needles should always be single use and sterile and opened in front of you.
No drunk tattoos. Not only are you decision making faculties impaired, so is your healing capabilities! Alcohol is a blood thinner, so you will bleed more during the tattoo process. As the blood comes out of the skin, it pushes the ink out. This means you could end up with faded or patchy result. Plus, drunk clients in any studio tends to end up in inappropriate behavior. To the artists, staff and other clients. Don’t be that guy.
Choose wisely. Apart from the actual design (this is subjective) you should choose placement and timing wisely. If you are on a beach holiday and have surf lessons booked, it’d be best to do your tattoo at the end of your holiday! Are you wanting to get your ankle tattooed? Best you do it above your sock line if you are wanting to wear closed shoes during healing.
Make it your own: Embrace the moment, yes. Be spontaneous, yes. But try not to go overboard, think about what the marking really means and what it’s adding to your body. Make sure it feels right and try something unique.
Listen to the healing and after care instructions. Every artist has a different healing method. If you have trusted this artist to tattoo you, trust this artist to help you heal it correctly. Different areas of the body, and different styles of tattooing can require different healing methods, which may be different to what you are used to. But what always stays the same, is, STAY OUT OF THE WATER and STAY OUT OF THE SUN!
ENJOY! Embrace the moment. Be spontaneous. But don’t go overboard, and just think and then re-think if this is what you want to add to your collection. If it doesn’t feel right, then its probably not. Laser removal is painful and expensive! So think of every tattoo as permanent. It’ll stay with you forever, hopefully as reminder of a great trip or a great moment in your life!