Tag Archives: ink

Opinion

Addiction: Tattoo addition

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Are tattoos an addiction? Well my friends, in my opinion, yes they are. The second I received my first tattoo, I knew it was downhill from there. I don’t know if it’s something about biology, or mentality, that the pain of getting tattoos is addicting or if it’s the process of getting new things, but, for me, getting a new tattoo is something that I always want, no matter how recent my last tattoo was.

I got my first tattoo when I was 16. My mom signed for it and ended up getting a matching one. It’s on my ribs and says “let it be” with birds flying up my ribcage. I still remember the feeling I had before I got it, while I was being tattooed, and after I was done. It’s truly nothing like I’ve ever experienced. It hurts, of course, but it’s almost like a good hurt, like a feeling that it’s kind of uncomfortable but also enjoyable. It only took about 30 minutes but I remember looking at it, after it was finished, and feeling so happy. My body felt somewhat relieved, while also in a state of shock I think, but I immediately wanted another one.

About three months later, I got my next tattoo. It’s script on my right bicep that says “the mirror often lies.” That one hurt a bit more than the first one, but I loved it so much and I felt a rush of adrenaline afterwards, like I could do anything I wanted to and I would never get hurt. I felt invincible.

getting a tattoo
“Are tattoos an addiction? Well my friends, in my opinion, yes they are.”

My next tattoo was three months after that and it was much bigger than the first two. I remember thinking that this tattoo had to be epic, it had to be large and beautiful enough to last me for a longer period of time without dying to get another tattoo. I got a colored rose on my left shoulder. It took about three hours to do, and I almost passed out from the pain. It was pretty horrendous. Even still, I remember, when it was all said and done, that I was immediately thinking about my next tattoo, what it would be and where I would get it. After every tattoo, my mom would say “no more okay? At least not for a while,” and every time I would say “yeah mom, I agree. I should probably wait.” I genuinely meant it at the time, but the tattoo hook is so far in me that I can’t stop wanting more.

My next tattoo was even bigger than the rest. It’s on my left arm and it’s a sugar skull girl. She’s almost the length of my upper arm and covers the entire front of my arm. That tattoo took about nine hours, including the prep time. The weird thing is, this tattoo didn’t hurt as badly as I thought it would and think it was because I had waiting so long between tattoos, that my body was craving the feeling.

My most recent tattoo is on my left bicep and wraps all the way around. It completed my half sleeve and I feel very badass. At the moment, however, I’m dying to get another one. It’s been about two months since my last one and I can’t wait any longer. I need it and I will make it happen, for my body’s sake and for the mental health of everyone around me.

Twitt
Opinion

Say yes to tattoos

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Tattoos or no tattoos– that is the question. For some, getting a tattoo is a big decision. You have to choose what to get, where to get it, if it really means that much to you, and so on and so forth. For others, it isn’t as big of a deal. They don’t need a specific reason for getting a tattoo or care as much of where. They see their body as a canvas, creating art through images and script lining their body. That type of person is me.

I love tattoos and the way they look on my body. Some people disagree, but I believe tattooing is an art and everyone should get one.

Despite that fact that I believe anyone can get a tattoo for any reason, picking the right tattoo artist is very important. Having a tattoo artist who doesn’t have much experience or someone who doesn’t take pride in their work is someone who you shouldn’t associate yourself with.

Just like drawing or painting, passion is a characteristic that every tattoo artist should have. If someone doesn’t enjoy what they are creating, more than likely they won’t put 100 percent into the tattoo that you want, making it less likely to look good.

my tattoo
Image from Ana Frederick

Experience is equally as important as passion. If someone only has a year or two of tattooing under their belt, they most likely haven’t learned all the techniques and skills that someone with ten years of tattoo experience has. Experience also allows for understanding what places on the body are most sensitive, making it easier for them to know how to treat more sensitive parts of the body.

If a tattoo artist hasn’t been practicing for very long, then they haven’t drawn many tattoos in general. Would you want someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing to put needles in your body in hopes that the tattoo comes out correctly? I know I wouldn’t.

The number one tattoo parlor I recommend is Seventh Sin Tattoo. They are located in Charlotte, North Carolina and have the best and most experienced tattoo artists around. I know that Charlotte is somewhat far away, but the drive is worth the talent these artists have. I have gotten all four of my tattoos done by Chris Toler, and I would never dream of going to anyone else.

If you are one of the people who needs to think about getting a tattoo for a long time, then please do.  Don’t rush yourself into something that you’ll have for the rest of your life.

If you do end up wanting one, find the right artist for you. It’s amazing what an impact finding the right person can have. Tattoos can make or break a person, so take your time, go out there and make the right decision for you.

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Opinion

Get the Tattoo for YOU

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I enjoy saying that I am tatted-cubed for two reasons –because I have 3 tattoos, and because I’m kind of lame like that.

I have been lucky enough to be a part of two of my favorite people’s first tattoos – my long-term boyfriend and one of my best friend, hers being the most recent.

Bestie tattoos. Graphic from Pinterest
Bestie tattoos. Graphic from Pinterest

While I understand that some people hate the permanent aspect of tattoos because they simply cannot understand the concept of permanently inking one’s body, I hope to shine some light on that opinion.

Even though most people who get tatted choose items that are meaningful to them, some get silly, cute tattoos … which is COMPLETELY okay.

Tattoos are memories.

Pro-tattoo people realize that while our little strawberry tat might not be truly meaningful in the long run, it’s meaningful to us. Every tattoo represents a part of our life at some point.

You don’t need to ask, “What does that mean? Well, how does that pertain to you? What do your parents think? Do you realize that it’s permanent? ”

I can assure you that we know what our tattoo means to us. It definitely DOES pertain to us since it’s on our body., Our parents may or may not agree but again, it’s OUR body– and DUH, we know it’s permanent. That was kind of the point.

When people get tattoos, we get them for us, not you or him or her or them.

Tattoos represent memories, individuality, experiences – all incredibly beautiful things.

And it is important that other people realize that our bodies are OUR bodies and we can do with them what we please.

 

Twitt
Featured, Life

Get inked…or maybe not

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No teenager can possibly be expected to have his or her life mapped out. It’s nearly impossible. Eighteen years old means freedom. In some cases, the temptation to revel in the new found separation from parents also leads to new forms of self-expression. Many times, that means getting a tattoo. However, this can easily lead to Godzilla-sized regrets. On the other hand, it can be a very positive thing in your life. The choice is up to each individual how the process is gone about.

First of all, if you’d like a tattoo, keep a few things in mind. The prospect of breaking out of your shell and taking a huge risk can be very appealing. There are right ways of going about this. Save your money for the right tattoo parlor. Beware: You could easily become one of the tattoo fail cases.

Do you have any "regerts" about that tattoo? Graphic from Cheezburger
Do you have any “regerts” about that tattoo? Graphic from Cheezburger

Tattoo fails happen a lot. Be wary of celeb tattoos and spelling errors. You might want a memorable quote on your arm and you wind up with “their,” instead of “they’re.” It also helps to be sober when getting a tattoo. Spelling errors ruin a cool tattoo idea.

Explore why you should get one too. Getting one can be to inspire your self, maybe even others. It could help you to remember an event or person or represent a personal belief. That can include culture and religion. These can even be treated as a new accessory, depending on where you’re tattooed. In the end, don’t forget that this is on your body and is your decision, so do it for yourself and not others. Its very nature is self-expression in our cultural context anyways.

Before making your inking appointment, try actually drawing the tattoo on. It’s a way to test how the tattoo would look and you may learn something new about it during this trial run. You won’t get ink poisoning. I promise. In addition to the trial run, as yourself a few pertinent questions like: “When will I have to hide this? Will I have to hide it from my family? Will this close any doors for you in the present/future? Will it open any?”

Of course there has been an increase of tattoo acceptance in the workplace, but that doesn’t mean that getting inked won’t limit your career choices. This doesn’t mean you can’t get any tattoos. Just keep professionalism in mind before making a rash decision. Don’t forget that you’re in college to plan your future. Personal image also includes hair color, clothes, and tattoos!

Take careful consideration in which tattoo you want on your body. Getting a logo on yourself makes you a walking advertisement. Not only that, but who knows what that company/product could be affiliated with in the future? Scandals happen. Also, be wary of tattoos in a foreign language! Do your research, guys. That awesome Chinese tattoo could mean anything and I mean anything.

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Featured, Science, Tech, & Health

It’s a solar revolution

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Photo from Creative Commons

The industry of solar panels has rapidly grown over the past decade as people start to turn toward it as the energy solution for the future. Solar technology has been made lighter, more efficient and considerably cheaper than it used to be. That said, it is still further down the road before it can be seen as the energy solution of the future many are hoping for. However, there is a bright light in a type of solar technology known as solar paint.

Solar paint works like this. In each drop of solar paint there are thousands upon thousands of tubes of nano-particles. These particles are light sensitive and will, as they dry, begin to automatically arrange themselves into a light effective grid. Solar paint is easy to spread on just about any surface, making it into a relatively cheap, light-weight alternative to most commonplace solar panels. This allows them to be just about anywhere and everywhere possible, creating an interesting new alternative to solar paneling. Solar paint is by nature more efficient than standard solar technology due to the arrangement of the nano-tubes that allow it to capture a large area of the light spectrum compared to solar panels.

As exciting as solar paint may be, the only working prototypes of it are extremely expensive to produce. The upside is their high efficiency and the volume you get per production. Several companies are hard at work trying to make solar paint cheaper and easy to mass produce. One such company, NextGen Solar, has begun a hype war claiming that their version of solar paint, once completed, will not only be much cheaper than the current alternative, it will also have an efficiency of 40 percent. This is just one of the signs of how intense the solar market has become in the recent years. Fierce competition between solar start-ups has been good for the advancement of the coming technology.

While solar paint may be the buzz at the moment, solar ink deserves just as much attention. It works on many of the same principles as solar paint, and while a bit less efficient, it has as much potential, if not more. Solar ink is able to print solar cells on thin, flexible plastic or rubber sheets. These sheets weigh a fraction of the weight that previous versions of solar panels weighed, allowing them to go on buildings where they may not typically have been able to go before due to structural reasons.

Photo from Creative Commons

No matter how you look at it, the future of solar is going to be liquid of some form or another. This is just a sign of how the growing energy crisis of the future is encouraging the people of the now to step up and take the initiative to make a difference and provide a reasonable and cheap solution for the masses. The future for green tech companies will be green indeed when the time comes to make the change from fossil to something else.

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