Have you been wanting a tattoo but just not sure what to get?

I’ve had a few conversations and heard it more than I can count. “I’d get a tattoo but just not sure what I want”. I’ve personally had this same feeling and I went from 2005 to 2019 without getting tattooed. There were a few reasons why I waited so long. One was I got bad tattoos because I trusted someone that I shouldn’t have and felt deceived by them (this is a story for a future blog post for sure), the second reason was that I just really didn’t have any ideas of what I wanted and for some reason I felt that I needed to come up with some grand amazing and special idea. I’m sure that for many people a meaningful tattoo is the only way to go and that’s great but if you’ve been wanting to get tattoo for years and you can’t find that deep touching story to attach to your tattoo maybe brainstorming alternative ideas and taking a look at the many different reasons and ways that people choose to get tattooed might help you find what you’ve been searching for. I’ll start by telling you how I choose my tattoos. I personally do not get tattooed based off of wanting some kind of meaning from it. I do have tattoos that have meaning but that comes secondary. I choose to get tattooed to collect art. I firstly find an artist who’s work I love and want to collect. I may come up with a vague concept based around something I’ve seen an artist do like for example I have a friend that tattoos armor so I said “how about an oil monster with armor on”? She thought that sounded cool and then we bounced some ideas back and fourth until we came up with the final concept and I got a custom piece created from an artist that I value. Another big tattoo I have has a little more meaning it’s a play on my favorite artist growing up H.R. Geiger. I love his art still to this day so it was kind of a double win for that piece. Got one that connected to something I loved as a teen and just love the art period. Some other reasons that people get tattooed are to memorialize a pet, friend or family member. Maybe getting names, dates or an image that represents them. People will often get a dog print or maybe a crown with a family members name underneath it or a name in script. As a tattoo artist I personally appreciate images over names but it’s obviously up to the client to decide what fits their idea best. Often times I also hear clients say that they need tattoo therapy. I’m sure this can mean many different things but I have dealt with clients who have suffered extreme traumas and getting tattooed is a way of having control and owning your own decisions and body or maybe the pain of the tattoo allows them to disconnect from the worries and stresses of everyday life? These tattoos could look like something out of a flash book just because they like it, imagery that makes them feel safe or maybe something that takes them back to their childhood like a favorite book, cartoon or tv show character. This can be both a sentimental tattoo or just something random because it’s more about the process. A lot of people also just get tattoos to look good/ cool, to fit in or maybe they don’t like the way that they see their own body. This is a very common reason that people get tattooed. These tattoos can span a super wide spectrum of ideas. You could possibly choose something based more on location. Maybe you want to go over scars or you don’t feel comfortable with how you see your belly or legs? So you can choose something that flows with that body part or maybe just pick from some timeless trends like classic trad tattoos, or in the 90’s it was fairy’s and chunky black pointed tribal, or what gen z has re popularized and called cyber sigil which is a take on old tribal but with a twist. There are so many different reasons to get tattoos and an endless pool of ideas to pull from. Maybe this why It’s such a challenge to pick the right thing? The world we live in has an endless supply of ideas at the swipe of a finger. To get started I’d maybe think about why you want a tattoo in the first place and then start branching out from there and narrowing down the ideas. See where your mind goes and write it down. So maybe we choose from the trauma category cause you had a rough child hood and you want to get something that represents the perseverance and survival. You could start by thinking what helped me through that time and start making a list -Making art -my favorite artist was HR Geiger -I don’t want his famous Xenomorph cause too many people have it -My other favorite painting is Xenomorphs father (looks like a bird and I love birds) -new idea I love birds. What’s my favorite bird? -when I moved to New Orleans and I was on a swamp tour I really felt something when I kept seeing the yellow warblers they felt special. I think I want to get a warbler and I know an artist that I trust to do it. I want it on my shin like armor because it feels protective for me. I genuinely just did this and I kind of love how it took a life of it’s own and ended up somewhere that I didn’t expect. Lets try a different example. “I love how people look with tattoos but not sure what I want”. -What locations on the body do I think looks good. I like the leg and I feel more comfortable being able to cover it with pants if needed but I can still show it off when I’m not at work. - Who do I think looks cool and what kind of work do they have? Maybe look at your favorite musician or actor and see what style they get done. Don’t copy there tattoos and be forwarned a lot of rich famous people get really bad tattoos haha! Or maybe a friend has a bunch of stuff. - My friend Amy has really cool high contrast black and grey stuff. Take a look at thier tattoos -They have a cool abstract swirling eye creation from an artist by the name of Coyle Parker -Go check out his work and send an email, DM or fill out a contact form to see what they have available then go from there. If none of that is really helping I’d suggest just searching locally for an artist that you love. Google or search New Orleans tattoo artist on IG click through some profiles and if you find something that stands out shoot them a DM, email or fill out the contact form. If they are willing to be helpful maybe you all can set up a consult and you can tell them that you’re really wanting something, you love their work but you’re at loss for ideas. Then you can possibly brainstorm some things and pull something out. I really hope this helps weed out some ideas for your first or next tattoo. If you’re in New Orleans and you love my work I would gladly set up a time or shoot emails back and fourth to help get something stewing in your brain. All in all pick an artist that you feel comfortable with and whos art you appreciate