It seems that no matter where you go there’s someone with a tattoo right in front of you, everybody knows at least two or three people that have braved the needle of a tattoo machine… they are more popular now than ever but whats the real appeal?

Firstly everyone’s pain barrier is different so while some people will say it’s nothing to have a tattoo, others will say it really hurt and was sore for days. My experience of it for example is that it stung a bit but wasn’t unbearable and itches like mad while it heals. Then again, i only had a tattoo that took up the lower half of my forearm. Whereas my husband has had a full tribal sleeve with another sleeve to be finished and his opinion is that it’s just a tickle and the annoying thing is sitting still for so long. This as well as your job/lifestyle, your own experiences and views, and whether your afraid of blood or needles etc will all play a factor in whether you ‘join the club’ of the millions of people that are already inked.

What is a tattoo?
The online dictionary defines a tattoo as ‘the act or practice of marking the skin with indelible patterns, pictures, legends, etc., by making punctures in it and inserting pigments.’ (www.dictionary.com) So put basically, in the terms of tattooing, the needle makes a puncture in the skin, the ink goes in the puncture and your skin heals over it leaving you with a lifelong tattoo. (That will obviously fade over a long period of time and will change slightly if your body changes, people who are thinking about getting tattooed should be aware of this).

So why do people go anywhere near a needle when they have a choice?
From an artists perspective its a way to show the world your personality, a way of expressing yourself. Some see the human body as a blank canvas, why shouldn’t we be as decorative on the outside as we feel on the inside? One of Rita Ora’s songs include the words ‘I tattoo myself to show my pain’ and I couldn’t have worded it better myself. Some wear their tattoos like badges of honor showing they were in the army or served time in prison, in this case they often tell a story of a hard life or dark times where they’ve bettered themselves and ‘found the light’ so to speak. Others have tattoos to remember their experiences, loss, love, family, lessons learned through life’s journey. Or maybe they just like the picture or design and thought why not…

I for one am terrified of needles and only had my tattoo because it meant a lot to me, not only did my husband help me design it and do the tattooing but it was my family tree we’d worked together to come up with. I wanted a way to always be reminded what family means and how strong we are together and my husband being the tattooer made it even more meaningful.

Whatever the reason for being tattooed, I will give you some advice, a tattoo is there for life and a lot of people have tattoos while they are young but regret them as they are older. It’s always worth asking yourself one last time, before you book an appointment in your local tattoo shop, can i live with this for the rest of my life?..