If you are getting your first tattoo or already have half your bodies covered with tattoos Seen you will discover some valuable information here. As a tattoo addict and someone who spends most of his waking hours picking out tattoo ideas I want to share some of what I have learn in the past.

I have spent significant amounts of time amongst tattoo artists in tattoo studios around the globe and have encountered a multitude of different people coming at the office of the tattoo studio to permanently mark their bodies. Many times I have questioned why it is many people go under the gun to get inked.

People get tattoos for several different reasons. Some people since they love them and think they look good or enhance their appearance, others to take part in a 'tribe' or group, while others to mark a significant event in their lives for instance bereavement or to express love for another person. You could say that you have as many reasons for getting tattooed and there is a human experience. Due to the uniqueness of each person's life journey no two reasons are ever the same.

In these situations the person wanting a tattoo has probably put quite a lot of thought into the tattoo and perhaps the tattoo itself will have some sort of psychological meaning; for example when someone gets a portrait tattoo of a family member who has recently died that psychologically they need to keep close to them throughout their lives. Or maybe you have been jilted by a spurned lover and want a tattoo of a broken heart or caged bird to signify their loss.

Human beings have being modifying their bodies with ink and steel for many millennial. Many people see tattoos and body modification as a spiritual practice. Before the advent of modern pain management, pain was seen as a natural part of life carrying a number of spiritual and social meanings. But as time rolled on we began to deny the very existence of anything beyond our physical bodies.

Therefore many people without tattoos cannot see past the image etched onto the person's body to the deeper meaning or symbolism behind the tattoo. It can often cause numerous reactions in the 'uninitiated' from mild curiosity to extreme disturbance resulting in fear and mistrust of the individual. Tattoos by their very nature cause a reaction especially on those who don't need them.

This begs the question on why anyone may wish to get a tattoo without considering the wider implications and deeper meaning behind the tattoo. A lot of people wander into a tattoo studio and have no clue why they would like to get a tattoo other than seeing their favorite rap artist or basketball player and thinking it looked cool. So they waste the tattoo artists time by saying they want a Nike swoosh on their butt or a tattoo the dimensions of a button on their back. Many tattoo artists will just put up and shut up because they see this as 'bread and butter' work.

The implications of this are two-fold. Firstly the person is left with a really 'dumb' tattoo that most likely will be regretted during their life. This may lead to years of regret perhaps leading the person to be required to cover up their bodies consequently. To it may result in endless hours of painful tattoo removal costing ten times up to the original tattoo.

Secondly getting a tattoo without due consideration can often cause a badly placed tattoo or badly thought out tattoo design. The results of this are obvious but this is actually the biggest reason is why people get tattoo removal in worst case scenarios or tattoo cover-ups. Some tattoo artists are becoming renowned for their cover-up work as they are for their actual artistic skill. Yet individuals don't realize the placement of a small unambiguous tattoo may have later on if they need to get another tattoo or the social restrictions it may bring.

Finally before getting tattooed (either the very first time or the twentieth!) is important to deeply consider the design and also the placement of the tattoo and how it may interact with other tattoos further down the track. Many people have gotten tribal armbands (when they were cool!) and later decided that tribal tattoos carry no meaning to them and that traditional style tattoos or Celtic tattoos could have been more suitable. I myself have been guilty of this and because of this had a poorly thought out tattoo covered up.

Don't make the same mistake!