Tattoos come in all shapes and sizes, but the difference between a good tattoo and bad tattoo can be devastating when permanent ink is involved.
Businesses like Voodoo Needle and Flying Tiger Tattoo thrive on the creative impulses of their clientele, but the customers don't always think their decisions through.
"I always liked tattoos, even when I was a kid," said Nils Larsens, tattoo artist at Shenanigan's Tattoo Parlor. "I thought they looked neat. I knew that I eventually wanted to have a tattoo, but I never really pinned down any specific ideas."
Larsens, who has tattooed for about five years, said the difference between a good tattoo and a "bad-tat nightmare" is all about the way an artist goes about tattooing and making sure to not leave any hazy lines or awful errors.
Larsens said getting a tattoo is a big consideration because the decision has lasting outcomes, but tattoos can also be a way to commemorate such situations and experiences, such as the loss of a loved one or friend.
"If a customer sees things that are truly this relevant to them personally, then we take the time to ask them to think about what they really want," Larsens said. "We want customers to be more judicious about selecting an artist who will envision and create the tattoo just the way the customer wants it."
This is why Maddie Jackson, junior in psychology and sociology, put so much thought into the turquoise dove tattoo she has.
"My tattoo is a love dove; they come in pairs," Jackson said. "I got it for my sister because we've been through a lot together. My sister is getting its pair (the other dove) when she turns 18."
Jackson said she got her tattoo before college so she could have something from her home in Maryland all the way with her in Alabama. She also said one of her good friends has a similar tattoo which made getting hers even more meaningful.
"The tattoo is turquoise ink so it fades, therefore it'll last as long as I maintain it," Jackson said. "It will mean the same to me each time as when I first got it, and remind me of home and what I've been through."
However, Shenanigans co-worker and tattoo artist Leah Patrick said most of the customers who come into the shop aren't exactly sure what they want, thus the Shenanigan's crew makes it a special point to inform the customer of what they're getting into.
"Artists have a sense of responsibility; there's a reason why I am a tattoo artist and someone else may be an engineer," Patrick said. "There's limits to tattoos, but there is a common loophole that most people fall into prior to getting their first tattoo."
Patrick said the problem most people experience is indecision about whether to get a tattoo.
Patrick said being a tattoo artist is where she excels and where she feels most comfortable. She said the tattoo industry is definitely changing for the better, and the social boundaries, and stereotypes of tattoos and those who have them are becoming more clear to the general public.
On a trip to Target, Patrick said a woman with two sons stopped and asked if they could look at her tattoos. Patrick said it made her feel like she was being more accepted and welcomed for having her tattoos, instead of being looked at as something scary or different.
Larsens said tattoos are beginning to break through social barriers, and people are now generally more accepting of the tattoo culture.
"We need to subvert the paradigm of society," Larsens said. "I've had people come up to me before and ignore all common courtesy by grabbing my arms so they could look at my tattoos. All they needed to do was ask."
Patrick said the most important aspect about getting a good tattoo is anyone interested must practice consumer awareness and do their own research before jumping into the hotseat of any standard tattoo parlor.
"We generally want to inform the customer that they should get something that reminds them of that person or commemorates them in the best way possible," Patrick said. "We like to let them think about it and come up with the best possible idea before we just tattoo them."
Shenanigans strives to make the tattoo experience one of the best simply because they know how important tattoos can be to their customers.
Auburn local and tattoo customer Andrew Davis has had 10 of his 12 tattoos done at Shenanigans. Davis said it is extremely important for a customer to know if a tattoo parlor is well sterilized and has an exceptionally clean environment.
"The tattoo industry is changing because tattooing is a different medium than drawing with a pencil, and the tattoo may look different when it fully heals," Patrick said. "We are artists first, and tattoo artists second, but we love what we do, so it's easy to come into work each day."
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