Tattoo Addiction

I kind of want a tattoo now …

You can’t have just one

Article: Destiny Kaus – A&C Writer

Tattoos are cool. Really cool. And, in this day and age, they’re taking the world by storm. But, it never used to be this way. Shayla Riche, a Kinesiology student at the University of Regina, got her first tattoo in grade eleven, back when tattoos weren’t so cool.

“Everyone was like, ‘Wow you’re so young! What the hell are you doing?’”

Poor girl. Thankfully, today’s society has become more accepting toward tattoos, which I love, because I believe tattoos are a phenomenal form of art. Not everyone can draw, run a tattoo machine, and tattoo for hours on end. Tattoo artists have serious talent.

Riche says it best: “I guess your body could be considered a canvas.”

Gorgeous statement and so true. Riche herself let an artist paint her canvas on two occasions. She has her dad’s favourite car tattooed on her back and the quote “Dream without fear” on her foot. Overall, Riche loves her tats and has never really thought about what they may look like when she’s old and grey.

“I’ve never really thought about it. I don’t think I’m going to be sitting around naked all the time when I’m old.”

This valid point never ceases to amuse me.

Interestingly enough, Riche and Morgan Kotylak, a nursing student at the University of Regina, have not been bitten by the tattoo addiction bug . . . yet. Neither Riche nor Kotylak plan on getting anymore tattoos anytime soon.

Kotylak has one tatty that comes together as a culmination to express who she is as a born-and-raised, horse-riding, Saskatchewan cowgirl. She states that tattoos “show who you are, and they always have a reason.”

On this point, I beg to differ. Yes, tattoos can have great significance behind them, but some people just want tattoos because they like how they look. I recently watched an episode of Tattoo Nightmares where a young lady was a tattoo model. All she wanted to do was get sweet tattoos and show them off to the world; a walking canvas. How cool is that?

But, like the individuals who appear on Tattoo Nightmares, some people end up deeply regretting their tats.

Kotylak says, “If you want to have a tattoo then get one. No harm done. If you regret it, it’s your own fault.”

Boom. Blunt, but well said. Yes, sometimes sketchy tattoo shops screw people over (I have seen this over and over on Tattoo Nightmares and America’s Worst Tattoos. It happens). But, a lot of individuals regret their tattoos because of their own stupidity. For example, who in their right mind would willingly choose to get tattooed in someone’s moldy basement, while a cloud of cannabis smoke looms over the entire room, and the “artist” uses his or her own homemade tattoo machine? This is asking for trouble. One cannot expect to get a beautiful, technically correct tattoo in a situation like this one.

Thank goodness legit tattoo shops and tattoo artists exist. Rik, a tatty artist from Regina’s own D’Nile Tattoos, takes pride in his work and in the evolution of tattoo culture.

“They used to do it with sticks,” Rick states, “and now it’s come a long way … it has evolved lots because of the television shows making it rise in popularity.”

Does he believe people can get addicted to tattoos? He sure does.

“I believe it’s something people need to go back and do again and again, yes.”

I concur. I have seen it firsthand. After getting one tattoo, plenty of my friends have gone and gotten more . . . many more.

Rik, himself, is a living example of this. He currently has around 70 to 80 tattoos and is working towards making them all into one.

Some people may think this is crazy. I think it’s awesome. Truth is, tattoos are art. And, considering that today’s society more readily accepts this form of artistic expression, tattoos will only continue to rise in popularity.

[button style=”e.g. solid, border” size=”e.g. small, medium, big” link=”http://www.arthurimages.com” target=”new window”]Image: Arthur Ward [/button]