The tattoo we do for you is just a tattoo. For me, it’s a way to make something awesome that someone gets to keep forever no matter what. It’s not ‘therapy’, ‘psychology’, or some kind of healing…for you it may serve some of those purposes but that does NOT HAVE TO INVOLVE ME. It’s not my place to heal you, listen to your life story, or pick up your emotional weight for you.

If you use your tattoo for healing that is great. Tattoos can do that. But be careful of anyone who claims THEY can heal you, that they are the one doing it. They’re not. It’s YOU doing it.

If they say they can heal you? They’re just as sheisty as any snake-oil peddler.

I don’t need to know why you are getting a tattoo. In fact I usually would rather NOT hear the long tale of woe or history behind your decisions. I can’t see your tattoo from my house, I can’t fix you, my knowledge of your reasons isn’t going to make the tattoo better at all. It might in fact distract me from my actual job; making something beautiful that you will want to look at until you’re ancient.

(more…)