Tattoo collectors vs. people with tattoos

Depends,

In my opinion, a person with tattoos usually has ink with meaning.

A tattoo collector gets ink like some celebrity or because it looked cool, they will also often have them clumped up.

Some say someone with full sleeves is a collector. Where as I see it as if it flows and it a work of art and not a bunch of crap cobbled together. Then your just a person with ink.

 

To tack a bit of a side question onto this... why do people get tattoos?

I get liking a piece of artwork or thinking it symbolizes something you like, but why permanently put that on your body instead of just hanging a painting of it on the wall or something? It just doesn't seem very likely no matter what you pick, that you'll still like it for the next 50 years. You can throw away a painting when you're tired of it, the tattoo is stuck whether you like it or not.

The only type I can see a reason for is military tattoos, since it's a tradition and no matter what else happens for the rest of your life you'll always have been in the military, so the tattoo will stay meaningful and recognizable to others.

 

All the ink I currently have are either military related or my kids names. I think a tattoo should mean/represent something significant or life changing there for would apply the rest of your life. But that’s just my opinion.

 

i have seen people covered in individual tattoos, and have a meaning for every single one. even if someone with a lot of tattoos looks jumbled, or messy, sometimes there are personal meanings behind why they chose the tattoo and they might not want to share if you are not someone close to them. i do agree tattoos should have meaning, but, sometimes its not always "just a tattoo". and at the end of the day people can get what they want even if its something tacky.

 

why do people get piercings? why do people dye their hair? i feel like that question is similar to the one you asked and there is one simple answer. they get tattoos because they want to. and, its not as realistic to say they cant be removed. the laser treatment can cost a tonne and places where you can get it done are rare, but still exist. tattoos are part of some cultures, and im not talking about the basic tribal that every white guy and his dog has.

many people get tattoos to remind them of something big that happened in their life. coming out, getting married, of a passed away loved one, getting out of a bad place, etc. and its a subtle way of showing pride and a reminder for those people.some individuals may do it to show off, however i think that is quite rare and they have the right to do so. things dont always have to have a meaning to be meaningful. (hopefully that doesnt sound too ironic)

 

I don’t disagree with what you’re saying. Simply my opinion.

 

The difference is that dying your hair can be easily reversed, and piercings close and heal by themselves if you stop putting things in them. Yes tattoo laser removal exists, but it almost never returns the skin to what it looked like before. You can usually still see a faint outline of the tattoo stuck there forever. It's also excruciatingly painful to get them removed, hurts far worse than getting the tattoo.

 

Piercings and dyed hair can hardly be compared with tattoos for the exact reasons that have already been pointed out.

I don’t have any and I probably never will. People can do whatever they want to themselves and some tattoos look great!
Personally I don’t like them though.

Btw my best friend is heavily tattooed so it’s not like I’ve never met someone with tattoos or something.

 

Everyone has their own reasons. Some people do it for shits and giggles, other people do it for something meaningful to them. For example, a lot of people who get semicolon tattoos either get it to remind themselves of a loved one who they lost through suicide or as a reminder for themselves if they have suicidal thoughts.

Personally, I don't have one but I know if I decide to it's going to be book-related. Books are super meaningful to me so I'd want to commemorate that. Something small, but it'd be important to me.

Honestly, I can only think of one person who regrets their tattoo. My on-campus boss got a tattoo of the Grateful Dead bears when she was younger and she's no longer a fan of it, but she is literally the only person I can think of.

And tattoos are very much related to dyed hair and piercings, they're all historically counter-culture. Their permanency has nothing to do with their connections to each other.

 

as chierro said, i was comparing dyed hair and piercings in a way that it both changes ones appearance and it was/is part of counter culture. i do know that tattoos are very much more permanent than both, i shouldve explained the comparison better.

oh i know, was just sharing my opinion too. thats what replies are for after all. sorry if i came off as trying to convince you or that i was saying you have a wrong opinion. as i think your opinion is totally fair. since tattoos are, well, permanent obviously.

 

Ha! Touché. Something about the permanace of permanent that makes it last forever/

 

My condolences. I really like the idea of the commemoration tattoo.

If I do get a tattoo (who am I kidding? I just caused a stir in my family by shortening my hair length– shoulder length) I would get a Phoenix. Phoenixes are cliche but I like the concept of rebirth. I feel like every difficulty or obstacle you overcome makes you a new person, essentially a rebirth. You come out stronger than before.
Also, they are magical. And who wouldn’t want a little magic in their life?



I might go for a blue black combination.

 

There is a difference. I, for example, have only one tattoo and while I might consider getting one or two more (just because I actually love tattoos), I don't think it's necessary for me to have them. I mean, I don't really feel the need to have them. There's a girl in my factory who is literally covered with tattoos, she has them everywhere. She really looks like a walking doodle. It's up to her to have all those tattoos, but for me personally, it's way too much. It may be just my impression, but for me it looks like hiding something.
So yeah, just based on examples from my life, I would call her a tattoo collector, but I wouldn't call myself so. There is a difference between having a few tattoos and having the whole body covered with them.

 

I'm at a healthy BMI, and eat/exercise right. Yet I'm not the biggest fan of my body. So for me it's a lot of fun to rigorously plan out a aesthetic tattoo that has a lot of meaning. It makes me like that part of my body a little more. That's how it differs from a painting.

The permanentness used to really bother me. I'm not a spontaneous guy at all. Thought years before I got my first one, and if I still like my next idea in a year or two, I'll get it. I'm not going to get something "trashy" (what does that even mean tho lol) like a skull or something pure dumb like "RIP Brian". So even if I think it's a dumb design in 50 years, I can't picture myself loathing it. I feel like they're like emotional time stamps for specific eras of my life.

 

For me, having tattoos has been about personal expression, memorialization, commemoration and enjoying the beauty of an individual work of art (or collection of pieces that tell a story). And it’s about what I SEE WHEN I LOOK AT MYSELF in the mirror - the joy I get from the memories that some of my tattoos bring to mind, the pride I feel from the ones that represent being part of a larger group (i.e. the military tattoos), or the smile I get on my face when I look down at my arm and see my daughters names as if they are always with me. My tattoos aren’t for anybody else but me. Yes I hope others enjoy them as well, but that’s not what they’re about.

I will say I am both a person with tattoos, and I am a person who has a collection of tattoos (collection is the most basic sense - multiple items that to the individual have value either monetary/emotional) but I can’t say and and won’t say I’m a “tattoo collector” not sure of that is really a thing. Anyway...

Every single tattoo I have (14) I created and drew myself - that is also part of the connection I have to every one of them. Each one represents something very specific, important, and impactful to my life and who I am as a person. They are for ME. Sure, others ask about them and what they mean, why I got certain pieces, or just think it’s a neat picture or whatever, I guess that’s just an added bonus but they are specifically for me. They tell a story about my life, things that are important to me or challenges I’ve overcome and sometimes it is nice to share that story with others - and you know the old saying: a picture is worth a thousand words.

I won’t define anybody else as either a person with tattoos or a tattoo collector - only they can answer that, and only the individual has the right to define themselves (on Soooooo many levels).

Peace my friends ✌

I’ve attached a few of mine that are fun, just to give an idea of what I have going on.

 

I’d say I’m a person with a tattoo . I do plan a couples tattoo with my fiancé once we are married. And it’s going to be a universal rainbow tattoo . But that is probably it . I have a messy tattoo I got at 22 , a Celtic butterfly semicolon tattoo . It needs fixed I just haven’t had the money for it . It’s on my left wrist .

 

This is my tattoo