When I was 16 I went to a party and got a tattoo from one of my friends. Definitely not the smartest move I've ever made and not something I would ever do again. I was very lucky that it heeled well and I didn't get an infection or TB or anything like that. Of course at the time I thought it was cool, but now more than a decade later, I shake my head and wonder what I was thinking.
One thing that I am glad about concerning my ink is that it is something I designed and drew myself so at least it's not something anyone could have pulled out of a flash book and there are hundreds of people running around with the same meaningless ink. Also, it's on my hip so it's not visible in my day to day life so mostly, it's as if it isn't there at all and I don't have to do anything special to cover it up for work.
I decided some years ago that since I had branded myself, I should make it have some sort of meaning more than a doodle from my sketch book. Thus, I decided that my ink should be my brand, as I have indeed branded myself.
I've had a lot of motivation to start doing something with my work so it seemed like the right time to get something legitimate made up. So, I got with the graphic designer at my work and had him get me a more professional/cleaned up version of my brand and he came up with this:
.jpg)
He did a great job and I love it! If anyone is interested in having him do any sort of graphic design work for them, I would highly recommend him. You can reach him at: andyrewluke@gmail.com. I think he is a very talented artist and have been trying to get him to do more to get his work out there, such as submit designs to Threadless.com. I'd totally rock a shirt with his design on it, or use stationary with his art, etc. Plus he's just an overly awesome guy (which is why he is often referred to as "Amazing Andy" around here).
For those that are curios what the original looks like, here you go:
Obviously not the best quality but it is a part of who I am so I am making the best of it. Lesson learned kids, you may think something is cool at the time, but is it something you want to live with forever? And if you are going to do something stupid, at least be smart about it (ie, go to a professional, don't get one at a party).
PS. This isn't meant to be an anti-tattoo, preachy post. I am all for personal choice and self expression. I have seen some incredibly beautiful pieces of art on peoples skin. All I'm saying is, I didn't make the best choice at the time and should have put more thought into what I was doing and shouldn't have gotten a tattoo when I was 16. On a lighter note, I should have, at the very least, cleaned up the image a little bit so it was more symmetrical ;). And yes I know I could have it removed but I have decided to keep it as a reminder to myself of who I am,where I've been, the decisions I've made (good and bad), and use it for something better in my life (thus my brand).
PPS. Andy also has a blog. He doesn't post much of his own work on it, but he is always posting about cool artwork that he finds around the web/world. It's definitely one to follow if you are at all interested in art: http://andyavenue.blogspot.com/
