Graffiti and Tattoos

“My body is my journal, and my tattoos are my story.”
― Johnny Depp

Tattoos used to be taboo. They were associated with sailors and notorious bikers. But as time went on, those associations fell by the way side and entered the mainstream. People from all walks of life from the CEO to the school teacher all sport ink in some form or another. Nowadays, tattoos are thought out (for the most part), planned, given considerable attention before having ink placed in permanent form on the body. Tattoos sometimes represent a significant moment in a person’s life, a milestone reached, a birth, a rite of passage, or just an off the cuff moment of “hey, let’s get a tattoo”. My first foray into tattoos started with my late great uncle who sported tattoos of all kinds on his body. The memorable one that stuck with me was of one a topless hula girl on his arm. My mom must have caught me staring at it and warned me never to get one. Then, in the mid 90s, the infamous barb wire tattoo was all the rage. Thankfully, I never got one but dozens of men in my small hometown did; all of them waiting for summer in order to sport a tank top and show off the covetous ink that wrapped around their bicep.

On the other hand, the debate about graffiti being art vs vandalism still continues. Keep in mind however, trespassing on private property in order to spray paint graffiti is not looked upon favorably if caught by the proper authorities. Graffiti is most often associated with gangs marking territory but the practice itself is as old as time dating back to ancient Egypt, ancient Greece and ancient Rome. Personally, I find graffiti to be art, a testament to not only one\’s skills with a spray can but also can be used to express a political opinion or highlight some form of social injustice occurring within the neighborhood or around the world.

For the first time, I was able to combine graffiti and tattoos in creating my own art with said medium.