Tattoos And Body Art As A Way To Reflect On A Person’s Cultural Identity

Introduction

Tattoos are a form of body modification where a design is made into the dermis layer of the skin. Today the number of people who have tattoos/ body art keep rising. Tattoos are usually regarded as uncivilized and some workplaces oppose employees who have tattoos, and some think that it’s good for business. People usually get tattoos to express themselves. Looking at economic perspective, it costs quite much to express yourself with a tattoo. The cost is surprising, tattoos are cool and you can really express yourself, but what is the reason for the cost to be so high on some tattoos? The number of people getting tattoos is steadily increasing, so they obviously have no problems with the cost of the art. Therefore from a economic standpoint, the cost of tattoos may or may not have an affect on people being able to express their cultural identity.

Tattoo Artist Perspective

From the today’s tattoo artist perspective, having the tattoos to cost so much brings in more money for them to get more equipment and new equipment to continue in their business of art. One reason that tattoos are so expensive is so that the tattoo economy can keep up their billion dollar industry. The artists know that people are willing to pay because they want to be able to express themselves and their culture. According to America’s Booming Tattoo Economy: A $1. 5 billion Industry people are willing to pay what they have to just to express “. . . telling a person’s story without a single spoken word “, which shows that the people aren’t focused on the cost they are focused on the reason for getting the tattoo. However there are some tattoo artist who don’t charge as much or they don’t agree with the amount that they have to charge their clients. For example, the artist say that they know you may think some big or detailed tattoos aren’t as cheap, even if it’s small because most tattoo artist charge by the hour. Even though they make clients pay such high cost for the tattoo they still care about their client and want them to experience a good time. According to Debra Kelly, "’Sometimes, clients think that because the piece is small, I wouldn't need to charge the same amount as for something bigger’, she says. ’This is true, but we do still have to charge a shop minimum to cover supplies for each appointment’. " Some people may care about these things today because they may want to get a cheap tattoo and don’t the facts or costing about it.

Now although they may charge a lot it is because they work hard to make sure the tattoo is the way the client wants it. So basically if the client’s tattoo requires a lot of work from the artist then they are going to be paying a lot for the tattoo. These tattoo artist make sure that their clients get what they are paying for. So basically from my understanding when a client pays for their tattoo they are paying for the art itself and the work ethics from the artist. According to Debra Kelly “Vampotna aims to provide an awesome experience for his clients, no matter what. ‘I always try to give my clients an overall fun, positive, personal, and memorable experience,’ he says. ” This shows how the artist really aren’t against their clients they just want to make sure they are getting a great experience and their great work ethic for the money that their clients are paying, although they might think that is too much for a tattoo.

Client’s Perspective

From a client, that gets tattoos perspective, several opinions about the cost of tattoos, but they are still wanting to get them to be able to express themselves. Some clients think that when they get small tattoos it is supposed to be cheap, but that is not how it works. Even if a client gets the smallest tattoo they don’t know that some tattoo shops have shop minimums where some may range from $40-$100, according to Adorn tattoo, piercing, and jewelry. A shop minimum is the least amount a shop will allow a client to pay for their work. Most clients that truly feel the need to express their self with a tattoo don’t mind the costing. If the artist is really good clients will pay hundreds because they know that they are getting good quality and service for their art. Now you must know that their are some clients that don’t really care for expressing themselves with a tattoo they just want to get one to fit in with others, or with what’s “cool”. Many clients from age ranging 16-21 usually want to get tattoos not because of how the art may reflect them as a person, but because they want to fit in with friends and “be cool”.