Forum Discussion: Ridiculed for Wanting Simple Black Dot Tattoo
Sunday November 23, 2008
cfryling writes: "I would like to get a tattoo that is profoundly meaningful and minimalistically symbolic to me but admittedly silly and meaningless to others: A small black dot on my left wrist. Yes, that's it.
I tried to do just that. I shyly walked into a tattoo parlor and described what I wanted. The guy at the counter and the tattoo artist waiting for a client were rude and dismissive. Clearly, I was insulting their intelligence and their art by asking for a stupid black dot. I tried to explain that it was symbolically important to me, but they merely talked about how the overhead of just getting set up was going to cost me more than the tattooing itself and that it's a lot of work for a black dot, etc. By the time they were ready to charge me and get me started, I felt so dispirited that I declined and left."
Comments
Wow what a awful experience. We always hear about how tattoos should be an expression of the person and that’s exactly what you were doing. I don’t think you should give up though I’m sure there are plenty of artists out there who will get you.
cfryling, leaving was the right thing, simply because you should not be disrespected, nor get artwork from someone who does not respect you or at least show some professionalism. If it truely was the case that this dot is meaningful to you, then that is what is important.
there are those of us who just wont get it, who wont understand why a dot would be or could be important to you. heck i dont. some will be curious enough to ask, others will blow you off as you have seen, letting their ego get the best of them.
i would urge you not to be disprited. this is why you find the right artist for every tattoo. you might not find someone who sees eye to eye with you, but you will find one with professionalism to do the job, and do it safely and well.
do be prepared, even though it is a small dot, it requires full sterilization, full set up, and every precausion that goes into a large piece, which of course will affect your price.
karen has a great beginers guide which includes a section on chosing an artist, and a safety checklist.
good luck in your endevors.
vor don is a simple voice of reason, dropping my own two cents of opinion which is worth about two cents, i am not affiliated with about.com nor have they encouraged me to spill my two cents in their arena, however they left the door open so sometimes i will walk in and drop two cents.
…don
You have every right to have the tattoo of your choice. Regardless of it’s size, if it means enough to you, you will pay the price. I understand that it does mean that much to you, so find someone who is gracious and willing to take on the task and pay for the service. You will never regret it. btw: If the person you see first when you walk into the tattoo parlor is rude, then they don’t deserve your business. The first impression is the most important one and regardless of how talented the artist, if they put up with that sort of behavior, you don’t want them touching you.
Just wanted to say that as an artist, that is willing to work with someone, not all of us are the same. Many artists today get lost in the “ego” of it all. Many, like myself, remember that it’s not always about the fame and the fortune, but about giving something to someone, that will provide meaning for the client, not only the artist.
i am a tattoo artist. i appreciate the idea of having a dot at the back. A dot forms a line or a line is composed by a dot.. the idea is brilliant!!! i also have a dot at my front shoulder. i am planning to add something to it… Thanks for inspiring cfryling!!
how weird
not about the tattoo artist/studio’s reaction but about the tattoo itself
i wanted to get that tattoo myself once with another person
we were each going to get a black dot in the same place
that’s interesting i’m not the only one who thought of it
ok, rambling here,
sorry that happened, stay next time and stick by your minimalist guns, a black dot today may be the sailor dancing girl of yesteryear….
cfryling,
Have you truly given thought to your tattoo and was it thought of in such a way as for you to call it “stupid” in your own words?
The artist’s were merely trying to save you some money for the minimum charge I’m sure they have implemented due to the set-up expenses and time. Many reputable shops have a $100.00 buck minimum just for this purpose. At least a $50.00 min.
I feel you’ve gotten off to a bad start with the whole tattooing experience from this and should give more thought to the tat and more importantly, to whether or not you truly want it. It seems you want to have one because everyone else is getting one these days and you haven’t committed yourself to the reality of “forever”.
Best of luck to you! If I could peel a speck of ink off one of my many tat’s I would gladly share it with you. For now, maybe you should just use a bic pen and wear that until you’ve made your decision.
I say this in a well intended manner! No discourtesy…
BonesXXX
Thank you to everyone for your advice. I ended up getting the tattoo on my birthday in Waikiki at a place called Electric Paradise from a very professional (and cute!) artist named Makua. I had e-mailed the manager Peggy to explain my situation. She was very understanding and made sure that the artist understood the nature of the tattoo. Makua charged $50 and I tipped him an extra $50! (As I mentioned, price was not the issue, the artist’s attitude was.)
Bones, I can also assure you that my intent was not to do it “because everyone else is getting it” or that *I* felt it was stupid (I was stating how I’m sure the original jerk in Las Vegas thought about it, not how I felt). If I wanted to do something just because everyone else had, you think I’d get a freakin’ black dot?!?
Jonathan, glad I could inspire! Indeed, as vonniepedals suggests, my taste runs very minimalistic in nature.
Needless to say, I’m happy with the tattoo and it’s very special to me, although there’s a bit of discoloration inside the dot. It’s also not completely circular, which the artist explained ahead of time might be the case given the placement of the tattoo (my wrist). Is this something that could potentially be “touched up” or such in the future? If not, I’m still happy with the tattoo, but fixing it up a bit might be nice.
Cheers…CJ