Channel 4 recently aired a programme called 'My Tattoo Addiction', which revolved around a few different people, discussed various things about their tattoos and tattooing in general. What stuck out the most for me were the parts about a man named Matt, who has a number of tattoos that he got done as silly ideas while partying in Ayia Napa. In these parts the programme showed people getting tattoos on nights out, while drunk with friends. Also, Paul (a tattoo artist at Blood Brothers Tattoo in Ayia Napa) is interviewed for these parts, and he casually talks about the large number of people whom go to him while drunk and get work done.
Here is where I found myself getting rather annoyed. It wasn't helped when a club representative is seen telling the camera: "You definitely have to get a drunken tattoo while you're here." So, this means that this kind of thing is being promoted by people whom are paid to show holiday makers around, and advise them on the best places and what to do. Obviously I'm not saying that just because one representative has advised people do this that every single holiday representative does, but it can be assumed that more than just this one person does.
There's also a guy getting a few words tattooed on his foot (if I remember correctly, it said something like: "Stay Schemin'...Son"), and he tells the camera that he always wanted to get a tattoo but didn't think he'd ever get what he was having. I just couldn't grasp the logic in knowing you don't want what you're getting while you're getting it, but still going ahead with it. But the most annoying thing for me is the fact that the tattooists were doing the work in the first place.
I'm more than aware that different people have different moral standards, and that this doesn't end when it comes to tattoo artists (if that were the case we wouldn't have "scratchers"). While talking about the tattoos he does for young people on holiday, Paul mentions that he manages to make a nice amount of money from doing the work, which to some extent is fair enough - we all want to make enough money to keep us going and able to get/do things we enjoy.
So this is where things get a bit interesting. As previously mentioned, my initial reaction to all this was/is to get annoyed at seeing people getting really stupid tattoos simply because they're drunk and think it'll be a laugh. My initial reaction was/is to also get angry at tattoo artists who seem to have no problem in working on someone who is inebriated. But is there another side to all this?
For the artist, it will be bringing in a lot of work, most of which will be small designs and won't take very long to do. Each piece will probably be relatively cheap, but when it's multiplied by the number of people coming through the door, the takings will soon add up. Due to this, it's not really surprising why some people are willing to work with people in this state. But I still can't help thinking about the fact it doesn't help the artist in pushing their boundaries, etc., and I imagine it will often lead to the majority of people either living with something they regret or seeking another artist to cover up the work anyway.
It could be thought that tattooists begin doing this kind of work at holiday destinations (as shown in the programme) because, maybe, they aren't making enough to make ends meet during normal working hours, or something along those lines. The problem is that this is seen to not always be the case. Matt went to Dave Fleet (Abracadabra Tattoos), a well known cover-up tattoo artist, to get something to cover a tattoo on his chest advertising a party-boat website. When attending one of his sessions, Matt turns up tipsy/drunk and Dave continues with the session anyway. He does this despite stating to the camera that it is troublesome to work on people who have had too much to drink because they can be more boisterous, and are more likely to move around. Admittedly, the possibility of picking a bad design wasn't a factor in this case, but there is still the problems Dave stated, and the issue that alcohol thins the blood - so the customer may bleed more and cause less of the ink to stay in the skin, meaning further touch-ups may be required.
I'm certainly not saying that Dave Fleet is on par with tattooist who will do anything they're asked by a drunken, holidaying customer. One of the first things he states at the start of the programme is that his studio would never do the kind of work seen on Matt's body as a result of him getting tattoos while drunk in Ayia Napa. I was a bit surprised, though, that he continued with the session instead of rearranging the appointment so Matt could return when he's sober. That could just be me being nit-picky though.
While writing this I have also been trying to think of a positive way to look at it from the perspective of the customers, but I can't think of anything. Maybe they'll feel less pain. But that is of little consolation when they're spending money on something that does hurt (whether you can handle the pain or not), leaves them with something that could be really stupid (due to picking it while drunk with friends), and it may not even heal properly because alcohol has thinned their blood and from poor treatment of the tattoo during the rest of the night.
In all honesty, I really don't know exactly what to think about it all. I know my instant reaction to this kind of thing isn't a happy one, but I do know there has to be other sides to it as well. I also know some people would argue that as long as everyone is happy then it really shouldn't matter. This is true. Problem is, there are going to be times (and I imagine more times than not) these people will look at their tattoos at some point and wonder why they got them.
I would like to point out here that I am aware this isn't the case every time - some people may pick out something they've always wanted while drunk, or just happen to find something they will also be happy with later, and everything pans out alright. I am more specifically referring to the types of things seen on 'My Tattoo Addiction'. But then, even from that programme, it could be that some or maybe a lot of the people shown will still be happy with their choices in years to come. I kind of find it hard to imagine though, but that could just simply be that I am biased because I know it's not the kind of thing I would do - we are all different though, after all.
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