How important is "originality" in a tattoo design?

Question

Check out this quote from an interview with Pat Fish (a woman tattoo artist world famous for her Celtic designs). It came out in 2003:

"College students cast about for something with meaning. The great default is something written in Japanese. It's low commitment, and they can feel wicked and tattooed. Frankly, a tiny kanji looks better than a miniscule rose. We call those 'zits on sticks.' The most common tattoo we do, besides kanji, is suns. Especially on girls' lower backs. For the last four or five years, we've done at least one a day. I hung a sign on the front door of my house that says, 'This is the bungalow that suns on butt cracks bought.'" ......

"We work out of files. I have a file of just suns. That way, I don't have to keep drawing the same thing. After the customer looks at 500 different suns, one-third will pick the same sun. It's the logo for this generation—Leo Zulueta's tribal sun. Then they can make it even more meaningful by putting a kanji in the center! My mantra about that is, 'The baker doesn't complain when the muffins sell well.' So, if we bake another dozen kanji, we're happy to do it!"
(source: http://www.luckyfish.com/controversial.html)

Hmmm...What’s the “logo” for THIS generation?

Here is the artist’s cynical viewpoint. Most are probably sick of doing the same “unoriginal” pieces. (Earlier in this article she says “That’s what employees are for!”)

But there is also a value in the standard design; everyone needs to be familiar with it so its “standard” meaning comes across. If every traffic light used different colors to mean “stop” and “go,” it would be really confusing.

Your thoughts?

I walked by Pat Fish's shop today (it's really close to my house) and peeked in....there is a whole HUGE wall of kanji flash, with the meanings of each character! I can really sympathize with her cynical attitude, but this just made the shop look really bad!

Answer 1

I completely feel sorry for tattoo artists who do 3-4 tramp stamps a day. As a piercing apprentice I feel as if I might scream every time some generic girl comes in to get either her tongue, her belly button, or both pierced. You can't blame people though, we're all victims trying to look cool. Some of us might not go out and get tattooed on a whim, but we will express it in other ways.

Answer 2

At 38, I got my first and only tattoo... I'd wanted this design for over 20 years. I found an artist I liked, his work was superb, and I am VERY pleased with it. I'd looked at the flash, just out of curiosity, then showed him what I wanted. The inking took 3-4 hours, during which time we got to do quite a bit of talking. His outlook was the same as Fish's, though he wouldn't do ANY names except those of children. I'll have this until the day I die, so why look like anyone else? Creativity is a premium. A flash says "This is the best I could do./ I wouldn't know a novel concept if it bit me on the butt." For the easily satisfied, why not just get the Coke logo tattoo'd on your forehead??? As far as the artist being cynical, I would want to practice my ART, not be a hack and put the same CRAP on day after day, but I guess you do what you have to do to pay the bills... ;)

Answer 3

some artist have the same viewpoint on doing the same tattoos over and over, they are over it but they'll still do it because it pays the bills. other artists however are much more picky about the tattoos that they do. my artist is a custom tattoo artist. he REFUSES to do tribal tattoos as well as a few other "overdone" tattoo designs. he doesn't "need" to do that person's crappy tattoo they can go down the street to the crappy tattoo shop and get it. he does tattoos that are original pieces of art and that is more important to him than a few extra bucks. that is what i like about him. i guess that's the difference between a person owning original pieces of art and reproduction prints, some want the real thing and others are content to have cheap carbon copies.

Answer 4

Tattoos should symbolize one uniqueness. Would people be satisfied if all stores sold the same 3 shirts in the same 3 colors? Tattoos are about individualism. Frankly I would be embarrassed if I saw someone with the exact same tattoo as mine. Each of mine are original...either completely custom or a piece that I have changed to incorporate my identity.

What Pat is saying people are lemmings. They want to do what others are doing just to do it. I would never condone anyone getting a cookie cutter tattoo.

Answer 5

I think that "file" tattoos are like buying mass-produced uniqueness. I think tattoos are lame unless they hold deep meaning for you. Even if it's a flower; if it's the kind of flowers your mother grew on her front porch all your life and she recently passed away, that is wonderful because it means something to you. I am personally sick of seeing the kanji/sun/tribals on person after person. It's great that tattoos aren't as taboo these days. But I'd hate for them to become generic! Every single tattoo I have and will get is going to mean something to me because it's a part of me. And I wish that was the way it was for everyone.

Answer 6

important originality tattoo design

Answer 7

Don't you think having a tatoo overall isn't original anymore.

Answer 8

I feel it's very important that a tatoo is unique to each individual because every individual is unique and the reason they are getting one is unique to them.