In my opinion; it’s fine for the tattoo to have no meaning, but if that’s the case pick an artist that you love and have a good time so you have a positive day/memory attached to it

No they don’t need to have meaning. Lots of mine are just for the love of the art. People say trends change so you won’t like your tattoos if they don’t have meaning. Yeah, well so does your mindset.

Explanation level: MASTER.

Sometimes you choose a subject for a tattoo for a subconscious reason, you gravitate towards an image that speaks too an experience you can't pot in to words yet and only In hindsight find that out

If the tattoo is an image, the meaning can change and grow with you, words are a little rougher

This is what I’ve never understood. I’m 40 and got my first ink at 18. I like getting tattoos of things I think look cool, and people always ask me what they mean. When I say it has no meaning, I just like it they think I’m crazy. Why can’t I have a meaningless tattoo that looks cool?

I just scheduled a consultation date. I thought about it for a long time, and suddenly it feels really right. I found this artist, scrolled through his portfolio and contacted him right away. He (also) does abstract stuff, and that’s exactly what I want. I want to cover scars on my arm, and while it’s kind of supposed to symbolise closure, I just want my arm to be prettier. And I think that’s meaning enough.

Jim, great video, I am 65 now, I started getting mine when I was 63, I am in the 1st category. All mine have a deep meaning. You mentioned 101st Airborne, My dad was Eisenhower's personal bodyguard in WW2 and he was in the 82nd Airborne and was built like Arnold. A real man and an awesome father. So I have that division logo 82nd insignia with "Best Dad" and his name on me. The rest are my faith, patriotism, grandkids, Chinese friend and a night beach scene cause I am still a beach bum haha, Jim, never grow old dude!!

As long as it looks cool then it's cool to me, it doesn't need some special story or deeper meaning to it to be a nice piece. But for example, my dog is named anubis, so I have an anubis tattoo on my back, it's not a super deep meaning but it does have some significance aside from just the awesome aesthetic of the artwork that it is.

After posting the video it's come to my attention that Wayne gretzky wasn't on the Detroit redwings. He played for the Edmonton oilers. Derp. Sorry, I'm not into hockey. Prolly should've chosen a different example 😅

Dude you hit the nail on the head, my dad has bees so I did a honeycomb on my elbow and I'm doing 12 bees 9 for brothers and sisters, 1 for my dad and the last 2 represent my wife and my son. My mom loved carnations and hummingbirds so I also have that and my mom (the hummingbird) is set up above it all having her watching over us. Great video and have a great night.

I'm getting my first tattoo this week and while I'm beyond excited (I'm 37 and have wanted one since I was 18), the second thoughts have been strong over the past few days. Hearing you talk about the different ways to incorporate meaning (the Converse All-Star idea, for example), really helped ease any worries and opened up some ideas for future pieces. I genuinely appreciate that you're taking the time to do these videos; many thanks!

"Let your artist be an artist." My artist's eyes light up when I tell him what I want, I give him just the skeleton, and let him do his own thing. I'm also a little bit of a challenge for him. He's been quoted saying, "I like pretty things, but they're everywhere. I don't want to make pretty things." (Maybe not verbatim, I'd have to dig out the magazine for the exact quote.) He makes some really dark art. But I'm like, I want this dark theme, but make it pretty. He loves me still. So much so that I'm his first (and last) apprentice since swearing them off over twenty years ago. As far as tattoos having meaning, my tattoos are special to me, and each body part tells a story, but none of them have actual meaning, if that makes sense. For instance, my sleeve is the story of a mermaid and her band of miscreants who sunk a pirate ship and drowned its captain. I have always loved water and everything that goes along with it, especially pirates, and my sisters and I did play mermaid at the beach as kids, so its something that represents me to the core, but its not really meant to be meaningful, it's meant to tell a story. I do have two planned tattoos that have actual meaning, but they'll be part of my other sleeve, which will be telling a different story. I think if you love it for its meaning, or because the design is cool, either way is cool.

I love how nuanced your videos are. Its really helpful for someone like me, who is a noob, loving tattoos and trying to decide how to get started and avoiding regrets.

Impressive verbal skills! Listening to you I want you to do my tattoo! 😎

I completely agree with everything. I feel like sometimes its looked into way more than it should. Looking forward to new vids man!

Good video! I'm the kind of guy that ponders an idea for at least a year and keeps the subject matter close to the heart. Some personal connection makes for a lasting memory. My first tattoo was done in 2003 and although esthetically I'm not into it anymore (it got hidden in a sleeve but not covered) it's a very important part of my life. That being said, people should do whatever they want.

No tattoos dont have to have meaning.Some are just fun,spur of the moment.As long as you like it,who cares.

Green color has healing energy ,but it can not stop soldier going to war .So it is important to energize the object with good intention.

I appreciate all your advise and tips I am starting a half sleeve next month and if I lived in AZ I would def go to your shop ! Be blessed bro!

9:30 thank you for this explanation, it is exactly what I came up with by myself and I’m glad to hear it be said for others to hear. Every tattoo I have planned to do (I am about to schedule my first appointment ever at almost 23 years old) has significant meaning to me, but I am getting things to represent those important things to me as a theme (botanical in my case), as I knew going into my considerations that I never want lettering/words/numbers on my body in any language for the exact reason(s) you mentioned. Edit: my plan is to get different varieties of flowers (NOT watercolor or mini style) to stand for people close to me, alive or passed; then ones that represent important times in my life that formed me into who I am today. Each tattoo being a very different flower from the last and balanced across different areas of my body (such as a loved one’s favorite flower). I like that everything would be only known about the meaning If I decided to disclose that info myself on an individual basis. Again a point that is true about the high meaning tattoos like mentioned in the video is the fact that the tattoos in my situation are not as adventurous as I might otherwise have planned, but I am so excited nonetheless.

Very well explained James and makes perfect common sense on this subject involving tattoos.

Your point of view is so cool. I’m happy I found you!

I saw a comment somewhere regarding tattoo meanings that will always stick with me. Meanings will come and go and change throughout your life. But badass art will always be badass art.

Just got my first tattoo on Thursday witch is the chinese symbol for "pain". Since then I've been very into you're channel good work G.

I love your tips about not being literal when you want a meaning in a tattoo. I have some tattoos with meaning, otehs without, and that doesn't change whether or not I like them more or less.

My last tattoo I got from an amazing artist here in Boston. I was so confident on his works and I just told him what I wanted. He picked the colors and it came one better than what I have could ever imagine. I told him I trust him no matter what.

Damn this was such a good video. Such good insights, and such simple visual ways of getting your point across. Solid man

So many tips I wish I knew before I got my first tattoo. I was 19, I had lost my dad a year before and I knew I wanted a memorial tattoo. I had an idea and I had put together inspiration (not the actual tattoo I wanted since it was super choppy and edited together), but the tattoo artist I had gone to was not helpful at all. 3 years later, what was supposed to be a beautiful memorial tat on the back of my neck is now my least favorite of all the ones I have. Hoping someday I can get someone to fix it up, or cover it up. Thanks for the tips though. So glad I found your channel 👍🏼

Everything you said resonates a ton with me. I got my first and only tattoo a few years back and I followed your advice in part. It is a black and white animal on my inner forearm, about 3 x 3.5 inches. It is a metaphor for something and it has a lot of meaning for me. I sketched it and ask the artist to redraw it better, so it is original and I love it. But it is a silhouette, it is minimalist, because it was the first one and I was timid about it, I didn't want something complex. The first guy I talked to in the tattoo shop said something like it would be so cool to get a very nice and detailed version of this animal, and I thought he just wanted to get more money from me, but now I get it. I get wanting to have a tattoo that is like a very unique painting. Now I'm thinking of adding new more artistic tattoos to my arm and eventually developed them into a sleeve. I have to consult with some artists to figure out how to do it, because there are pros and cons with planning a full sleeve vs getting new tattoos and make it so they can eventually become a decently coherent sleeve. And on top of that I have the problem of how to mix a minimalist and somewhat large silhouette tattoo with more realistic ones. I'll figure it out but I don't think it's going to be easy.

personally , all of my tattoos have deep meaning and i love all of them . i got a half sleeve of flowers , which are the birth flowers of my parents . to finish it off , i plan to bring it onto the shoulder by adding in the birth flowers of all of my siblings and i feel like its the perfect example of incorporating multiple subjects that mean a lot to you into one piece . by the way , i love you work and videos (:

Love your videos man! Keep up the good work :)

Great video, i got my first tattoo the other week and now have a few planned, most have meaning to me but a couple I just love the design/concept of it.

The meaning factor was the reason why it took me so long to commit to tattoos. One day it hit me and I realized: why do we get tattoos? Cuz they look dope! Some people try to justify getting a tattoo by how much it means to them when in reality they just wanna be inked up and theres absolutely nothing wrong with that. When I realized: "hey, I'm an artist I love tattoos and I appreciate good artwork and I want to wear it forever." I found a graffiti artist that I persoanlly look up to who is a great tattoo artist and his style was perfect. The work was amazing and the fact that I got work by him made it so much more special and I didnt have to deal with the restraints of "this has to mean something". The artist and the love for art is what allowed me to take the plunge.

Thanks for this video! You convinced me to change my thinking and I'm glad you did. There is some symbolism that I am interested in but I realized I was over-thinking it and I chose an artist based on his artistic skill and his intuition so I would prefer to have something that is just aesthetically beautiful rather than over-infused with ideas. I am still keeping the basic symbol but I don't think I need to nail down all the details. I wouldn't want to limit a creative thinker.

What a great video, I’m 21 on the verge of my first tattoo and I definitely fall in the first characteristic of deeply thinking this too much. Legit great video thank you

Just got my first tattoo less than 3 weeks ago. I fell on the end of needing deep meaning that wouldn't change. My boys. I went with 3 blue hearts outlined in black. It's on my forearm side by side on their side when my arm is down. I really should have gotten them going across because now I want to expand on it and have it flow better. I was afraid to do anything that wasn't extremely meaningful so I went as simple as possible. Now I have to figure out how to work around it. My advice is to not be afraid to play around with it and have fun. I'll take my advice next time. Haha

Sick video. Couldn't have done a much better explanation than that. Thanks bro

You are so dope! I’m really enjoying your content and your delivery of the info. It’s so easy to understand. I just started getting tattoos at 44, i now have 3 which were done with in days of each other. I’m building a patchwork sleeve, but I was hard pressed to come up with a theme because I was thinking that they had to have a strong meaning. My next tat is supposed to be an owl because it represents wisdom. Again, great content sir! Very concise and to the point.

Subbed a couple days ago like your stuff. I have 6 tattoos. My first two I was still in high school and just now got one of them covered up. Will be covering the other one at some point. My last 4 tattoos have deep meaning to me and no one else. But they still look good in my opinion. I have a portrait of my Grandpa on my forearm, one for my deceased wife and three showing my love for my Irish heritage. Can’t wait to keep filling my arm up. Nice video by the way.

Thanks James

I want a mix of meaningful and non-meaningful tattoos

I got my first tattoo from an artist who did really good anime tats and got myself a quarter sleeve tat of teen gohan before and after transformation. I love it because he has always been my favorite character and a character I can relate too In a way

I fuck with you heavy bruh, keep killin it!

Ninja turtles in a tattoo would be SICK

I just got my first tattoo last night. Its a beach inside of a diamond with no other meaning really besides me loving the beach. Let the artist do his thing after telling him the general idea and I absolutely love it

I got a pretty big anime tattoo on my foream. Full color, about 8 inchs long, and wraps quiet a bit being about 6 inches wide. It was a 6 hour session. It looks amazing, and I've seen A LOT of pretty bad anime-style tattoos. People have said that "I'll regret it in 30 years." but will I? It's a character from one of the first anime I watched when I was little. It's my all time favorite. It's what got me deeper into the hobby, as well as Japanese culture. It's what connected me with my closest friends, and it's defined who I am as a person today. Even if I end up not liking anime when I'm 50, I'll still be able to look back at how much it brought into my life. On the flipside, I get compliments daily on it, even from people who don't even know about anime. Had plenty of dudes tatted from foot to neck compliment the work.

Everytime I see your vids about something controversial I'm always amazed by your response. Right on.

Another great video! I just had to subscribe and turn on those notifications. I don't know how to say this in a non-weird way, but the cadence of your voice is very soothing too. It's nice to get these straight forward explanations, and everything flows so well. No quick cuts or distractions needed. Anyway, I'm one of those people that likes to have meaning in my tattoos, from the somewhat light, to very deep. Tomorrow I'm checking out a new shop in VA with great reviews and some really impressive artists in order to get a memorial piece for one of my best friends who was like my brother. I already have the artwork illustrated by another friend of ours, so I hope the tattoo artist isn't bored or uninterested by that. Some times I feel like they'd much rather work on their own original pieces, so I feel oddly guilty about strolling in with fully finished art already.

Great video! Thank you! ❤️

Dope shit Keep em coming

When I was 19 and got my first tattoo, it was a memorial piece for my dog that had passed away. I told myself I'd only get a tattoo if it had a super deep meaning behind it. I'm now 28, and I have 5 tattoos in total, and my mindset has totally changed. I still value the memorial tats I have the most, but the others I just got because I loved the artwork. Have 3 more planned and thankfully none are memorials.

I just subscribed to your channel because I’m getting my first tattoo (Some Nordic Viking Art) on the 31st of August. You have helped me immensely in helping me make my decisions and with preparation. I appreciate the guidance and I hope you continue to make videos for a long time!

This is the problem I'm having with picking my first tattoo. Thank you for explaining this!

i just got my dagger stabbing through a flower tattoo yesterday so i lowkey started laughing when u mentioned the one through the wolf lol

Awesome channel!

I have everything from well thought out custom pieces to a "get what you get for $100" from a tattoo gumball machine! I love them all LOL

I agree with you 100%

I’m a mix of I like something and it has a lot of meaning and stories behind why I choose to as an example put a native America signal tree on my forearm. I like to think of my tattoos as a literal story book on my skin telling about a piece in time I was someone else, maybe that scared 19 year old who left home and misses her best friend or 20 year old who was trying to find her place in the world. In those moments piece of me is forever a moment I’ll never forget. But she grew up and so did her tattoos with her. I couldn’t imagine not having my tattoos anymore, they are forever a part of me in so many ways. It’s weird to see pictures without my tattoos like my forearm tattoos because they are part of me visually and a beautiful story I’m still writing for the future in my ink and my life. Without tattoos it’s like looking at a blank canvas waiting to be painted with beautiful stories.

Thank you!!

Hope you're still tattooing when im older because i will definitely be booking a consultation with you! Keep up the good work dude :)))

Mmm very good points. I’m the kind of person that sees deep meaning in things, so for me I would gravitate to a more narrow minded view of designs, because I’m so focused on the meaning aspect of it. I think I should loosen up on that, it’ll open up more artistic opportunities. Thanks man 😁🙌🏼

I think I'm a mix of the two; being an illustrator myself, I'm pretty happy collaborating and creating fun concepts, but I have an overarching theme(s) in mind. Also, I have a little instagram roster of artists I enjoy, and I send them proposals, with enough flexibility to let them do their thing, but also some direction so they have a jump-off point.

I know I've posted on a video before but it is an anomaly. Even if you aren't getting masses of hits, your messages are good. They're informed. They're strong. So thanks. I hope you stay motivated. You're awesome. (The impulsive type of client)

Cool video man thumbs up 👍

Hey James, I love your vids. Very informative. I was wondering if you would have any interest in doing a vid on coil machines vs rotary machines, which machines you prefer and why? Just curious.

At the end of the day, its up to you if you want to attach a meaning to it, as long as you are happy and proud you have to stunt it man!

All my tattoos have meaning to me and I’ve got almost 5 grand worth of ink on me. From the very start my artist pointed me in the right direction and suggested I don’t get any lettering. I’m glad he did because imagery is best way to go to fully express the meaning of your tattoo in my opinion

Meaning I started with one tat on each forearm.....then the tattoo artist expanded the feel..so the other tats draw meaning from the single tat..so now both arms full sleeve tattoos old school 3500.00 working at 1 day a week 2 to 4 hours been Wednesday...today 2 24 20...probably have about 15 more hours then be done..been a nice journey glad I did it small amounts for healing and I'm extremely happy....can't rush this.

having meaning is always a plus

Hi, I’m moving toward my first tattoo at the age of 50, I have been put off by the popularity and fashionability of tattoos and the idea of having something the same as a lot of other people. However, a recommended video took me on the path to your Channel via several other tattooists. I have enjoyed the videos. A common theme through out them all is how they do not appear to be interested, at all, in repeating anything they have done previously. This is piquing my interest again and I am starting to come to a decision about how I want the tattoo to represent the significance I want it to. I love the idea of finding someone great that I trust to do there best to bring my idea to life. I can’t draw for sh*t so having an artist be able to express the idea for me sounds great. I am thinking on my left upper chest but I have a fair amount of chest hair and I am concerned this would have a major impact on the final result. I would love to see some portfolio pictures showing this sort of situation and also a timeline of how a tattoo may change over time. Any thing you can point me toward?

Awesome vids.... I would like to see you do a video of grey wash

Great videos!

All my tattoos have meaning and I’m almost finished with my full sleeve, my other sleeve is going to just be awesome things I find pleasing to the eye and bad ass looking.

Dope video man I agree with you on all this. Could you make a video on how frequently you can, or rather should, get tattoos?

Can you please make a video about either or not having to tip a tattoo artist? I hope your channel grows because you got very informative content here. Thanks

I always get asked if my sleeve has meaning and when I say “nah I just thought it looked sick” then they look at me like I’m Charles Manson.

I have 2 tattoos, I have a appointment for my 3rd tomorrow. They all have deep meaning 😊 but I do believe if you don’t have a meaning for your tattoos that’s okay.

That was a good video. I feel like there's more that can go wrong with meaningful tattoos as far as risk goes. Since so many things change in life.. the amount of religious tattoos that people grow out of is insane.. so even the ultra safe stuff often isn't all that safe.. sometimes family gets really fucked up and messy.. etc. People pretend as if a meaningful tattoo will always remain relevant. At least with a tattoo that doesn't focus so heavily on meaning, it will always look awesome and not potentially remind you of things you don't want to remember anymore, or things that don't match the person you are today. As long as you spent the time to get a good tattoo that is still pretty safe and timeless as far as subject matter goes. Either way you should try and get the best tattoo you can as far as appearance of course. When ever I see people regret a tattoo.. it's because they grew out of the tattoo.. the meaning doesn't apply to them anymore.. or it's just a shitily done tattoo that wasn't thought out enough. But I don't see a visually awesome looking tattoo that is well done, with no deep meaning, being regretted.. they would be far less of a percentage. Also you can just apply certain meanings after the fact, too. But just not focusing on that too much, since you don't wanna risk ruining it with too much meaning lol. I think thinking of meaning, can help you come up with cool and odd tattoo ideas though. But I intentionally wouldn't tie it super tight to meaning, myself.

Im the art collector lol i love it. I want all my favorite artists work on me

Really well said - Just subscribed

Of course not. I see so many people get these very meaningful tattoos that's like their starsign combined with their grandma's name combined with their favourite dish combined with a thousand things and a thousand colours. I would rather have a nice looking tattoo than a meaningful one that isn't good looking.

I get tattoos bc I like art. The tattoos I collect is like my artcollection, from different artists and different styles.

Nice channel. Keep it up

Art is something that is supposed to represent something much larger in a small concept. Artists are transcribing what the world does in our everyday lives. The world and everything inside of it is painting a picture to try and show us our true nature.

I'm a DLBCL survivor. Now that I'm in remission, I'd love to get my 1st ink at 41 years old. I'd also love for it to incorporate a survivor theme but kind of hidden. I'd want the main theme to be Lovecraftian. I'll be in Guadalajara this year, so it would be awesome to get one while I'm down there.

Great vid! Love how detailed you are on your explanation of things👍🙂 wonder if you would do a video on homemade tattoos? Got my first tattoo pretty young homemade😕 course it has shaky lines and looks terrible... ever since I have only gone to tattoo shops..... started getting tattoos on my arm where people could see them, where my other tattoos most people don’t see....and here’s where I would like your advice...? People come up to me and say oh wow that looks great! But the next two things they say are “ how much did that cost?” And “ I have a guy who could do it cheaper” meaning getting a homemade tattoo... I try to say thank you and be nice but I only trust a shop and I really like the artist (s) that I go to.... I don’t understand how people think that just because it’s cheaper but it’s better I am a firm believer in you get what you pay for and I am extremely happy with my artist and my art....

I got a couple tattoos when I was younger, one with no meaning, the other with great meaning. The last year I have been helping my new very naturally talented tattoo artist friend and got like 12 more to make a patchwork sleeve with all meaningful tattoos and they are all metaphorical but also look great. I wasn’t sure about placement but once you get a few of the centerpieces down you can figure out where the others will go to have it all come together. I think it’s better to get tattoos when slightly older so there is more meaningful things to reference from your life that makes it easier to figure out a way to also make it look bad ass.

I have gotten spontaneous tattoos, but they've been by good and reputable tattoo artists. I don't regret those, they were fun and exciting to me. Now that I'm getting the rest of body done I'm thinking of themes for various areas, but they for the most part don’t have special meaning.

Great video.

I'd love to get your view on the pros and cons of foot tattoos specifically top of the foot tattoos.

Thanks for the video James! I always leaned towards getting a tattoo with meaning but after watching your video you changed my perspective on that. I mean who wouldn’t want a Picasso painting no matter what it was?! Awesome video Bro!!!.... Can’t wait to get back to your studio to get some work done! 👊 -Joe (Half Sleeve, Jesus Resurrection)

My first tattoo is going to be a step ladder because im short, so not a strong meaning

I'm more into collecting pieces from artists I dig. I got my Steve Byrne chest piece with ZERO ideas when I walked in. Legit just asked him what he was into doing at the time, had him whip up some crazy geometric floral shit, and got my fave piece so far, hands down. It's massive, a straight color bomb, and it means fuck all, except that I'm a huge fan of Steve's work. To each their own though. As long as you listen to your artists input and remember they're the pros, and they're going to know what will and won't work... Do you boo!

People only ask me what they mean when it is something they personally don't understand. For example just a design, nope just a design. Some of my more obvious tattoos actually have meanings, but nobody ever asks about them because they know what the picture is. I never explain any of them and I never ask others to, but only compliment them if it's something I like.

I find it easier to draw what I want , pick an artist with a signature style I like, and let them do their thing. The lady that did my sleeve said it was fun cuz it was like drawing in a coloring book. Which to me make s the piece more interesting. 2 minds expressing themselves to make this unique art. Here's the lines, color in them... Or outside them however you want. Have fun

I have eight tattoos that are located on my arm. Nearly an entire sleeve and only two of them have any sort of “meaning”. The rest are just because I have a lot of respect for my tattoo artist and always have good memories every time I’ve gotten them with him. My tattoos are American-Traditional, I just love the artwork of that style.

I'd say it's good if they have some meaning. But people think they have to have a tone of meaning in your life. If you like something then it still represents you in some way I think. Even if you go off it, it's a part of you and your past interest. I can relate to the reptile one too! I have a watercolour surreal gecko because I own reptiles. I'm having a dilemma right now where I love dragons and started reading after years. I am reading eragon. I'd love a dragon but am worried I'll regret it even though I really want it! lol.

I agree with alot of what you said. Especially with the lettering being excessive and looking cluttered. More people need to watch you videos to understand the process more.