Minimalist Tattoos – Perfect for a Romance Writer or Not?
To Tattoo or Not To Tattoo?
As many of you know, the next book in my Skin Quartet series, Close to the Skin, features a tattoo artist, Bella Bell, as the heroine. Now, I have to admit that I personally do not have a tattoo. Occasionally, I wear a temporary one. I have worn ones from Inkbox and from Tattly. I even have a specially designed temporary one for Book 1 Beneath the Skin as shown here. [If you like it, e-mail me, and I will send you one.]
However, I bet right now you are scratching your head and asking, how can you write about something you’ve never experienced? Well, with a background in anthropology, I have had a lot of opportunity to write about cultural practices that I have not experienced personally.
So how have I learned about tattooing? A good anthropologist and a good writer both have to be fantastic researchers. I have interviewed tattoo artists and people who have tattoos. I have read blogs and watched videos about the process. I have read dissertations about the meaning of tattoos and why people get them.
However, I am wondering if I should still get a tattoo. Just a little one. A minimalist tattoo. That way I will have even more understanding of the process as I write about it.
Today, I found this collection of beautiful tiny or minimalist tattoos on the Bored Panda blog. They are really beautiful and very tempting. They were created by New York City tattoo artist JonBoy. You can see a collection of his work on his website. http://www.jonboytattoo.com. [Photos used by permission]
Here are four I particularly like.
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The question is would I get tired of having the same design on my skin over time? From research, I know that very fine lined tattoos blur and fade rather quickly and will need retouching. What do you think? Is it worth getting one? I like the cat and the pine tree. The wild flowers are elegant. But the wave is the one I would get. It’s simple and elegant and makes me think my writing retreat on the ocean.
So what do you think? Should I get a tattoo? Which one of these would you pick?
