Why do people get tattoos

I think the most important thing you may be missing is the motivation. While it’s true that a lot of people get tattoos to celebrate or honor things that are important or meaningful to them, a lot of people don’t do that—especially people who tend to be very heavily tattooed.

I knew a guy who had a tattoo of a sandwich. When I asked him why, he just said, “I like sandwiches.” Ryan Cabrera famously has a photo of Ryan Gosling tattooed on his leg because it’s what a dial landed on in a game of “tattoo roulette.” Some people just get tattoos because they like the way they look, which is usually the case with stuff like tribal tattoos or blackouts (although many people will black an area out to cover something up).

For things like traditional tattoos, a lot of people with those just like to honor the artform and history of tattooing. They like the way they look and the vibe is based on the foundations of American tattoo art, so you can kind of think of it like someone who is really into cars putting original parts in a 1970 corvette they’re restoring—it’s about the tradition and aesthetic.

So yeah, there are all kinds of motivations that you haven’t really thought about! I think the big takeaway is that tattoos don’t have to carry some kind of profound meaning. They often do, but it’s common for people to get ink just because they like the look or it’s associated with a fun experience/story.

I have tattoo sleeves made up of a bunch of individual tattoos, and I have different reasons for getting different tattoos. Some do have meaning and some don't. For example, I have a cluster of tattoos that symbolize the cats I've had in the past, and every time I look at them I think about all the fond memories we created together. But I also have some nature-y sections that I think just look beautiful. I like having art on my body.

I feel like my tattoos collectively tell a story. I've been getting tattoos for many years, so each tattoo captures a different chapter in my life. I find that they're also great conversation starters! I've gotten tons of compliments on them and people will sometimes strike up a conversation with me about them, so my tattoos have helped me connect with others.

I've always thought of a tattoos being art that you love so much that you want it on your body.

I wanted my tattoo to reflect who I am, and what makes up my life chapters. I also wanted it to show the statement of inhumanity of breed restrictions on animals. It is a picture of my Pit Bull with a statement around it saying in memory of all animals that have been killed because of hate or ignorance. I waited until I was middle age before I even got my first tattoo and I thought about it for years.

Tattoos would tell their personalities, but the black out tattoos is a bit weird

Sometimes its a special symbol to you, Lets say your grandma died and she loved daisy's so you might get a daisy tattooed in honor of them

Personally getting a tattoo is symbolic to me anyway! Everyone that had or has tattoos I'm sure they mean something to them and take pride in it as it's like a short summery of a person's life experiences or a memory of something that meant something to them and that's how they want to keep that moment or memory of a person or kids family pets? Even a special occasion or a special day and some folks get tattoos of the day a person they we're close to had passed away like a child , parents grandparents it could be anything to me tats are a person's short bio of their past and or present life experiences and or memorable moments