LA Ink'd [Or Not]
This is a surprisingly common occurence when I talk to people about my desired profession. The conversation goes just about like this:
Person: So, what are your plans after you finish school? / What do you want to do for a career?
Me: I want to be a tattoo artist.
Person: Oh, so you must love... what's that show called? The tattooing one!
Me: ... LA Ink.
Person: Yeah, that's the one!
Me: I've seen it, yeah, but I don't watch much TV.
Real Answer: It's a reality TV show. I respect Kat Von D (sp?) and her work, but she's not the only artist out there who's work I look at. More than that... it's a reality TV show. I don't like reality TV. There are plenty of tattoo shows, actually, and I don't really like any of them. In fact, some of them (the ones that turn it into a contest, "America's Best Tattoo Artist" or whatever) I downright hate because who the fuck cares? I don't. It's just drama for the sake of drama, and I hate to say it... it's art. Yes there are going to be people who are generally more practiced and efficient tattoo artists than other people. That doesn't mean they're better. Sometimes it's just means they've done it longer, or are generally more talented.
Long story short, though, I don't really like LA Ink any more than any other show.
Although I do have to credit the person I was talking with for actually asking some less... uh, some questions that I actually cared about. I mean, there's the usual "do you have any tattoos?" which is understandable. Even though, no, I don't. Yet. I'm not eighteen, and my mother doesn't support me in my endevours. It's not really important. I will. Besides, my very excellent piercer doesn't currently have any piercings that I can see. I wasn't particularly shocked about it. I was shocked that he wore a clown nose, but that's about it (ah, such fond memories).
Anyway, that's about all that I have to say about that. Something that just got on my nerves a little today. But, with the same conversation, aparently, I completely passed as male to that person. :D That made me /really/ happy. It's my mother who can't keep it straight at all.
Person: So, what are your plans after you finish school? / What do you want to do for a career?
Me: I want to be a tattoo artist.
Person: Oh, so you must love... what's that show called? The tattooing one!
Me: ... LA Ink.
Person: Yeah, that's the one!
Me: I've seen it, yeah, but I don't watch much TV.
Real Answer: It's a reality TV show. I respect Kat Von D (sp?) and her work, but she's not the only artist out there who's work I look at. More than that... it's a reality TV show. I don't like reality TV. There are plenty of tattoo shows, actually, and I don't really like any of them. In fact, some of them (the ones that turn it into a contest, "America's Best Tattoo Artist" or whatever) I downright hate because who the fuck cares? I don't. It's just drama for the sake of drama, and I hate to say it... it's art. Yes there are going to be people who are generally more practiced and efficient tattoo artists than other people. That doesn't mean they're better. Sometimes it's just means they've done it longer, or are generally more talented.
Long story short, though, I don't really like LA Ink any more than any other show.
Although I do have to credit the person I was talking with for actually asking some less... uh, some questions that I actually cared about. I mean, there's the usual "do you have any tattoos?" which is understandable. Even though, no, I don't. Yet. I'm not eighteen, and my mother doesn't support me in my endevours. It's not really important. I will. Besides, my very excellent piercer doesn't currently have any piercings that I can see. I wasn't particularly shocked about it. I was shocked that he wore a clown nose, but that's about it (ah, such fond memories).
Anyway, that's about all that I have to say about that. Something that just got on my nerves a little today. But, with the same conversation, aparently, I completely passed as male to that person. :D That made me /really/ happy. It's my mother who can't keep it straight at all.