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Artist

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Chris Perkins

 

Tattoos are not for everyone, but for some like myself having tattoos is simply a way of expressing who you are and what you feel.



I suppose my life has always revolved around art in one way or another.

From my childhood I can remember spending most of my time drawing cartoons from my favourite comics or copying designs from illustrated books.  At school I found art to be my happy place, a time where I could really excel and felt comfortable doing what I enjoyed doing most.



Throughout my schooling I remember really only caring for that one subject, I guess understanding art came very easily for me. I even remember getting into trouble on many occasions for drawing in class when I should have been listening to the teacher ramble on about equations or how to best dissect a frog! It’s fair to say that by the time I left school my exam results were very one sided….It was pretty clear to see where my career path lay.



Since leaving school I tried to follow the more 'logical' path into the art industry through college and university. After trying my hand at graphic design, Illustration, photography and even selling my paintings in restaurants galleries and market stalls I began to realise that none of these career choices really excited me at all. However the one artistic medium that had stuck with me over the years, which had been growing into a bit of an obsession was tattooing.

For many years I tip toed around the tattoo industry trying to work understand how it all worked and how I could possibly get my foot in the door. I collected countless tattoo magazines and visited many tattoo shops to study the art and styles of the many different artists, and to discuss how I could best find a way into this secret industry.



For nearly ten years I tried many other jobs and artistic ventures, being told by most tattooists that I wouldn’t like tattooing if I tried it and it’s not a very good industry to tackle, but purely for my passion of it I kept coming back to it time and time again. I guess looking back I was pretty lucky to have met the people I met when I was finally given a shot, (even if it did take me nearly a decade to get my shit together), but I knew immediately that when I took the jump from designing tattoos to actually putting them on skin I had finally found what it was I’d been looking for and exactly where I belong.



The options are endless with tattooing, that’s probably why I love it so much. With this art you can pretty much do anything you want, there's no rules or constraints, nobody telling you how it should or shouldn’t look and as long as the tattoo is applied well your free to explore whatever possibilities your creative mind can come up with.



There are still a lot of people who go into shops and pick images off the wall when deciding on which tattoo to go for and those who want a one of a kind masterpiece drawn up. Many people have special meanings behind their chosen art and some who just like the imagery because it looks cool. To be honest in my opinion there is no wrong or right reasons for getting a tattoo so long as it’s right for you.



I went under the needle at the age of eighteen and like most people intended to have just that one tattoo. However after that inspired day I soon realised how addictive giving your body its very own decoration could be. So don’t be afraid to explore your creative side, or be a little different from everyone else. Be sure about what you like and what you’d feel most comfortable wearing. Tattoos may be permanent….but add to our character, give us mystery and most of all allow us to be unique.

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In a world of sheep following each other along through life, it’s sometimes good to choose your own path and be different.

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