 "Photo: Daniela Padilla")
Before there was Starbucks there was Starbuck, the mighty tattooed Maori whaler who followed Captain Ahab on his quest for Moby Dick. Starbuck never got the whale, but he did have some bad tats.
Some Southwestern College students can match Starbuck’s full-body inking tat for tat. Thousands more have smaller, more modest body art.
Tattooing varies from culture to culture and plays an important role in many rituals and traditions. Derived from the Tahitian word “tatu” which means “to mark something,” tattoos are sacred in some cultures where adherents believe the wearer called upon the spirit of that image.
For centuries tattoos existed but were not widespread because of the slow and painstaking procedure that came with each hand-made puncture.
Samuel O’Rtiney patented the first electric tattooing machine in 1891 and made the procedure much faster. Today’s tattoo gun consists of a tube, moving coils and a needle bar. Tattooing has reached a new plateau and has saved skin art from extinction.
Today tattooing is more popular and accepted than ever before, elevating some tattoo artists into the “fine artists” category.
People from all walks of life are finding special meanings in tattoos to express their own uniqueness and many tattoos are used to tell a story or symbolize an event. Through the artistry of tattoos, stories can be told simply with images.
Kalin McGinty, 23, graphic design major, said she is a walking representation of talented San Diego-area tattoo artists.
McGinty said first she talks to the artist to see what designs they are into and then chooses the colors to give life to the tattoo in her own way.
“I am infatuated with art and I love combining it with tattoo work,” she said. “People need to appreciate art, instead of stereotyping. A lot of people stereotype those who have tattoos, but they should not because a tattoo does not make the person who they are.”
Michael Simonetti, 48, fine arts major, has black and grey tattoos that tell stories of his traveling and adventures.
“Tattooing is so nobody can look like everybody else,” he said. “A person takes time in choosing and it reflects their own person.”
After graduating from diving school he planned to go to Hawaii to become a Navy diver. To celebrate he got a tattoo of two moray eels with an inscription that reads “Man of the Sea” in Hawaiian.
English instructor Allan Wade has a some eye-catching tattoos, including a brightly-colored portrait of Wonder Woman and a blue rose that represents unrequited love.
“I love my tattoos and don’t regret any of them,” he said. “They represent phases in my life.”
He said his tattoos serve as a reminder of what he is all about and when he looks at them he can remember what he was going through at that time in his life.
“I keep them discrete because I feel like they’re sacred to me,” he said. “To me they’re spiritual, not a fashion statement.”
Tattoos are a good thing, Wade said, but a lot of thought and time should be put in before actually getting it done.
David Stadler, 23, mechanical engineering major, wears a boldly-colored piece on his lower right arm, a treble clef with a dagger that says “cut me deep” and musical notes with razor blades around it.
“Music is huge in my life,” he said. “I remember my grandpa sitting down listening to jazz music and saying ‘That cuts me deep, baby’.”
He said music is a universal language to him because people can understand it and speak it by playing it.
Stadler said people are more open to tattoos today. The generation is evolving and tattoos are considered more of an art form rather than a gang symbol or something for sailors, which makes them even more appealing. Whether they are subtle, bold, hidden or ubiquitous, one thing is certain about tattoos—they are here to stay.
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