What is "Weekly ink"?: "Weekly ink" is a new series on Lake Voice highlighting tattoos that community members from the Twin Ports area have and their stories behind them. "Weekly ink" also includes the client's ratings of the tattoo shop that did their work in the following categories: Cleanliness, quality of art, friendliness, pricing and shop atmosphere. All ratings are made on a 1-5 scale with a 5 being exceptional and a 1 being below expectations.
Name: Justin Peterson
Shop: Anchor's End, Hudson, WI
Artist: Jack Carlton
Client ratings and comments:
Cleanliness: 4.5 out of 5 "The shop was very well kept."
Quality of art: 4 out of 5 "When I brought my idea to Jack he was able to take it and turn it into something unbelievable. He made changes to the design, which I thought were better than the original I had drawn up."
Friendliness: 5 out of 5 "Everyone there was very polite and more than happy to answer questions that I had."
Pricing: 4 out of 5 "It was definitely a reasonable price, but was a little more expensive than I initially thought it would be. However, it was still worth it in the end."
Shop atmosphere: 5 out of 5 " The atmosphere of the shop was outstanding. All of the art from the artists that decorated the walls were nice to look at, along with all the old ship decorations which ranged from anchors to a ship's wheel. Overall the shop gave off a really good vibe."
The story:
The reasons for people getting tattooed and the meanings behind their artwork is an endless list. For Justin Peterson, there were a few different reasons for getting a guitar drawn like a tree permanently inked into his upper arm.
To start, Peterson went with a tree to express his passion for the outdoors. "I love the outdoors, I'm really into hiking and camping out under the night sky," Peterson said. However, it wasn't enough to just have a plain and simple tree tattoo.
Peterson wanted the trunk of the tree done in the shape of a guitar. "I've grown up playing guitar, and it has really become a huge part of my life and easily my most effective way of shutting out all the bad emotions that I come across. Whether it be sadness or anger, it's really just a way for me to escape from everything," said Peterson.
The last reason for getting tattooed was one that I have never heard or thought of before. However, I feel like it may be a reason for many people getting tattooed. Peterson explained that one reason he got tattooed was to simply know what it feels like to get a tattoo.
This sounds simple, but seems to be true to many people. Being tattooed myself, I'm often asked what it feels like to be tattooed. The only answer I ever have is that words cannot describe the sensation of getting tattooed. Everyone I have asked so far who is tattooed, shares this answer with me, including Peterson.
There's a saying I've heard many times from those of who have tattoos; Tattoos are an addiction, once you get your first, you always want more. Peterson has plans for at least two more tattoos including the phrase "we are who we are" in a different language added to his tree/guitar tattoo and a piece representing events from Norse mythology on either his back or chest.
If you have a tattoo (or many tattoos) that you would like to share the story behind, please email the author at quan0071@d.umn.edu.