If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed.

Airy’s Relaxing Fun Tattoo

What inspired me to get my tattoo?

I have a grand sense of adventure and love of the childhood feelings of curiosity. I believe in trying to live life for that little sparkle of amazement and the smile and sense of magic that comes from it. Too many people try to take life and many things in it much more seriously than they deserve to be taken. I went to art school for some time and I came out with the artistic philosophy that “relaxed and fun” are the only things that mattered to me. People need to all mellow out. Relax! Smile! Drop all the silly ways we’ve learned to skew the world over the years and remember how simple and wonderful it was when you were a kid.
Dinosaurs! Rhar!

What about the specific elements in the tattoo? Why did I choose what I did?

Dinosaurs embody the sense of youthful adventure and I’ve always had them peeking around in things I do. A dinosaur lounging around listening to wonderful music on a wonderful sunny day out in nature? It makes me smile. Having a thing on you forever that will make you smile when you see it? Priceless.

Kitty cat in the tree? My mom was the cat lady in town and so I’ve always had a bond with them. Quick. Think about a kitten and not smile a little! See.

Flying turtle? Character I’ve used for many years now and have been developing children’s book ideas for.
Butterfly? C’mon. I’m a guy. A straight guy. I wanted a little purple sparkly butterfly on my arm. You figure it out.

I got this tattoo (my first) from Jon at Uptown Tattoo in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Voted one of the best in the Twin Cities and I have to say it deserves it. Cool, relaxed, and talented folks there that will help you with whatever you need. Rock on.

- Airy

Design by: Airy

Inked by Jon at Uptown tattoo - Minneapolis, Minnesota

I’ve always been a wanderer…never good at staying in one place for long. As a kid my younger brother and I spend summers with our grandparents traveling around in their Lincoln Continental dragging a silver Airstream from the top end of the East Cost to the bottom end of it. I remember seeing the “Mud Flap Girls” on the mud flaps of many 18 wheelers during all those treks. They were also two of the first woman I fantasized about as a lesbian youth.

These girls are a beginning of an eventual large back piece that I plan to one day start again. I’m into dragons and I have a neat drawing of a dragon riding a motorcycle I want to incorporate with a Lincoln Continental and Airstream also riding a highway away from the Mud Flap Girls, road signs (with special meanings), puffy clouds, and other things that speak to my wandering needs.

Anyway, just thought I’d share the tat I have right above my butt crack.

-Tami

Tattoo by: Lea Smith - Lucky Lady Tattoo in Greensboro, NC
(she also did my Mama Bear and Mowing Dog tattoos)

I’m not one to shave my legs or pubic area so I got this tat because whenever someone complains I can tell them I have my little dog working on it.

I’m a big fan of Dr. Seuss and have a partial sleeve on my right arm of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. The reason I went with this dog from another one of his books.

Bottom line, someone has to do the job.

-Tami

Tattoo by: Lea Smith - Lucky Lady Tattoo in Greensboro, NC
(she also did my Mama Bear and Mud Flap Girls tattoos)

The tattoo artist took a drawing from the original Spy vs Spy creator Antonio Prohias for the black spy and the white spy was from Peter Kuper who took Antonio’s place after he passed away.

For me the piece is symbolic spiritually in nature. The white spy represents the spirit of God living in me and the black spy represents the flesh that is in enmity with the spirit. I could have had something done that looks religious, but that wouldn’t be me. I believe God speaks through all kinds of different avenues if we have hearts to listen.

-Paul