Nothing is original

I once came to an artist with only a semblance of an idea. All I knew was that I wanted a tattoo of Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in a lightsaber battle. I brought some pictures from the movies into him and he asked me to give him a few weeks. So I did and he gave me one of the coolest tattoos I thought I'd ever seen. He kept telling me how much prep work he put into it. He was trying to create something super original. And sure enough I thought he did. That is, until I started surfing the internet for more Star Wars tattoo ideas and I came across something almost exactly identical. I guess tattoos really have become so common that you really just can't have something completely original.

Losing Your Tattoo-Virginity

Some of the best stories about tattoos are about people getting their first tattoos. Some people stop at one. Some people get so addicted they need another one within a week. Some people even faint. Whatever happens, nobody ever actually forgets getting their first tattoo. Or as I like to call it "Losing Your Tattoo-Virginity"

Big Bear

Bob and Terri Bayer own Big Bear Tattoo as husband and wife. They've been on the tattoo scene for over fifteen years and were finally able to open a shop of their own. They have a staff of award winning tattoo artists that are exemplary for both their skill and being some of the nicest people I had the chance to meet in this whole experience.

They give their customers some of the best work I had a chance to see and you can check it out at their website and Facebook page.

Big Bear Tattoo is located at 94 Spencer Rd. in St. Peters MO.

Never Fade

Andy Bell has been tattooing for years. He worked for years at various different shops, expos, and conventions all over the country. His dream was always to own his own shop and in 2013 he finally got the chance as he opened the doors to Never Fade. 

Check out some of Never Fade's absolutely amazing work on their website and Facebook page.

Never Fade is located at 7250 Gravois in St. Louis, MO.

Shelby Neigh

Shelby Bethards was only six years old when she first saw the movie Titanic. When the movie ended she proceeded to ask her mom what happened to Rose. Her mother told her that Rose died a very peaceful death in her sleep. Shelby did not like this answer. Even though this was a death with no pain, she could not stand the idea that someone could actually die in her sleep. I think fear for this specific way to die is actually normal. Almost every way people die is beyond their control, however, something about being asleep while it happens really strengthens the idea of having no control, especially to a six year old.

Shelby had anxiety almost every night for almost a year after that. Going to sleep became a genuine fear for her because she was too afraid that someone could actually die while sleeping. To help her cope, Shelby's mother used to sing her a lullaby. "The sooner you sleep, the sooner you'll wake, the night will go fast, as quick a wink. The morning will come and soon we'll be there, tomorrow we'll go to the fair. We'll ride painted horses with wind in our hair. We'll always remember the laughter we share. The sooner you sleep, the sooner you'll wake, tomorrow we'll go to the fair."

It was not until she got much older that Shelby really began to consider the meaning behind that lullaby. To her it means that pain and anxiety may linger on us from time to time, but tomorrow is a new day. Tomorrow is always a gift to look forward to. Tomorrow is a new start for joy, happiness, redemption, and life. She hopes to sing this lullaby to her own children some day so she can try to help them understand the same thing.

Shelby and her mother have also share a true love for horses. Her mother teaching her to ride is one of the greatest memories she has. Shelby's overall purpose for this tattoo was just to honor her amazing mother and the memories they have shared. Shelby's mother gave her so much, including teaching her that there may be pain in the night, but joy comes in the morning.

3 of Hearts, 4 of Clubs

Kelli Maxfield got her first tattoo back in her early 20's. Her mother, Helen, was raised in a family that was very against them. The tattoo hate definitely stopped after that generation, however, since Kelli, and her cousins, all ended up with tattoos. After Kelli got her first tattoo she started feeling a lot of anxiety over her mother finding out about it. It was actually her husband's mother that took it upon herself to tell Kelli's mother. Just as a way to take all the anxiety out of it for Kelli. Helen actually thought the tattoo was pretty. After that she became slightly addicted to tattoos. Her favorite is the one of the hearts surrounded by shamrocks. Each heart has the name of her husband and her two sons. The shamrocks are because of the family's Irish blood. She got this tattoo on her chest to symbolize how close she keeps these three men to her heart.

You bring the lasso, I'll bring the truth

Shannon Hilburn has been a lot of things in her life. A friend, daughter, sister, soldier, mother, nanny, wife, surgical assistant, and super hero. She spent years helping a recently divorced woman raise her three boys. She gave those kids love, guidance, and most importantly, instilled her morals into them. She taught them that nothing was more important in this life than doing the right thing. She truly became their hero.

Eventually the kids got older and Shannon left for the army. To no ones surprise, her excellent leaderships skills got her the job of platoon leader. When it was time to get the crew ready for the day, she would do the iconic spin that Diana Prince would do when she transformed into Wonder Woman. It was her own way of motivating all her friends and reminding them that they could handle anything the army could throw at them.

Shannon applied all these same principles when she became a mother herself. She named her first born, Chandler, after the boys she took care of and their mother. She did this because she never stopped thinking of them. She changed their lives. This Wonder Woman tattoo on Shannon's leg is the absolute perfect representation of the kind of person she is.

The St. Louis Slugger

Jimmy Villier got his St. Louis Cardinals sleeve because he loves his team and his city. He actually played baseball all the way through college but injuries prevented him from going any further than that. Baseball still remained one of Jimmy's greatest passions in life as he watched and cheered for the Cardinals every single season. His sleeve incorporates many different elements from the St. Louis team. Including; the Cardinal mascot pitching, the years they won the World Series, Jack Buck's famous "Go Crazy" quote, as well as the Louisville Slugger baseball bat. The bat is definitely his favorite.

Sports in general provide a sense of camaraderie among people, but there's just something extra special about baseball. The game has a kind poetry to it. There are not time limits. It's never actually over until that final out. I think that is why so many people identify with Baseball. It provides a sense that it is never too late to come back from something. That is something a lot of people need to remember sometimes.

Think Before You Ink

Adam Oakes was probably your typical teenager. Meaning he got into trouble a lot. Our mother told him every time he got into trouble that one day she was going to tattoo "Think Before you Act" on his body. He assumed she was joking until his sixteenth birthday rolled around. He asked if her if he could get a tattoo and she said "of course." But the only thing he could get was exactly what she had said all these years. Thus Adam has those words in Japanese tattooed on his back.

Wings and Roses

Lindsay Lingle has quite a few tattoos she is very proud of. The quote on her chest is something short but to the point. It is a quote that reads "All God's Angels Come to us Disguised." She got this one because she just has a different view on what "Angels" really are. She believes that someone doesn't need wings and a halo to save you.

The roses on her arm are meant to symbolize balance. There are three of them that kind of make up a triangle. The tattoo continues down her arm and actually makes up the shape of an angel's wing to try and tie the tattoos together. Lindsay definitely believes that we should focus on the people in this life instead of just waiting for the next. 

My Neighbor Lauren

Studio Ghibli is one of the most prominent animation studios in all of Japan. They are famous for movies such as Kiki's Delivery Service, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, and many many more. Their movies rank as some of the highest grossing anime films of all time in Japan. They have brought a lot of joy to a lot of peoples, especially Lauren Merle. Lauren would say she has healthy obsession with these films because of the artwork. This studio has created some of the most unique and visually stimulating characters off all time. This appeals to someone like her because she recognizes the importance of creativity. Imagination is one of her greatest traits and something she would not trade for the world.

Not only is she an admirer, but Lauren is also a very talented artist herself. Her main technique is oil pastel. Some of her favorite things to draw are family portraits of her, her husband, and their numerous pets. Whenever she lacks inspiration she looks to two artists. One is Bob Ross, oil painter and host of the show, The Joy of Painting. Bob Ross was most well known for painting trees and landscapes. The other is Hayao Miyazaki, the co founder of Studio Ghibli. Who of course was most well known for creating these amazing characters. Her tattoo is a mixture of these two artist's styles. It's a very ambitious landscape with some trees very reminiscent of Bob Ross, riddled with plenty of Studio Ghibli's characters. While working on her own art she now always has the opportunity to look right down at her own arm for inspiration.

A Jedi and a Wizard

Bennett Corley and his wife, Nicole, have been married for almost 4 years. They thought it was about time that they got matching tattoos. Instead of just getting each other's names they decided to get something that required a little more creative thinking. The two of them worked very hard to think of something that represented both of their interests. Bennett is a huge Star Wars fan and Nicole is a huge Harry Potter fan. Thus they came up with this lightsaber/wand duel.

Fuck Luck

To Gracy Wrangler, the name of the game was getting a tattoo she could really relate too. She got this because rabbit's, specifically their feet, are a symbol of luck in a lot of cultures. Her own words were "Fuck luck! Make your own luck!" Some people who have hard times in life do nothing but blame the universe and say that they are just too unlucky. Other people realize that you decide the outcome of your life no matter what, or "make your own luck." That is the kind of person Gracy is.

The Legend of Mansour

Mansour Kazemi lived in Iran for the first 8 years of his life. His parents moved him and his brother to the United States after that to give them a better life. Mansour picked up English in a fair amount of time, but he found that the language barrier he faced was nothing compared to the cultural barrier. Seeing how the other kids his age acted and hung out with each other was kind of intimidating. They all had common interests, all related to something seen on TV or bought from Toys R Us. He didn't share any of these interests or ever really understood what new fad they were even talking about. At least not until he played his first video game. That video game was the famous "Legend of Zelda." Mansour quickly became addicted, as most kids do to a video game at some point or another. He attributes that video game as one of the most influential parts of his childhood, which may seem like an exaggeration, but helping him cross a cultural barrier to fit in better with his peers is not something to ever take lightly. That is why he got the Zelda logo tattooed on his arm.

The logo part of the tattoo came first. The sword was a design drawn up by his girlfriend at the time and given to a tattoo artist that specialized in pop-culture tattoos. Mansour feinted both times. Something about his body chemistry causes Mansour to pass out when he's getting tattooed. So because of that he has never gotten another one. He feels that if he only gets one tattoo in his life then he chose the right one.

Miranda's Peace + Miranda's Love = Miranda's Happiness

Miranda got this tattoo to represent her extended family. Miranda and her sister were the first children in her mom's group of friends. They were showered with so much love and attention that her mom's friends were no different than actual aunts and uncles to them. It made it all the more painful when their "uncle" Dave passed away from brain cancer. After they lost him, Miranda's family started a yearly auction to raise money for different cancer foundations. One thing they did was design bumper stickers that had symbols for peace + love = happiness. Once Miranda turned 18 she knew she wanted something to represent and honor her "extended" family and those symbols felt like the perfect thing.

 

You Can Call Me Evan!

Evan Laudel loved his grandfather very much. His favorite memory of him was riding in the car with him when the song You Can Call Me Al, by Paul Simon, would come on. His grandpa would just completely break out dancing to it. Evan thought this would be the best tribute to him.

See the Shop! See the Work!

I drove all over St. Louis and St. Charles getting pictures of the best tattoo shops in the area. The pictures of the shops were taken by yours truly and the pictures of the tattoos were taken from the shop's Facebook pages. Click on the picture to be taken to those pages!

Eastern Missouri Tattoo Hotspots

I visited and took pictures of almost twenty tattoo shops in St. Louis and St. Charles county over the past few days to try and get as many pics as I could for this blog! I hope you enjoy!

Cousin Paul's Tattoo Co.

Laura Bonfanti has been tattooing for 20 years. She opened up Cousin Paul’s about six months ago. She and her co-workers, Greg and Jeremy, used to work at TRX Tattoos until Laura decided it was time to strike out on her own. Her dream was almost dashed just as soon as it began, however, as her grand opening was delayed over two months because of the neighborhood’s zoning committee. She had done everything right to their standards and was ready to go but was illegally blocked by people not ready for her special kind of awesome. The neighborhood thought a tattoo parlor did not meet their level of propriety. Even in this day in age some people still look down on tattoos, and I will never know why. The trio eventually got the shop open and now give their customers some of the most kick ass tattoos you’d ever see!

            The name Cousin Paul’s is something very close to Laura’s heart. She got the Paul part after her grandfather. Even though he was a military man (he actually fought in World War II) he did not have any tattoos. Was not a fan of them at all actually, but he was a fan of his granddaughter. He loved and supported Laura all the way in her career as a tattoo artist. Which transitions well into the other half of the name—Cousins. To her that term is just synonymous with the word family, and family is the most important thing. Family is why we get out of bed in the morning and go to work. So why not name your business after the reason you’re doing it? That’s what Laura believes. We could all learn a thing or two from her.

            Cousin Paul’s is located on 4530 Hampton Ave. St. Louis, MO 63109. You can get a hold of them at (314) 875-9075. Ask for Laura, Greg, or Jeremy.

Motorcycles in Heaven

Jeffrey Alan Chandler was my cousin and an all around amazing guy. He got his first tattoo when he was just a teenager and he did not stop until his body was completely covered. His two favorite things in the world were tattoos and motorcycles. One day Jeff was in a horrible motorcycle accident. Unfortunately the accident took away his leg. It did not, however, take his spirit. His prosthetic leg was actually a Harley Davidson design. He made jokes about being a foot shorter. That was just Jeff. Nothing seemed to break him.

Jeff had lots of kids that he loved very much. His two oldest were twins; Zach and Lexi. Zach and Lexi had a younger half sister, not related to Jeff in any way. On weekends when Jeff would pick up the twins he would see little Tori just left behind. Jeff started bringing Tori with them on weekends and he never looked back. Tori became his daughter and there was nothing more to it.

Jeff passed away a little over a year ago. He spent a week in a coma and passed once he was taken off life support. He was a very important man in my life and I miss him very much. Jeff was the kind of guy that didn't only love someone because they were related but because they deserved to be loved. That is just the person he was. I am of course not the only one who misses him. Tori misses her father more than you could possibly imagine and she got one of his tattoos to honor him.