AS A PERSON WITH A NUMBER OF TATTOOS, I know that there is always a reason for having a tat, whether it is last minute, or planned for years.

"There is nothing like a fresh tattoo. The look of it. The feel of it. Knowing that it hurt so bad, and you wanted to quit. Just like life."

Lots of people with tattoos take the risk of never getting a job because they say tattoos are not professional. I am here to share with the world how many people that are talented and professional with tattoos.

In the coming months, Tinted Tattoos will evolve into a place where people from around the world share their tattoos and the meaning behind them.

Life Is Pain
A tattoo is self expression. The ability to express oneself through mixed words or pictures to describe that moment, that person, that picture, that belief. Some people get tattoos just so people can see that they are daring enough to get one.

My greatest analogy for tattoos is that life is pain. The new challenges you encounter in life present a type of pain that could make a person give up. The moment you feel the discomfort, you divert to what's comfortable and less painful. But a tattoo makes it all mental. Separating the mind from body and focusing on the outcome of the challenge. The pain never lasts forever -- it's just temporary. In life, going through bad times also means good times are soon to follow. The moment you decide not to fight the bad times, everything turns around for you. And the outcome is more satisfying then ever.

That's the same with a tattoo. It hurts like hell the moment that needle touches your skin. And it continues to hurt until its done. And even a couple days after. But, just as with life's trials and tribulations, the pain subsides and the outcome is everlasting. There is nothing like a fresh tattoo. The look of it. The feel of it. Knowing that it hurt so bad, and you wanted to quit.

Just like life. When all goes bad, you just wanna quit. But the moment you decide it's not so bad, that if you just take the pain everything will be fine, is the moment you realize life isn't so bad. You can say to yourself, I'll never get another tattoo. Then your second one comes. You had already sat through one tattoo. And you know you can sit through another. One becomes three. Three becomes six. And six becomes 12. Then you become a mentally invincible to pain on the skin.

Rashad McCants
January 2008