As a woman with several visible tattoos, I’m constantly getting questions about the art on my body. I can usually manage to answer the old “what does that mean?!” question, despite half of my tattoos having deep, personal meanings. I’ve perfected the art of giving every friend, classmate, and random stranger at Walgreens, the Reader’s Digest version of why I have these beautiful images up and down my arm. However, the one question that gets a little more complicated is, “Where did you get your tattoos?”

You see, I live in a small college town, where the college students make up over half of the population. There’s three different tattoo shops in town, each with their own merits and faults (although I have my own opinions), so there’s plenty of opportunity to get tattooed here.

Despite this, I’ve only ever gotten tattooed once in my own hometown. I’ve been tattooed all over my state and even a few out of state.

For those of you who have gotten tattooed before, you know it takes a little bit of research. Certainly, there’s the days where you just feel the itch, walk into a shop, and get tattooed on a whim. However, most of the time, it takes some research and design to get the perfect piece of art that you want. Some of my tattooed friends have only ever been tattooed by one artist and plan to keep it that way. I think that’s a perfectly valid way to decorate the walls of your temple, but there’s also validity in wanting a myriad of artists.

Here’s Why:

1. Different Artists Have Different Perspectives
   
   I've been tattooed by seven different people in the last two years. Each of them have had different life stories and ideas about tattooing. Sitting in that big leather chair, trying my best to stay still, I've had some of the deepest conversations of my life. Tattoo artists have met and tattooed thousands of interesting people, so they have the stories of a thousand lives. When someone marks you for life, it's a bonding experience. I love meeting new people and getting tattooed is a great way to do it.
2. It Encourages Me to Travel
   
   I've always been the type to jump in a car and go on a road trip and getting tattooed is the perfect excuse. For me, it can go one of two different ways: I'll either be already going somewhere and find a tattoo shop nearby, or I'll find a tattoo shop I'm in love with, and take a quick trip. You see new places, meet new people, and you can cross off a few things on your bucket list while you're at it.
3. It Ensures That I Get the Best Art I Can

1. 
   There's a tattoo that you've been dying to get. You've wanted it for months. You know exactly what you want it to look like, in fact, every time you look down at your skin, it feels like something is missing. You want that piece to be amazing, right? While I'm sure that there's some great artists in your town, there also could be an artist who specializes in exactly what you want, forty minutes down the road. Why not put in the extra gas money to make sure that what's on your skin forever, is perfect?
2. 4. Different Areas Specialize in Different Styles
3. 
   Seattle has some great new school artists. Arizona is rich with American traditional tattoo artists and so does the east coast. California has amazing realism artists. Sure, not everyone can just get in their car and drive to New York, but the idea remains the same-you want to go to someone who specializes in the style you love. You don't just want to go to who has never done a watercolor tattoo in their life, and have them do a giant piece on your thigh. Maybe they'll discover a new talent, but it's much safer to go to someone who is passionate about watercolor tattoos and will give you a masterpiece.
   
   5. Your Body is a Gallery, Not an Artist’s Portfolio
   Looking down at my body, I can look at my different tattoos and have a memory from when I did it. Tattoos from right before I went off to college, tattoos I got on road trips, tattoos I got when I was depressed, each tattoo holds a special place in my heart.While having all of your tattoos done by the same person can ensure that you'll always have the same style of tattoos, it also means that the same person marks you over and over again. It's a respectable way to get art on your body. But the way that I see it, a tattooed body is even more beautiful when it is a patchwork quilt of a dozen different artists.
   
   You deserve to have the most diverse, artistic, and beautiful skin, with works of art from all over the world. Think about it, would you rather go to a gallery from one artist from your hometown, or a gallery with artists from all over the world? Either way, the art on your skin is something to be proud of and what makes you unique.