Tattoos are a permanent form of art on a person's body that either tells a story, sends a message, or are just plain beautiful. One in five adults have a tattoo nowadays, according to the Harris poll.
"Some people find the buzzing of the tattoo gun soothing," said Mickaela Hollingsworth, whose entire arm is tattooed.
Whether the tattoo is a phrase, song lyric, animal, symbol, etc., the tattoo means something to the person getting the ink done.
For those who don't have a tattoo yet and are currently saving up for one, here's a friendly warning: You may get addicted. It's not yet scientifically proven that tattoos are addictive, but for those who have one or more than one, we can get addicted to ink. This is, of course, not a bad thing. Tattoos are meaningful, tattoos can be funny, and some are even life-altering.
After you get your first one, it becomes pretty difficult not to continue getting more. Whether you're adding onto an arm sleeve or putting a heart on your index finger, the satisfaction that comes from getting a tattoo is an unexplained feeling.
A different unexplained feeling comes over a person that wants a new tattoo, but being broke prevents them from adding more beauty to their body. The best I can describe this feeling is utter frustration.
It's especially difficult when you see other people getting tattoos and following certain pages on social media can spark envy as well. When you're a broke ink addict, you practically drool when you see a beautiful tattoo.
To the ink addicts that sketch their own tattoos, it's even harder to get over the fact that they just don't have the money to spare this month. You want your art on your body. It's a serious struggle, but you're willing to work through it and save up specifically for a tattoo. To those people, I salute you.
To the ink addicts that are usually spontaneous when getting their tattoos, it hurts us when we can't afford it. It's even worse when we take the time to go into our tattoo parlor just to price out your idea, and it physically pains us when we can't afford it yet.
"While being tattooed, I'm thinking about my next tattoo," Hollingsworth said.
Tip: Ask for a tattoo for your birthday. Your significant other, mom, dad, sister, brother, and grandma are great people. They'll help you out, especially if they've got tattoos, too.
I'd also like to suggest a tattoo fund jar. Throw some change in it, recycle cans and bottles and throw that money in it. Sooner or later it adds up, and you'll finally be able to get the tattoo you've wanted for months.
We know people are still against tattoos, questioning if you'll still like your tattoos when you're older. Sure, some people won't. But ink addicts will. We've worked for them, saved money for them, we got them. Of course we know they're permanent—we aren't spending hundreds of dollars for future regrets.
Some people don't understand our motives, some people think it's a waste of money. But for ink addicts, we know a tattoo is worth so much more than money. Our tattoos make us who we are.
Featured in this article are tattoos that people had been saving up for. This article is dedicated to people like them. They saved up, and they accept their ink addiction.
Shaye Higgins, Oakland University. Lyrics by her favorite band Twenty-One Pilots.
Kevin Chalmers, Macomb Community College. Meaning: "No matter where I end up in life, I'm always going to stay true to myself and not change who I am based on circumstances."
Amber Vasile, Michigan State University. Tattoo dedicated to her grandmother.
Skylar Tolfree, Oakland University. Lyrics by her favorite band, The Color Morale.
Ashley Scholten, Central Michigan University. Biology major (Nature + DNA).
Kyle Kriebel, Oakland University. Dedicated to his faith.
