, Ina Saltz's second book of tattoo typography. Reading the stories behind each text is fascinating as they are quite a testament to the power of the written word.
“My friend Justin was a tattoo artist. ‘Stay Fly’ is a Three Six Mafia song we would all dance to. One night he ripped open his shirt and showed me a ‘stay fly’ tattoo on his chest to cheer me up. Soon after that he was killed in a car accident, so a bunch of his friends got the exact same tattoo, from his tattoo artist friend Scotty, who did all the tattoos for free as a tribute to Justin.”Thereis.jpg)
“This is a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche’s On Reading and Writing. I chose this text because I needed to transition out of a path that I was not cut out for; I decided against pursuing an MBA. The tattoo was a guarantee that I would never become that person.”
“My dad brought me up with the right kind of music and great taste . . . ‘I hope I die before I get old’ is a lyric from the Who’s ‘My Generation.’ It was written about Keith Moon, the greatest rock drummer of all time. I play drums, and I have modeled all of my drumming after Keith Moon. Besides the literal meaning, it also means to stay young at heart.”
“This tattoo is how I feel about my many friends who died of AIDS.”
“I have always had faith in living my life by trusting in whatever may happen: that is serendipity.”
“This is the last line of philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus. The translation is ‘What we cannot speak about we must pass over in silence.’ It is tattooed in Helvetica Neue Bold Condensed.”
“A symmetrical ambigram. “I wanted a conscious reminder of the importance of achieving ‘balance’ in my life. I strive to consciously and subconsciously align my thoughts and activities with who I am and what I want to do, ideally without conflict or guilt.”
Photo: Bruce Barone
“The tattoo is about my father, and it means that I accept him and forgive. The font is Angiecourt; I did the sizing and spacing on my computer and brought it to the artist.”
“Society wants to put you into a trap; I got the knuckle tattoos to remind myself that I was ‘born free’ and I can leave everything behind if
I want to.”
Translation: “God alone judges me.” “I was taking Latin at the time, and I wanted to get something that not everyone would understand. It reflects my religious views…that it’s not about people telling one another what
to think.”
“It’s my birth date in Roman numerals. With the world obsessed with cloning, it seemed only sensible to brand ‘the original’ me. Taking a cue from the Roman numerals used in films, if you are going to date yourself, it could only be done in one typeface: Times. It’s a timeless classic, with a suitable gravitas.”
“When I had the idea for ‘Everything,’ I was deeply and madly in love with an incredible man . . . he was not in love with me. The word ‘Everything’ came from every love song which described what I was feeling. I wanted everything and I was willing to give everything to have it. I booked the tattoo appointment, but had to wait two months (I am patient). By the time I actually had the word tattooed on my arm, the incredible man had magically changed his mind and had fallen in love with me.”See more at the book's website.
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