As with most people, an idea for a tattoo takes some time to come to fruition. For me, I knew I wanted to get a triangle for a very long time because of it’s simplicity as well as its symbolic meaning. It wasn’t until I got it did I see even more potential in it. It seemed empty and in need of more. This is where Mike Adams comes in.
I have seen the work that Mike has done and I was thoroughly impressed. His work focuses mostly on the traditional tattoo style of the early 20th century. During this time tattoo’s were extremely taboo and remained so until around the 90’s. The art of the early 1900’s mostly uses heavy lines and accent shading and often depicts ships, flowers, scantily clad women, and birds. This style still thrives in tattoo shops all over the world.
So the question I had to face was: How do I combine the minimalist style that I adore with the traditional tattooing style that Mike Adams specializes in? Well, while looking at Mike’s work to see if his art would be a good representation of my own personal self-expression I came across a tattoo that he had done a while back that inspired me. Here I found the answer to my question: bee’s (here).
Bee’s have always had a special place in my heart and I have wanted a tattoo of one for a long time. Not only did I enjoy their cameo’s in “Winnie the Pooh” as a child, they are greatly misunderstood to those who are not educated about their existence. They are creatures that terrify children because of their limited knowledge of them. All they know is that they can inflict pain and sting them. And too a child, that is a good enough reason to bee afraid. When those children grow and learn more about the bee’s their view on them changes. They realize how vital bee’s are to the survival of other species and their importance to us as humans. To me it is fascinating and enlightening how education can change someones perspective completely and even grow respect for what was once feared. It shows how profound power that education holds. Though none of this answer’s the question of how I will join the two styles.
As a designer I am drawn to simplicity and elegant design. I also have a profound respect for the origins of design and what has been done before. My plan was to take the triangle, the simplest shape that can be made with straight line, and encapsulate nature. So my goal then became not to meet minimalism with traditions tattooing, it became combining elements of design with nature. It has changed my perspective of design completely. I now look at design in a more natural way versus the cold industrial way it is often portrayed.
I meet with Mike tomorrow at 4:30 and I am very excited to see what we both come up with. I will update this post when the tattoo is complete.
What Exists 