Hi
For many hundreds of hours I have been learning about tattoo and tattoo culture from the physical application, art and design to the taboos associated with wearing ink.
I have had some great and not so great times on this journey and have learned a lot about the topic I seriously love.
I have reached a point now as to what to do next.
I love tattooing and all things tattooing, and what has started out as a research hobby became a serious academic piece. Which I am in the last throes of completing.
The problem I have is that the university I am affiliated with has placed a block on me using their resources to make an ebook on the subject. My thesis is owned by them with regards to copyright on images used and certain primary sources. This has put a major dent as I have the knowledge but now have to resource info and images from within the community.
I refuse to pay huge licensing fees or have the university profit from my work – I would rather it be distrubted freely.
My idea was to do a series of e-books starting out with basic guides and info on tattoo and tattoo care through to a piece on judaeic-christian tattooing.
My main question is would ppl be interested in reading this type of thing and would anybody care to contribute their experiences or pictures to this project?
As you are aware I have tried to give a lot to the community and intend to keep doing so but I have the reserach bug and would like to actually write something that would interest the mainstream as opposed to just academia.
Thoughts welcome.
Take care
Matthew
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i would be interested in reading this, as well as donating pictures =]
Thank-you
That would be sweet.
Copy-right is an undertsandable issue and I have do desire to break it – much of my stuff will be done on a share-alike basis – meaning that ppl can share the work but have to acknowledge the retaining rights of the owners named on the work or images.
Also if a person wants a copy-prohibitive donation i will add that specifically. Thsi would mean if person other than me wanted to reproduce the image they would have to contact yourselves.
My main beef is that the university got wind of what i was doing and were thinking ‘royalties cut’. I advised them that I do not believe in charging people for information that I feel should be in the public domain anyway.
Also that since I actually love the subject as opposed to just doing it because it will get me a job ( it will not)or extra letters after my name (I already have and do not use) – I would like to share my work with like-minded ppl in a like-minded community.
Well it did not go down too well – the cocnepts of passion and free just do not sit well with some types. 🙂
Take care
Matthew
I also would be interested in reading your material. What do you mean by contribute experiences? If you are asking for experiences we have encountered on our journeys, I would participate but I would need to know what my responsibilities are and in what type of media is it being presented in. Also, are you looking for serious or humorous or both.:) Maybe, I am asking too many question
In answer to your questions Slim –
I have 4 main projects that I am considering;
3 will be in ebook format and will be made available for the community free of charge but will have certain clauses on their use.
In effect they will be there as an information resource and interest reading for ink addicts like ourselves or ppl who are considering their first tattoos. The images will be restricted towards the wishes of the donater but will run on an acknowledgement needed to the owner criteria.
The final piece will be a more academic piece based on religous tattooing and will be aimed at ppl who have an interest in this field and I will be making available through several ministries – I hope to eventually get this published and all profits (if any) will be donated to outreach work.
To clarify I am not a christian (I am actually jewish) but I have a strong interest in theology and would like to open the minds of many ppl who look down on ppl with tattoos as a negative thing.
As for contributing on experiences- this simply means doing a short recount of any and all tattoo related experiences both positive and negative. I am interested in why we get inked and what drives us to do it and what we derive from it.
I found with my PhD that the study simply became too academic and there is always a push to label things in neat boxes, meaning there is no passion left in it.
Also reading a lot of tattoo literature it tends to fall into these categories;
Artist(s) displaying their work and maybe a small amount of text about the images. (Which is good but doesn’t get me into the person who has the tattoo)
Sociological/Anthropological studies – nothing wrong with it but again not exactly what rocks my world.
A person who has a tattoo and then talks about their experience of it and the tattoo community. Again I have nothing against this but one example came to mind of a jewish woman who had a really small ankle tattoo done and knew a few tattoo artists in NYC and the whole book was ‘how rebellious I am – living on the edge with all these artists’. :rolleyes:
Please – I have way more ink from her and came from a orthodox jewish background and know several artists – i do not consider myself rebellious.
In summary I want to do a piece by a tattooed person for tattooed ppl.
Take care
Matthew
Sounds good
I have heard of alot of writers in recent years who have given away e-books of their work and found themselves selling alot more of hard back and paper back versions of their works after the fact
Any plans for a coffee table style book?
Also out of interest – is there any truth to the story about not being able to be buried in a Jewish cemetary if you are tattooed??
I hear it alot in NYC, however I know a lot of heavily tattooed Jews
Let me know your thoughts
thanks
Hi Al
Actually it is a misconception and prejudice amongst certain Jewish followers (usually the hasidim – ultra orthodox) that a jew with tattoos cannot be buried in a jewish cemetary.
The torah does forbid the marking of the body in memory of the dead – and from that the idea of tattooing is very much culturally frowned upon.
The rabbis who study the torah then decreed that tattooing is a sin and so many took this as a reason to deny burial.
Here is the key bit though;
Some ultra-orthodox will not bury a jew who was ‘willingly’ tattooed. (This came about obviously with the Nazi practice of tattooing in death camps and they ahd to relax the rules and add willingly – big step for them)
Other cemetaries will bury tattooed jews but may bury them in a plot area devoted to other jews who had tattoos – so one bit is non-tattooed the other is tattooed.
Then you have more liberal rabbis who state that a jew has the right to burial regardless of whether they have tattoos or not.
So yes they can be buried but like any religion you get a small hardcore who will try and block it.
As for coffee-table book 🙂
Yes I would like my final piece to hit certain tables or round the head of several ppl who do my box in about how I am going to hell because I have tattoos.
Realistically ther eis not a chance of me making any money from it – I do it because I like it and why i keep my day job. 😉
Take Care
Matthew
matthew, this book or rather these books are certainly causing great big heaps of shit being thrown at you from all angles, its a shame because the knowledge you have regarding this wonderful artform is outstanding…
if there were any strings i could pull to help in any way then i would
please dont give up, keep plodding at it,… ” Illegitimi non carborundum “
😉
Matthew man, I haven’t finished reading all the posts yet (I will after I complete my post), but whatever I can do to help I will. I’m broke as hell, so I can’t give money, but pics of my ink are up for grabs, any of the ideas I’ve advanced on the boards, my stories and expierences you can use freely. Any more tangible help you need, I’m there. PM me, and I’ll get it done.
But, more, when these things are written, I’m going to pimp them out as hardcore as I do my artist’s tattoo shop. Over the six years I’ve gotten work from him I’ve reffered him something like 15 grand worth of work, and I still talk endlessly with people every day about tattooing. I’ve learned alot from you on the subject, and look forward to reading your work, and pointing as many artists and addicts and newbies at it as possible. The myths and falsehoods surrounding tattooing need to be expelled, and this seems like the first genuine attempt I’ve seen to do it.
In case you can’t tell, I’m a bit excited.
Love. Peace. Metallica.
Though I haven’t gotten my tattoo yet, I would definitely be willing to contribute anything you could need – experiences with online communities and the reactions and thoughts of friends and family when I’ve told them I’m getting tattoed soon… :p You have been a big help for me, so I’ll do what I can in return. Plus, you’re simply just a nice guy. 😀
Take Care
Hi Mitzu
That would be lovely of you.
Also KH I feel quite honoured as you have some great ink.
I understand the broke part my wife has cleaned me out with a new kitchen and bathroom 😮
My first couple of chapters are coming along nicely – I have being trying to get most of the info from the public domain and share alike.
As the first installment will be a general guide and introduction it will be simple enough and I can add a bibiliography of suggested reading if anybody wanted to explore the stuff further.
Hoping to have the first draft ready for test reading soon.
I really appreciate the input.
Take care
Matthew
Matthew, thanks for the information. Your paper will be interesting and influential. I started getting tattooed at 46 and never stopped. For me it’s more than just the ink. It’s spiritual and ritualistic. especially my aftercare routine, because that is what really makes the tattoo. Looking forward to your paper.:)
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