Once you decide to get a tattoo, choosing the artist is more important than you may realize. Aside from looking at the quality of their work, the artist's energy essence will also be a part of your tattoo. Getting inked is a very intimate experience. It is a spiritual vehicle for transmitting energy, because an invisible cord attaches the tattooist's energy to yours. Tattooing is a magical ritual that forms images, draws blood (our life force), and creates a symbolic bond between you and the artist.
The tattooist understands you are placing a permanent images onto, and into, your body. The initial consultation with your artist gives you the opportunity to design your art and make sure your image fits your body contours. Your tattoo artist is, in a sense, a quasi-shaman performing a ritual. In fact, there are many tattoo artists who honor the transformative side of getting inked. They view it as a form of spiritual therapy that helps you express yourself in a creative way. - Lisa Barretta, Conscious Ink: Hidden Meaning of Tattoos, p. 27-28.
(All tattoos by Daemon Rowanchilde, Urban Primitive)