I do tattoos, or rather, I have been a tattoo artist for almost 30 years. I come from a bourgeois family where even the word tattoo was considered taboo. I chose this profession like some of my colleagues, risking being humiliated and even marginalized. Back then, tattoos were not well regarded by many; indeed, they were considered...
Thus, people chose to become tattoo artists not for fame as today, but out of pure passion and to belong to a very small, magical niche. Back then, the world of tattooing was not a commercial phenomenon where certain tattoo artists acted like big stars, but a world of people who wanted to be different, sharing a common passion. Despite some having appearances that absolutely did not conform to the aesthetic standards of the time, they were all kind, smiling, and shared adventures, forming strong friendships.
Marginalization and being niche protected this romantic world until recently, where the unusual reigned alongside daring adventures and colorful stories. People's tattoos were done with guts, and sometimes they could entail significant social risks. Tattoos were made with the heart, and the designs were inspired by imagination, with each one representing an intimate inner journey for the wearer.
People didn't get tattoos for exhibitionism, and the tattoos often remained hidden, thus respecting those who disagreed with them. Today, it's no longer like that. People tattoo everything and more. Meaningless copied designs. Stolen from someone else through Google or Instagram. People prefer to use a search engine rather than look within themselves and create with their imagination a design that reflects them.
Many "young" tattoo artists with significant illustrative skills tattoo designs to immortalize them on social media, forgetting to give them a soul. The soul, the greatest characteristic of a tattoo, has been lost, making way for splendid tattooed illustrations and trends that fade within a month. Being a tattoo artist has become a "cool" profession today because it's socially accepted. The tattoo artist is a character who is talked about, tattoos the "famous," and is invited to reality shows.
Today, if someone is minimally skilled at drawing, all they need to do is get a buzz cut, grow a beard, get a tattoo on their hand and neck, and attend a course to become a "MASTER TATTOOIST," and voilà, the recipe for success is ready. This craft is beginning to be called an ART, normalizing it and stripping it of the niche that had protected it for years. People admire the wonderful designs made by the most famous names, focusing on pure aesthetics and depriving the tattoo of its history and culture that had given this craft the strength to survive until recently.
Tattooing has become a commercial product. It has lost its protective shield and has become a mass phenomenon. And like all phenomena with such rapid growth, tattooing is destined to meet an imminent end, not to mention the loss of its soul, which has already occurred some time ago.
Perhaps I may seem overly nostalgic, but I have dedicated a large part of my life to this discipline. Seeing it disappear in this way causes me immense pain. I would like to see young tattoo artists focus more on understanding what tattooing really is, rather than dedicating themselves to mere execution and trying to act like great artists.
We are all a product of a wonderful world that has been made available to us by our predecessors. We have the duty to preserve its tradition and history by respecting its invisible but authentic code. Only in this way can tattooing regain its authenticity, certainly composed of its beauty but, most importantly, its soul.
– Kubo –
Source: Tattoing Demon Studio
English 
Italian