WMN: t3_3g001j_t1_cttqez3

[TITLE]

CMV: I believe being inspired by other tattoos makes you unoriginal

[heavyfuel]

I've seen it a dozen times. Someone wants a tattoo and so they look at magazines or websites or celebs or tv shows (Miami Ink and the like) or other people from real life for inspiration. Every time someone does something like that, I can't help but think less of their tattoo. Many a times, I've seen a really nice tattoo and it's always a bittersweet feeling. On one hand it's a beautiful piece, on the other, I never want to have a similar one to that, as I'd feel I was just copying the other person. Whenever I ask a friend why they picked a tattoo from a portfolio, their answer is never far from "because I think it's cool", so elaorating beyond that would be best I suppose. Is this a normal feelling? It seems perfectly normal to look for inspiration on other things, but then again, it makes me feel as if the art isn't as original as it should be. Thanks! **EDIT**: Lots of replies on inspiration from random sources. I don't think that's bad, only that inspiration *from other tattoos* (or copying of tattoos) display lack of originality. _____ > *Hello, users of CMV! This is a footnote from your moderators. We'd just like to remind you of a couple of things. Firstly, please remember to* ***[read through our rules](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/rules)***. *If you see a comment that has broken one, it is more effective to report it than downvote it. Speaking of which,* ***[downvotes don't change views](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/guidelines#wiki_upvoting.2Fdownvoting)****! If you are thinking about submitting a CMV yourself, please have a look through our* ***[popular topics wiki](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/populartopics)*** *first. Any questions or concerns? Feel free to* ***[message us](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/changemyview)***. *Happy CMVing!*

[Rheklas1]

You mention in a post that you are OK with people being inspired by a book or some other piece of art, but not being inspired by another tattoo. Why is one art form acceptable to be a source of inspiration to you, but tattoos as an art form not an acceptable form of inspiration? For example, someone really loves the Mona Lisa and gets a tattoo of the Mona Lisa somewhere on their body. By your admission this would be ok. But if I saw a tattoo that I really liked that inspired me to design (or have designed) a very similar tattoo, that wouldn't be ok? Why is one acceptable but not the other? Both are art, but they are in different mediums which is the only difference.

[Bluezephr]

I think originality is really a lie people like to feed themselves. basically of creativity is built and inspired by other creative works, and originality for the sake of originality is often not worth it. Personally I wouldn't get a tattoo, because almost every year I decide that past me was an idiot, and I wouldn't trust my decision making. That being said, if I was to get a tattoo, it would probably be unoriginal as fuck. I'd rather have something that's comfortable and exciting to me, than an original work of art on my body, because I don't think body art is the way I would choose to express my individuality.

[heavyfuel]

[STA-CITE]>That being said, if I was to get a tattoo, it would probably be unoriginal as fuck. I'd rather have something that's comfortable and exciting to me, than an original work of art on my body, because I don't think body art is the way I would choose to express my individuality. [END-CITE]Would you mind elaborating on this point?

[Bluezephr]

Alright, I'll start by clarifying that I don't think less of people who do get tattoos, this is purely about my personal tastes. I think of my appearance to be more of a utility than an area to express myself. I think my personality and individuality comes across very well in conversation, and I don't really feel very limited in this regard. I want my appearance to be neutral, approachable, and most importantly, socially acceptable in a professional environment. I think everyone is aware that tattoo's, piercings, and uncommon hair colors have a net negative impact on the entire populations view of you. While that is really unfortunate, I don't feel severely limited by it. I think I have a lot of places to express myself, and choosing to do it with my appearance is an area where there are clear and obvious downsides, so I personally choose to use my other avenues.

[heavyfuel]

I don't really see how this is tied to originality. Could you elaborate?

[Hq3473]

Inspiration does not make you unoriginal. It's impossible not to be influenced by environment. Every person saw 100s maybe 1000s tattoos, no new tattoo will be 100% original, it will be inspired by tattoos that you saw in the past consciously or unconsciously. It is absolutely possible to cerate a new and original work of art that is inspired by other art. For example when Hamlet wrote Hamlet he was clearly inspired by Icelandic tales and Scandinavian myth - yet Hamlet is an original work of art. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sources_of_Hamlet

[heavyfuel]

While nothing is original, you can certainly get inspired by tings other than tats. For exemple, you're a Harry Potter fan and decide to get a Deathly Hallows tattoo is completely fine. You see a Deathly Hallows tattoo and decide you want to get one? There are few ways you could be less original. It's not about inspiration in itself. It's about getting inspiration from other tattoos or straight up copying tattoos.

[Hq3473]

[STA-CITE]> It's not about inspiration in itself. It's about getting inspiration from other tattoos or straight up copying tattoos. [END-CITE]Yes, "straight up copying tattoos" is unoriginal. However, if you see a tattoo based on Deathly Hallows, and that inspires you to create a very different Deathly Hallows tattoos that fits your style, how is that unoriginal? For example, if i see this tattoo: http://36.media.tumblr.com/c2d86cf9a0f92c1d9c159d2aa661e00b/tumblr_n3pz0wRl1b1sclg5bo1_1280.jpg and it inspires me to create this tattoo: http://cdn2.thegloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Dumbledore-Quote-Harry-Potter-Tattoo.jpg It is still very original.

[heavyfuel]

∆ Fair enough. I'm still not wholly convinced though. You only covered about being inspired by something and turning it into something similar, but completely different. There's still the fact that some people see a tat only to have one done without much alteration, if any.

[Hq3473]

Thanks for the delta. [STA-CITE]>I'm still not wholly convinced though. [END-CITE]your cmv was: "I believe being **inspired by** other tattoos makes you unoriginal" not "I believe being copying other tattoos without much alteration makes you unoriginal" those are two different views.

[heavyfuel]

Again, fair enough. I don't think I'll start another thread though. Thanks

[Hq3473]

You can edit this one.

[DeltaBot]

Confirmed: 1 delta awarded to /u/Hq3473. ^[[History](/r/changemyview/wiki/user/Hq3473)] ^[[Wiki](http://www.reddit.com/r/changemyview/wiki/deltabot)][[Code](https://github.com/alexames/DeltaBot)][/r/DeltaBot]

[davidmanheim]

I'm unsure why you think the value of a tattoo is in its originality, as judged by you. The fact is that we don't judge art solely on that basis, and even when it's important, many artists produce multiple lithographs of the same peice. The question is, what makes people want a tattoo, what value does it have to them, as art or otherwise, and why do you think your judgement of originality should matter to them when they choose?

[heavyfuel]

Mostly because it's something you'll carry around permanently. If it's something like this, I don't want it to be a thing that was thought by others, but something that has a meaning to me. Being unoriginal in your tats won't make me think less of you, and my judgement doesn't matter to them I'm sure. But in the same vein, their judgement won't matter to me when I inevitably think (but wouldn't say, unless it's a person with whom I'm very intimate) "meh, I wouldn't have had it done"

[RustyRook]

The reason that tattoos are (almost) permanent is a good reason to be a bit cautious, at least for the majority. I, for example, am not a skilled artist. In fact, I suck at drawing. I would be happy to use someone else's design if I found it to be exceptionally beautiful. I'm "stealing" the art, but filling it with my own meaning. The other person may get an image with a specific feeling in mind, which would have nothing to do with my reason for using that same design. I like birch trees. There are only so many good designs for a birch tree that I can realistically use. So I'll look around and if I find a design I like (something which I could never come up with myself) I'll use it, but the reason I'm getting a birch tree isn't the same reason as the person whose design I'm using.

[pikitus]

If you think that being inspired by another tattoo is unoriginal then surely you must also think that getting a tattoo based upon any other artistic artform (painting/sculpture/drawing) is also unoriginal. I think the biggest issue I take with your statement is your belief that "it makes me feel as if the art isn't as original as it *should* be." Why *should* tattoos be original? In what way is an entirely original tattoo superior to a tattoo that is inspired by another tattoo (or any other artistic medium for that matter?) I have a Salvador Dali sketch on my forearm. Not because I'm stealing Dali's art, but because I appreciate the drawing and want to keep it with me since I value his artistic genius so much.

[heavyfuel]

Nope. I can totally see someone getting a tattoo as an homage to a book they loved or even as quote they once heard. It's just the "Oohh, this cat this person has on their forearm is really pretty, I hope my tattoo artist can get draw one on me" mentality that bothers me. I'm not saying they should as an universally true statement. Everybody is entitled their opinions, and that's just mine. Again, not "original", but "as original as they should be"

[pikitus]

But I fail to see how there's any difference between getting a tattoo as an homage to a book/quote and getting a tattoo as an homage to someone else's tattoo. It's an appreciation of art, regardless of the medium that art-form takes. Sure, one can argue that it is unoriginal and I would agree with that. My Dali tattoo is unoriginal. However, what I disagree with is the idea that lacking originality is a bad thing when it comes to tattoos. If someone is inspired by someone else's tattoo, what's wrong with that? Even if that person simply likes the tattoo because it is aesthetically pleasing, it doesn't make the tattoo inferior to anyone else's tattoo.

[heavyfuel]

I just think that it's less valid as an inspiration because you're being inspired by some else's inspiration. And who knows how long is the chain of borrowed inpirations? The guy you got your tattoo from could've gotten from someone else, who could've gotten from yet another person, so on, you get the idea. It can be meaningful to them, and that's completely fine. I don't think less of them as a person because of it, but I was still hoping for people to convince me that it's ok. It sure would be nice to get some tats that I've seen before.

[UtzTheCrabChip]

I am assuming that we are on the same wavelength if I discuss tattooing as an art form. Your post reminds me of the Picasso quote "Good artists copy, great artists steal." What I'm getting at is that no great art is wholly original, and taking inspiration from a great piece of art is how we get greater pieces of art.

[heavyfuel]

While nothing is original, you can certainly get inspired by tings other than tats. For exemple, you're a Harry Potter fan and decide to get a Deathly Hallows tattoo is completely fine. You see a Deathly Hallows tattoo and decide you want to get one? There are few ways you could be less original. It's not about inspiration in itself. It's about getting inspiration from other tattoos or straight up copying tattoos.

[whitbeyondmeasure]

How is that different? Say, for instance, that I want to get a DH tattoo, but I'm a little undecided. Then I walk by somebody on the street who has one, I realize how cool it looks, and I go get one. Tons of people have similar tattoos, not because they were necessarily copying other tattoos, but because they have similar interests. And if someone has a similar interest to me and a cool tattoo, I think it's perfectly valid for that to spark an idea for a tattoo in my head.

[heavyfuel]

In these cases I'd say it's fine. Either because you had the idea previously to seeing the tattoo or because it was your interest in something that made you have the tattoo, not the sight of other similar tats.

[forestfly1234]

If you back far enough with any art you will be finding out that people have been inspiring each other since the time the art was developed. Not Exact copies off course but people creating their work in the style of some else's work. I'm simply saying that it is hard to find a truly original idea almost ever. Quick test: think of something that has never been done before. Something totally orginal. Go! Can you do it? Are you sure it is totally original?

[heavyfuel]

See, I can definitely take a look at a tattoo artist's portfolio and think "Damn! That's a cool as hell drawing!". I can't see it as a cool as hell tattoo. For example, one friend recently got his first tattoo and it's a very simple writing on his forearm. Not great art by any technical means, but when he explained the meaning behind it, it made it better by a thousald fold. He didn't see this tat in a mag or by googling it, he had this idea, and even if it has been done before (never seen it, but the world is a big place) it's still fine because he came up with the idea himself. And that's the whole point. Coming up with things yourself seems much much better than seeing something you like and going "oh, maybe I should have this one done next, except in blue instead of green".

[woahmanitsme]

I think the best thing about the tattoo is an emotional connection the person has with it. Whether it's something they came up with, something with meaning, or something that reminds them of something important. Your argument seem to hinge on deciding what makes a tattoo important to something. Maybe your opinion of tattoos looks down on there decision, but who cares? If it's meaningful to them then that's what's most important

[heavyfuel]

It can be meaningful to them, and that's completely fine. I don't think less of them as a person because of it, but I was still hoping for people to convince me that it's ok. It sure would be nice to get some tats that I've seen before.

[woahmanitsme]

[STA-CITE]>convince me that its ok [END-CITE]So you think that if somebody gets a tattoo thats really meaningful to them, is really significant to their lives, they love, etc. it can be not "ok" to get?