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Once you have decided to get a tattoo, you may think the hard work is over. After all, what could be more important to the tattooing process than deciding what you want tattooed on you and where you want it? While there is nothing more crucial to your tattoo satisfaction than getting the perfect tattoo in the perfect place, if you fail to select an artist that will be able and willing to work with you that perfect tattoo, you will find that in the end it is not so perfect after all.

When you are looking for a tattoo artist to ink your tattoo, there are several things to keep in mind. First of all, remember that you do not have to go with the first artist you meet. Getting a tattoo is a personal experience for you and the artist because you are getting a permanent expression of some part of yourself visually displayed in the form of a tattoo, and the artist is creating a piece of artwork on your skin. As a result, most tattoo artists recognize how important it is to their work and your satisfaction with your tattoo that the two of you work well together. Most will not be offended if you opt to do some more investigation before making a final decision, and those that are often would prove far too inflexible to work with anyway unless you have no preferences whatsoever on the look or location of your tattoo. It helps to think of the tattoo artist selection process as a dual interview process. You are interviewing the artist, but they are also interviewing you as a client to make sure that the two of you will work well together to achieve mutually acceptable goals. 

Here are some things to consider when selecting a tattoo artist:

Are you comfortable in their tattoo environment?

If you get nervous around heavy metal and skull tattoo designs, but the studio is full of both, you will need to determine whether or not you will be able to hold still and remain calm for an hour or more in such a setting. If not, you might want to see if the artist works elsewhere or if you can come in early before things get hectic. If not, then you may  need to investigate other options. 

Will they work with your art?

The best way to insure that you will be totally happy with your new tattoo is to bring a stencil and even do a tattoo-test drive (where you print out the tattoo on special paper and try out various sizes and locations using a temporary version) before you commit to the permanent version. As a result, once you have the perfect tattoo or several pieces that you want incorporated together, you need an artist who will work with you using those stencils and art to create a perfect tattoo design. If an artist only free hands, for example, or refuses to adhere to the tattoo color scheme that you prefer, then you may need to find someone a little more in tune with your wants and needs. 

Another issue to bring up may be an artist's willingness to work around or over previous tattoos and tattoo designs. Obviously, this is highly dependent on the tattoos location. Some artists prefer to only work with their own ink, and do not like to incorporate other artists tattoo work into their own or tattoo over existing tattoo designs. You should find this out ahead of time so that you do not end up with a last-minute cancellation. 

Does the tattoo artist use stencils?

As we discussed earlier, stencils are probably the very best way to insure that you get precisely the tattoo or tattoo design that you wanted. Most tattoo artists are happy to use stencils and accompanying color guides because using these tools insures that the client will be happy with the work. However, some artists do object to these types of tattoo aids and do not like using them. You should be aware that if your tattoo artist will not use your stencil and color guide, that you will probably not end up with the tattoo that you wanted exactly like you wanted it. 

Tattoo artists take their art very seriously, even though it is a far more dynamic art form than many conventional forms of art like painting and sculpting. Always remember that tattoo artists are just as devoted to their craft as any other artist, and use respect when referring to tattoos and tattoo design even if it is not to your taste.

From the temporary peek of a tattoo design above the waist of your favorite faded blue jeans, consider lower back tattoo designs for an often hidden, but very sensual statement that springs to life when you downsize your wardrobe and bare your body for the world to witness. This intimate location for tattoo designs gives you wide room for self-expression

Decorative Lowerback Butterfly Tattoo Designs

Why are lower back and tail bone tattoo designs so popular?

Simply put, they are sexy fun and cute. The beautiful curves and graceful feminine shapes of a woman's body all seem to converge in the lower back. Like a signature on a exquisite violin, a tail bone tattoo design becomes a beautiful adornment on any girls body. Often a lower back design will be specially shaped to accentuate and flatter the hourglass shape of the female form.

Lowerback Heart Tattoo Designs

If you are like most of us, each tattoo design you have indelibly inked into your skin has a particular meaning to you and often carries with it specific symbolism that makes a very personal statement about your world.

Lowerback Flower Tattoo Designs

In terms of symmetry, any symmetrical tattoo that appeals to you can make a beautiful presentation on the lower back. Whether you choose to combine one or more tattoo designs to create balance and and/or reveal your inspiration in color is all up to you, and of course, those fortunate enough to catch even a passing glimpse of your work of art!

There are virtually thousands of tailbone tattoo designs in the gallery from which to choose...

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Nestled on the tiny island (okay, not so tiny) of New Zealand, the Maori tribe has provided us with the beautiful (but entirely painful) body art of facial tattoos. In fact, as a tribute to their amazingly unique tribal tattoo designs, the art of tribal facial tattoos is also interchangeably known as Maori tattoo designs.

Of course, if you walk into a tattoo parlor in search of a Maori tattoo, what you'll get is a far cry from the traditional art form. And it isn't just the instruments that have changed. Today, all you have to do to receive a Maori tattoo, or any other tribal tattoo design, is to choose a design from a gallery (or create one yourself) and have the money to pay for it. Centuries ago, however, before you could receive a tribal tattoo, you had to earn it!

To the people of the Maori tribe, tattoo was much more than a decorative art form; it was an integral part of their lives and their identities. The process used was long, drawn out and painful. But when your time came to receive one, there was no "chickening out". For the Maori, tattoos were a rite of passage, and without them, you risked losing your place in the clan's social standing.

A Glimpse of the Life of the Maori
In the lives of the Maori people, there is one aspect of life and religion that everyone equally understands. It is the strongest force of their lives and their world, and it is known by the native term "tapu".

Loosely interpreted, the word tapu means sacred, or refers to a spiritual restriction or an implied prohibition. In this respect, it resembles our word, taboo. But, whereas we seem to quickly get our hands all over anything regarded as taboo, in the lives of the Maori, the word tapu was closely associated with the idea of "untouchable". For them, anything tapu was forbidden to come in contact with humans, sometimes even forbidding humans to even approach these sacred objects, places, people or ideas.

And, in case you're wandering how often a good Maori would step across the boundaries of the tapu, the answer is only once. Upon doing so, it wasn't uncommon for tribe leaders to execute the guilty party. Picture this - in 1772, the French explorer Marion du Fresne learned this lesson the hard way, after he was executed for violating the clan tapu in the lands that he discovered and explored.

And, amongst the Maori, tattoo (also referred to as "ta moko") was a very tapu thing, and the tattoo artists (or "tohunga-ta-oko") were about as tapu as a human could get.

The Legend of Mataora
You see, according to the legends of the Maori people, tattoo was not an art created by man, but a gift given to him by the ruler of the underworld realm.

Maori myth states that the art of tattooing was the direct result of a love affair between a young man named Mataora ("Face of Vitality") and a princess of the underworld known as Niwareka. As all relationships start out, things were going quite well for the two of them.

However (like a lot of celebrity couples) the marital bliss didn't last forever. One day, most likely in the midst of a serious row, Mataora beat his bride, causing her to flee to the safety of her father's kingdom in the underworld known to the Maori as "Uetonga".

Duly penitent, Mataora filled with horrible guilt and hopeless heartbreak set out to seek for her in the underworld. In spite of the many arduous and terrifying obstacles that stood in his way, Mataora finally made his way into the realm of Uetonga.

But, to his shame, his beautiful face paintings had smeared and bled and were quite dirty and unkempt. While this may seem a small thing to us, it was a great blight on his manhood in the company of his in-laws. Already perturbed with him because of his harsh treatment of their kinswoman, Niwareka's family teased and taunted, mocked and prodded Mataora for his poor appearance.

Humbled but unperturbed, broken and desperate, Mataora begged his lover Niwareka to forgive him of his evil deeds. Eventually, he was able to sway her back to his side and the dispute was ended.

As a peace offering and a blessing, Niwareka's father offered to tutor Mataora in the art of tattooing (and while he was at it, the art of Taniko, the process of braiding cloak borders in many different beautiful colors).

At the end of his education, Mataora and Niwareka once again emerged into the human world, bringing with them the tapu arts of "ta moko" and "taniko."

A Cultural Milestone
As stated before, the Maori tattoo artists were sacred members of the tribe - But why? Well, in the Maori culture, the head (and face) was regarded as the most sacred of all body parts. Add to that fact that in the process of administering a tattoo, the artist would cause their blood to run freely, and it isn't hard to understand what gave these artists their nearly "untouchable" status.

It was the duty of the tohunga-ta-oko to tattoo all of the high ranking members of the tribe. In fact, they tattooed most of the tribe's population, men and women included. Maori members without their signature markings were seen as people without social status, below even the ranks of poor.

In the tribe of the Maori people, tattooing began at about the same time that puberty sat it. Being sacred, the act of getting a tattoo was also enmeshed with many religious rites and rituals. In the hierarchy of the people, tattoos bore a two-fold purpose. First, tattoos were sought after to make warriors more attractive to the women of the tribe. Secondly, tattoos served as markers for rites of passage and other monumental moments throughout the lives of the warriors and even their mates.

To receive a facial tattoo in the Maori culture, there were some special rules. A big part of the process was abstaining not only from solid foods, but also from sexual intercourse or intimacy. The first part, abstaining from solid foods, played a dual role. Not only did this period of near-fasting better prepare the soul for the infliction of the tattoo, but it also served to prevent both contamination and disease of the tattooed. 

Facial tattoos were painful and required time to heal. To keep the wounds clean and the warrior strong, liquid food were served to the bearer of the new facial tattoo through a wooden funnel. Through it, liquefied foods and water were served to the proud but pained recipient. The second part, abstaining from sexual intercourse was primarily to prepare the soul, but may have also been a preventative measure against contamination, infection and disease.

The process of the facial tattoos of the Maori wasn't as complicated as you may think. To begin, the tohunga-ta-oko would etch deep cuts into the skin of the face. Then, a chisel would be dipped into a sooty pigment. Ingredients of the pigment included things like burnt tree gums, plants and even insects and creatures. This pigment dipped chisel would then be tapped onto (and into) the open wounds.

As simple as it sounds on paper, it was a long and incredibly painful process that no man could ever hope to avoid, at least not with any dignity or hope for his future. But, regardless of how painful the process was, the entire tribe worked together to get the warrior healed and well.

To do this, they might provide him with leaves from the local Karaka tree, which were known for their ability to hasten along the healing process. Also, flute music and chanting of poems were relied upon to help ease the pain. But, as kind as all of this may sound, it wasn't all done selflessly. The Maori people were strong warriors with enemies constantly lurking. To keep the tribe safe and sound, they relied on every single warrior to be at his peak strength in the event of a battle. 

Women were also offered these same respites from the pain of their tattoos, although they weren't tattooed to the same extreme as their male counterparts. Some of the most popular tattoos among the Maori women included a dark-blue tattoo lining their upper lips and tattoos on their chins. In addition, they continued in the process of body modification by having their nostrils incised.

Today, the body art we witness and call Maori are really just an American translation of this New Zealand art. Instead of chisels, we have electric guns. Instead of harvesting natural pigments, tattoo artists seek out a distributor. We don't get them in puberty, but as we've already entered into adulthood.

But the myth and the meaning are still there for all who are tattooed, whether on backs or on faces, with tribal or contemporary designs. And, as many enthusiasts can tell you, the art of tattoo is still quite tapu only you can feel free to touch them without pain of death!

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The lotus flower (sometimes called a ''sacred lotus'') is an aquatic plant with large, showy, water lily-like flower found in the ''Nelumbo'' genus. The roots of the lotus are planted in the soil of the pond or river bottom, while the leaves float on top of the water surface. The flowers are usually found on thick stems rising several centimeters above the water. The plant normally grows up to a height of about 150 cm and a horizontal spread of up to 3 meters, but some unverified reports place the height as high as over 5 meters. The leaves may be as large as 60 cm in diameter, while the showy flowers can be up to 20 cm in diameter.

Hindus associate the lotus (''Padma'') blossom with creation mythology, and with the gods Vishnu, Brahma, and the goddesses Lakshmi and Sarasvati. From ancient times the lotus has been a divine symbol in Hindu tradition. It is often used as an example of divine beauty, for example Vishnu is often described as the 'Lotus-Eyed One'. Its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The growth of its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual promise. Particularly Brahma and Lakshmi, the divinities of potency and wealth, have the lotus symbol associated with them. In Hindu iconography, deities often are depicted with lotus flowers as their seats. In Hindi it is called ''Kamal'', which is also a popular name for men, with the female version ''Kamala''.

In Buddhist symbolism the lotus represents purity of body, speech, and mind, as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment and desire. The Buddha is often depicted sitting on a giant lotus leaf or blossom. According to legend, he was born with the ability to walk and everywhere he stepped, lotus flowers bloomed.

The Chinese revere the sacred lotus as a symbol of purity and elegance, and it is a common motif in ancient Chinese poetry. A famous statement about the lotus' symbolism in Chinese culture is made by Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi: ''I love the lotus because, while growing from mud, it is unstained''.
Lotus tattoos symbolize beauty and love in much the same way the rose is in western civilization. The way they grow out of mud into a symbol of beauty is also a metaphor for surviving trials in life and that from great strife comes evolution.

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