On July 14, 2005, I got a tattoo of a coptic cross in West Jerusalem. I’ve never regretted it, and have, from time to time, thought about getting another tattoo. Last month when my friend Adam Copeland started up a meme called “My Faith, My Tattoo” – I participated and it got me thinking about tattoos again. It’s been over 5 years since my first one, and I’d really like to get another, but am having a hard time coming up with the design.
So, here is where you come in. This isn’t a design contest or anything – but I’d love to try an experiment in crowdsourcing a tattoo design for my next tattoo. I have an idea about the direction I’d like to go with the tattoo but would love to see what we could collectively come up with as a group for a design.
The Concept
So, since I first ran across the Greek word “Epektasis” – it’s always just rattled around in the back of my head and I haven’t been able to forget it. It comes from the writings of St. Gregory of Nyssa and basically means “perpetual seeking” and “stretching out toward.” I love the idea behind the word, and think there must be some cool artwork that could display the idea of “epektasis” in some creative, abstract ways.
However, when I told Sarah about the idea of doing something with the Greek word “epektasis” – she wasn’t a huge fan of the idea. She has no problem with another tattoo, but she just wants me to get one that I’ll really be happy with. And let’s be honest, the whole get a Greek/Hebrew/Aramaic/Sanskrit word as a tattoo is a little overdone (nothing against any of you who have gone that route, of course!). So I’m trying to think of something that is a little more creative and something I can get excited about.
The Artwork
When I think about the design, here are some things that come to mind:
- Colorful: I really love earth tone colors – so reds, browns, oranges, greens…
- I’d love for this to be something that is pretty abstract-looking, something that could communicate this idea of “perpetual seeking” in the abstract.
- While I want to stay away from something that’s specifically Celtic looking, I am drawn toward designs that are more Celtic/tribal-looking.
- I haven’t completely decided on where I’d want to get it yet (and I suppose the design may help me figure it out), but I’ve thought about on the inside of my forearm, or perhaps on my upper arm.
Crowdsourcing
I have no idea if this idea will work – or if anyone will even think it’s a cool idea – but I thought I’d give it a shot. If any of you are artistic and would like to take a stab at it, I think that’d be really cool. Thanks to some recommendations from Lars Rood, I’m hoping to work with an artist at Tattoo 13 Oakland, Chummy. But I need to be able to begin my conversation with him with some ideas of artwork, etc. You can use the form below to submit your design ideas. Thanks everyone!
