#fuckyeahadvertising

"Humans have tattooed themselves for centuries as a form of healing, self-expression, remembrance, and even advertising. They’ve also been affiliated with criminals and gang affiliation, making it difficult for those with stamped skin to find jobs in the past."

Okay. So I can't be the only one that hears people say "I want to join advertising because the industry is so chill about tattoos." 

I hear this. all. the. time. As a precursor, I love tattoos. I think they are deeply personal decisions and, for the most part, truly beautiful works of art. They can have a long, wrought-out story. But that shouldn't discredit the short, robust, split-second-decision before stories either. 

Anyways, I am intrigued by creative placement, especially with thoughtful considerations made based on body form and how ink would sit on certain bones and areas of skin. I have two, both of which I don't regret. I would hate to be "defined" by my tattoos, but they will always hold a special part in my heart because of what they mean to me. Part of my identity, but not all of it. 

Both my parents used to tell me "You're never going to get a job when they see those!"  

What a load of bullshit. I learned early on that if a place I apply to doesn't hire me based on appearance, why would I want to work somewhere so judgmental? Seems hella superficial to me. Maybe it's a litmus test to see if I'd actually give an ish about the company culture in the long run. What I mean to say is, this is no one's body but my own; nobody should hold the cards but me. Someone might see it as desecration, others as ethereal. Point is, I should have sovereignty over the one body I have for sure. I should treat it how I want, not based on a subscribed set of ideals that someone dead and buried made up. 

"Thirty years ago, 1 in 100 people in this country had tattoos. Now 1 in 10 Americans have them, and one-third of those aged 25 to 30 have tattoos. While society is becoming more liberated and expressive, and piercings and tattoos become part of mainstream culture, some employers are still having a hard time wrapping their heads around body art in the workplace."

After a while, I realized it's definitely a generational divide. And maybe that's why it's so commonplace in advertising, because we are (for the most part) a very young industry. In areas like finance, accounting, medical, etc., people who own the company or business are often in the 40+ crowd. 

Without a doubt, piercings and tattoos are becoming much more commonplace. Less stigmatized. Time is on our side, because body art is becoming much more widely accepted.

A creative director I worked for (awesome guy!) had these amazing sleeves. I'm talking like, stop-you-in-the-middle-of-your-pitch-to-stare-at-the-level-of-intricacy amazing. Unfortunately, I was not creepy enough to take a picture. But the composition was just exquisite. It didn't evoke one style, but rather a variety of different art forms. It really baffles me how images like those can be recreated on human skin. You best respect the guy/gal etching into your dermis! For me, the process is just as intriguing as the end result. If I wasn't doing advertising, I'd probably be doing body art.

Maybe glassblowing.

So, in conclusion, it's kind of cool that we work in an industry where your work speaks, and not your ink. At the end of the day, your work should be all that matters anyways. 

By the way, here's a picture of my friend's friend's new tattoo. It was made Buzzfeed-famous, lawl. 

Dear Sophie

Coke College Happiness Machine

'Change for Change'

24 hours for the awesome

48 hours for the impossible.