the TAO of TATTOOING 36

Foreword

In this series of blog entries I will offer my fledgling, humble interpretations of Lao-Tsu's 81 chapters of the Tao te ching, as it applies to tattooing.  I am in no way attempting to represent myself as a master of Taoist philosophy, however Lao-Tsu's teachings have inspired me for several decades, and I often look to them for inspiration in dealing with the many challenges of my chosen profession.
   I intend to find my way through each of the chapters, and compile them here in my blog until they are complete, at which time I will publish them in book form for my friends and colleagues in tattooing. I hope that my interpretations might assist and inspire my peers, my clients, my friends, to better understand tattooing, and the meaningful impact it has on all of our lives.  And if perhaps these interpretations lead anyone back to the original teachings of Lao-Tsu, well then I will have truly done something to enrich the world.

the TAO of TATTOOING


36

To help the client settle on a single idea,
first get them considering every concievable option.
To help the client abandon an undesireable design,
first agree to do their design just as they asked.
To gain control over the creative process,
first surrender control of the design to the client.

Your clients want options,
and for you to help them choose.
They do not want for you
to simply tell them what to do.

If you insist that you be given creative control,
your client will resist desperately to withhold
what they might have given you gladly,
had you simply agreed to do as they ask.