the TAO of TATTOOING 45

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



45

Control is an illusion
which all tattooers must confront.

From the very first meeting with the client,
to the photography of the healed product
there are ten thousand factors
the tattooer would like to control.

Each idea the tattooer harbors
regarding the outcome he would like to achieve,
represents an absence of mindfulness in the present.
These ideas of outcomes are fantasies
of a future which exists only in his own mind.

His attention on these fantasies,
will rob him of the opportunity to internalize the present
and adapt to circumstances as they arise.
This results in the frustration of achieving ones goals.

The Master tattooer allows his goals to evolve as things happen.
His attention is on circumstances as they come,
adapting to situations as they arise.
Responding to the Tao
instead of attempting to control it,
any path he chooses will lead to his goal.