There are as many types of tattoo enthusiasts as there are tattoo designs, and that is evident at the 10th Annual Tampa Bay Tattoofest. Held this weekend at the Double Tree Hotel, (4500 West Cypress Street, Tampa, Florida 33607, 941-356-9499) this event brings tattoo artists, vendors, clients and celebrities together to celebrate body art of all forms.
You'll see the primitives, complete with tribalistic stretched ears and implants. You'll see fully sleeved men and women showing skin and sharing experiences. You'll see first timers meeting a famous tattoo artist to get their first bit of ink from the most skilled in the craft. This tattoo festival brings together people of every walk of life in the name of body modification and the pain we all share for that art.
Tattoo conventions have always been like a second home to me. I live my daily life as a fully sleeved, tattooed wrist-to-ankle-to-neck, stretched-eared professional. I've been like this over a decade. Watching how the social climate interprets this lifestyle has been an interesting ride along the way. As this lifestyle has become more mainstream and accepted, I find many of those who live otherwise "normal" lives carry the same connection to tattoo culture as I do, even if it's something small and hidden that only a lover or a doctor may have intimate detail of. While on the surface it seems as if the many characters of this convention would make strange bedfellows, you'll find complete strangers exposing midsections, pulling up sleeves or showing off ankles in the name of inked brotherhood.
The convention is more than just the tattooed masses socially grazing. For the artists, this is a place to meet their peers and share ideas, pick up supplies and network.
For those who draw tattoos or other art that is considered part of the tattoo canon, this is a place to show off their work, sell prints and give face-time to their fans.
Celebrities of tattoo culture and horror films are placed at the center aisle to sign autographs and meet with fans. I recognized a few faces right away. Michael Berryman (The Hills Have Eyes (1977). My Science Project (1985), Weird Science (1985), Armed Response (1986) and Evil Spirits (1990), etc.) was chatting with several attendees. Tony Moran, the man who played Michael Myers in the 1978 classic Halloween and Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees from the Friday the 13th movies) were both on hand sharing stories and signing autographs. One of my childhood heroes, wrestling star Jake "The Snake" Roberts was there as well. The whole panel humbled me with a photograph. It's good to see humility out of stars that many of us have looked up to since childhood.
Friendly faces fill the convention floor, and everyone seems willing to share. In the three hours I was at the tattoofest, I met dozens of people who were eager to show off their work, commemorate the meaning in each piece and find a common ground. It's like hanging out at your favorite watering hole without the alcohol holding the conversation together.
I spoke with an 18 year old girl who was getting her first tattoo from an artist she saw in a magazine. "He's the best, and I drove here from New Jersey to meet him. I knew I wanted him to do my first one." she gleefully remarked as he put in the outline to a tattoo that will one day fill her thigh. Others came here to show off new products, such as these two from Alla Prima Ink, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly and vegan tattoo inks.
More seasoned faces offered stories of their own tattoos, including a man who is an accountant by day but proudly shows off his half-sleeve of traditional Japanese tattoos. "My job is just my job. This artwork is something I enjoy and I'm glad I can have both." We both recounted how liberal many workplaces have been considering our professional career paths. "Since it's only a half sleeve, I can cover it easily if I had to meet with a client. It's never been an issue, so I don't make it an issue."
The convention rages on Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $20 at the door. From past experience, I can say that the convention gets wilder and more fun Saturday and Sunday, so you'll want to make a weekend of it.
Denis Baldwin can be found wandering the streets of Tampa in search of a story. For more of his wacky adventures, check out MyTampalife.com.
This article appears in Mar 25-31, 2009.