The Tampa Tattoo Arts Convention ran Friday-Sunday with rows and rows of tattoo artists, tattoo supplies, and a lot of inked up people.
Admittedly I'm a novice. Walking in to it, I felt out of place. I've got a conservative haircut, no scraggly goatee, no piercings, and more importantly no tats. I felt like the new dorky kid on the block walking among the whir and buzz of tattoo machines at the Tampa Convention Center. Every person that I met had more ink than the last, and some were on their way to getting more. But over the course of the night I was able to warm up to the place, and they to me. The convention was one of the coolest things I've seen in a while.
There were dozens of exhibits containing tattoo supplies, T-shirts, and some well renowned tattoo artists.
Seeing the inside of the tattoo world was enlightening. There is an enviable camaraderie among the tattooed crowd. They instantly have something in common and for the most part act like family. Some of them go by the assumption that outsiders don't get it, and will give the cold shoulder to geeks like me. But most of them were funny, welcoming, and cool to watch. Just as I was starting to feel like I was getting to know what they were about the sideshow started.
Yep, there are still parts of the world I don't understand including the whole piercing and human suspension thing. It was outrageous to watch though!
Even seasoned ink and piercing people are amazed and shocked by the tattoo show acts. It's like there's a competition to see who can do something even more crazy. I mean.. suspension artist Supa hung by his face!
The end of the night brought judging for the daily winner of the tattoo contest. On Friday night, 26 artists and their subjects participated.