The Tattooed Poets Project: Elliott D. Smith

I met Elliott D. Smith at the Union Square Barnes & Noble last month and took pictures of his tattoos for The Tattooed Poets Project. I also met his roommate Jared, whose work will appear here tomorrow.

Elliott has quite a bit of work, including a sleeve-in-progress, which is being constructed by the wonderfully talented Joy Rumore at Twelve 28 Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

Check out this composite of Elliott's right arm:

This still-incomplete tattoo is part of a sleeve based on a mural at the Morgan Street stop on the L train in Brooklyn.

Photo by Elliott D. Smith

The sleeve has the Alice in Wonderland figure at its center, but a lot of other images, like the banana as well. Elliott pointed out in the photo above that the banana (lower right corner) is much smaller. For the purpose of the art of the tattoo sleeve, its scale has been increased significantly.

Elliott added that he visually enjoys the image of the mural, and his "own little Alice in Wonderland dream land" is slowly taking shape on his flesh.

Also on his right arm with the sleeve is this quote from "The Transformation of Silence into Language and Action," by Audre Lourde:

The quote is "I am not only a casualty, I am also a warrior."

There are times when a writer's words resonate so loudly in your ears, they shake you to your core. Elliott told me that he "read it [these lines] one day and the next day got the tattoo."

He offered up this interpretation of the line: "it's easy to think of yourself as victim," he said, but succeeding in life is about "surviving and fighting through victimhood".

Elliott also has these words on his outer wrists:

This is the third poet this month with "poet" inked on his or her flesh. However, the combination of "freedom poet" adds another dimension to the corporeal text.

This was a "spur of the moment" tattoo, Elliott told me, elaborating that aside from the obvious "poet," he is "holding freedom in his hand and facing out".

Finally, we don't get a lot of lower back tattoos here on Tattoosday, but when we do, they are extraordinary:

Elliott took a couple of photos into Joy and she crafted this design. The concept is a spin on the "power to the people" idea, but with an emphasis on urban people. "Most Americans live in cities," he explained, "but [they] don't have power". This is a spin on the frustration that many feel, that the values of the citizenry of the American cities are not represented by the government.

As for poetry, Elliott offered us this work:

EARNING STRIPES

I own thirteen striped shirts.

I have known the misfortune of wearing lines on skin,

stretch marks and self-hate carve flesh in convincing fashion.

No lover has ever asked me why

I have known the misfortune of wearing lines on skin,

razor blade reminders tattoo thighs with teenage dreams.

No lover has ever asked me why

it was so easy to steal from myself.

Razor blade reminders tattoo thighs with teenage dreams,

this belly, a thanksgiving turkey for carving--

it was so easy to steal from myself

when I didn’t believe I had anything to give.

This belly, a thanksgiving turkey for carving.

Sliced up white meat

when I didn’t believe I had anything to give.

Mother doesn’t know there’s blood on the stairs.

Sliced up white meat,

stretch marks and self-hate carve flesh in convincing fashion.

Mother doesn’t know there’s blood on the stairs.

I own thirteen striped shirts.

~ ~ ~

Elliott D. Smith reps Louisville, Cincinnati, and Brooklyn. When he's not  working with formerly incarcerated people or conducting research on masculinity, he drinks whiskey and talks too loudly. He believes in the power of tattoos, reference books, and matching music with the weather.

Thanks to Elliott for sharing his ink and his poetry here with us on Tattoosday!

This entry is ©2011 Tattoosday. The poem is reprinted here with the permission of the author.

If you are reading this on another web site other than Tattoosday, without attribution, please note that it has been copied without the author's permission and is in violation of copyright laws. Please feel free to visit http://tattoosday.blogspot.com and read our original content. Please let me know if you saw this elsewhere so I contact the webmaster of the offending site and advise them of this violation in their Terms of Use Agreement.

Lower Back Tattoos For Girls And Woman

Girls all over the world simply love the lower back tattoo. They are amongst the most popular designs available today. They make you look really sexy as a woman because they emphasize and draws attention to the most beautiful curve on a woman's body. This is the main reason for its popularity: the location on a woman's body. This is also the widest part of the body, therefore it provides an enormous amount of space for placing any tattoo design, be it large or small. Some people believe that the these tattoos are a sign of vulgarity.

But on the other end, tattoos must be seen as an art, a beautiful body art and must be seen as that, without looking at the location of the tattoo. Lower back tattoos are very fashionable in these modern times and it can be very easily hidden. They are available in all types and sizes. The following are different categories of these designs: Princess Crown, Flower vine tattoos, Celtic tattoos, Koi, etc.

The most popular one mentioned above is the Princess Crown design. This type of design is best suited for a girl's body. These tattoos looks very graceful on a girl's lower back and even more attractive and sexy if done with certain colors like orange, red, pink, green and purple. If you are a lover of Barbie dolls, then this will definitely be a suitable design for you. So, getting inked with the Princess Crown lower back tattoo is the best way to attain a royal feeling.

The Flower Vine designs are really the womanly designs. Just like the vine of flowers, these tattoos are generally long and the lower back has sufficient space for this exquisite design. The Flower Vine tattoo can also be combined with hearts and angels to give it a more revealing and sexy look.

Celtic lower back tattoos are another important one. These tattoos have a religious meaning attached to it and cannot be called vulgar. In order to show love and respect to a loved one, you can add their name to your lower back Celtic design and this design is very decent and attractive.

Another design you can select from is the Angel lower back tattoo design. This design can be composed with butterfly wings to display the pure and elegant look of an angel.

It is a good idea to get a very skillful and professional tattoo artist if you choose this design as extra care should be taken whilst being inked with this delicate design. You can customize your own design to suit your personal tastes if any of the above mentioned is not of importance to you. There are lots of these designs available online. The most important thing you must consider before getting yourself inked with any lower back tattoo, is to seek the help of a professional tattoo artist. Please ensure that you first also check out the medical aspects involved before you take this big step. Remember, once inked, this remains with you for the rest of your life. So make that informed decision now, then go out there and get yourself tattooed with that sexy lower back tattoo

nice tattoo ideas for girls lower back tattoo

star tattoos for girls on lower back

girls lower back tattoos with heart lock wings tattoos designs