 "Photo: Kalynn Baker for The Hilltop")
 "Photo: Kalynn Baker for The Hilltop")
 "Photo: Kalynn Baker for The Hilltop")
Hands press against glass doors pushing them open, and a small bell jingles at the entrance. Bright overhead lights reflect off the tile floors; a sickly pungent smell of ink is overwhelming; and the tickling buzz and hum of an artist’s ink gun is accompanied by the laughter of customers. The artists exchange familiar conversation with their patrons.
Welcome to a tattoo shop.
“Most people get their first tattoo in their early teens to mid 20s,” says John “Gyro” Gyolene, a tattoo artist. “That or they wait until their late 30s.”
Tattooing is one of the most wildly popular forms of body art in American, especially among young people. This is true almost anywhere, including at Mars Hill College campus.
Tattooing has evolved over the centuries from a rite of passage to a mark of individual expression. Views on tattooing have changed over time. Rather than being associated with soldiers, sailors, motorcyclists and carnival workers, most people who bear ink and piercings are received with a less stereotypically negative view.
But, there is still a mixed reaction to youth adorning themselves with these mostly permanent expressions.
“If she found out, she’d skin me alive,” one MHC student said recently, referring to her mother. The student, who requested to remain anonymous, said she did not share the decision to get a tattoo with her parents.
Ironically, the tattoo she got during her freshman year is dedicated to one parent; although the parent is still unaware the student has it.
Finding students with tattoos in Mars Hill is as easy as finding a student with blonde hair. Tattoos are popular, even with faculty and staff. With a tattoo and piercing shop just 30 feet off campus, obtaining a tattoo is very convenient.
At Mars Hill, tattooing is used not only as an expression of individuality, but also as a sign of belonging. The Canadian lacrosse team members have a standing tradition of getting a maple leaf and a lacrosse stick tattooed on their right calf.
During a visit to Three Sided Tattoos, several members of the lacrosse team including Mark Burnett, Chris Cudmore, and Spenser Stobbe were present to watch their fellow teammate Blake Mattinson get his traditional tattoo, as well as Chad Howson getting some new ink on his side.
“I had it done on Main Street at Three-Sided” is a common response about the origin of the new eyebrow piercing or tattoo across the foot. Three-Sided Tattoos parlor in downtown Mars Hill is locally owned and operated by Michael McCarthy. Many students on campus go there to have piercings and tattoos done.
McCarthy has been in business on Main Street for ten years, now working with an apprentice, and enjoying clients from the area. With a steady stream of customers, McCarthy hopes to continue his work serving the locals and the students from the school when they come in.
Caution is suggested, however, about deciding the art to be inked. There are ways to remove tattoos, such as laser removal and covering, but both are expensive and painful.
Laser removal literally burns off layers of skin that contain the ink stains, while cover tattooing replaces an existing piece with something new. Usually, cover art is not done. Rather, the section of skin is simply filled with ink, leaving a large, solid patch.
Although tattooing is a more permanent form of body art, body piercings are more common. Fifteen percent of Americans, roughly 40 million people, have tattoos while 24 percent of Americans have some sort of piercing on their body other than the ears, according to consensus from artists and trend trackers.
“It’s for my mother. She’s been a role model for me since I was born,” a student on campus said about her tattoo. Turning the body into memorials and tributes to people and events is a frequent request for artists.
“I have wings tattooed behind my ears, symbolizing a free mind,” said Gyolene, an artist formerly of Swain County. “There’s also an ocean scene on my right forearm -- that’s for my mother.”
He said tattoo artists are generally willing to tattoo anything on the skin. However, there are certain areas and some art that artists refuse to tattoo. Whether it’s due to difficulty, amount of wear and tear on that portion of the body (palms, bottoms and sides of feet, ect.), or because they feel uncomfortable, a tattoo may be refused.
Artists reserve the right to deny custumers service if they have a reason for not wishing to do the requested work or if they suspect that the individual is intoxicated or under the influence of some substance. Although no drug tests are administered, it is the responsibility of shop workers to ask customers if they are under the influence.
Common sense dictates that the person undergoing the needle make a reasonable decision not regrettable later on in life.
Seventeen percent of people who get tattoos want them removed. The majority of these regretted works are either acquired while inebriated or include the name of a past boyfriend or girlfriend, which are discouraged by artists.
The dangers of tattooing and piercing are minimal, but they do exist. The most prevalent issue is infection. This can be caused by several things including contaminated tools, allergic reaction to inks or metals, and improper care of the piece.
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