As someone who is very interested in the tattoo industry, the upcoming tattoo expo in Lethbridge is shaping up to be the biggest show yet.

The Windy City Weekend is scheduled for Sept. 13 – 15 and features over 100 artists and thousands of art pieces. Along with having these artists at the event, there will also be scheduled times that artists will do on-site tattoos.

Over the past few years, the perspectives of tattoos have changed drastically. As a 21-year-old student ,I have gained an appreciation for the tattoo industry as it is a way to show your personality and beliefs as an art form.

That being said, not everyone feels this way about tattoos. There are lots of people who believe that tattoos are something that symbolizes bad thoughts and rebellion.

For instance, my parents’ generation was one that thought tattoos were only for the “bad boys/girls” or for people who belonged to gangs. Nowadays, when you look at the tattoo industry, it is full of people of all cultures, races and professions.

Personally, I believe tattoos are a perfect way for an individual to show the world what they believe in. Whether that is a tattoo that symbolizes a family member or a tattoo of a monkey riding a dragon, there are endless ways for people to express themselves through tattoos.

Aside from all the perspectives wrapped around the tattoo industry, there is also an increasingly huge amount of creativity that is being fostered. From placement of the tattoo, to colour and shading of the piece, it is all up to the customer’s imagination.

With the increase in technology, the tattoo industry has been able to increase the amount of crazy and unique pieces they can create. For instance, with the industry now using software like Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, they are able to draw an idea for a tattoo, then make the tattoo come to life using this software.

This is increasing the amount of uniqueness that you can get in tattoos and now there is nothing these artists can’t create in their studios. Aside from the colours and shading these artists are expanding, they are also now expanding the number of places on the human body that they can make these pieces or art.

Overall, the tattoo industry is increased immensely since the time the industry started and I do not believe that the growth will stop due to the ever-expanding imagination of these talented artists.