That is the phrase all of the artists at Good Family Tattoo say to themselves when tattooing their clients.

Getting a tattoo might be a quick decision, but the ink remains permanent. The tattoo-ee shares their story, but does the artist ever get to share their side of the story?

“It’s kind of nerve-wracking coming into a tattoo shop,” Good Family Tattoo owner Joel Huff said. “You never know who’s going to be back there. “

Most people come in with a stereotypical tattoo shop in their mind when they enter in to receive their ink; the overwhelming feelings of walking into the shop, the dark walls, the rock and roll music, the “scary” tattoo artists, people covered in skulls and flames on every seat… that is actually not the case for most tattoo shops.

“We try and keep it happy, clean and friendly,” Huff said. “We run this place like a mom welcoming her kid’s friends to their home, being nice goes a long way. We are the family. My whole life revolves around family and music and life and goodness and being kind, and I think where you work should represent that.”

According to Mayo Clinic Medical Practice and Research Center, a tattoo is a permanent mark or design made with pigments inserted through pricks of a needle into the skin’s epidermis. With every puncture, the needles insert tiny ink droplets.

Before getting a tattoo, research should be done. It is important to know the different pricings of the tattoos along with the various details and options available. For instance, some people believe that a larger tattoo means a bigger price; but, in reality, it’s how much detail is put into the design. Also, getting a more colorful tattoo will result in a higher price rather than getting just black. With these ideas in mind, the artist will do what is suggested but better, just like their motto.

“That’s why being an artist is good because you can see how different things translate and see in many ways,” Huff said.

Much like art inside a museum, the artist must plan out how they want to start their drawing: with pencil or paper, or just to start with the masterpiece. A tattoo artist does the same: transferring a client’s design onto paper, then a permanent design on their skin.

“Everybody has their own little way of seeing things,“ Huff said. “Art is relative, but true art is undeniable. Sometimes you look at art and say you don’t like it, and another person can say it’s the best thing I ever saw. But, if it’s real art, you can’t say it’s not art.” In a museum or on the body, art is art. It’s all just a matter of perspective. Tattoo or painting, ink or pencil: art is art.