Art Interpreted Into a New Era

By: Arpita Tahsin

English 21000- Professor Steegman
A tattoo allows me to permanently express myself and hold a moment forever. My
tattoos are a bouquet of memories that I've shared with people I love, people I used to
love, and most importantly, memories with myself.- Anonymous

Moon Sheen Tattoo

It was awfully cold on the evening of November 14th. My legs were shaking and my
hands had turned red and ashy. I wrapped my scarf tighter around my neck. I jammed my hands
into the pockets of my jacket and made my small journey down the roads of West Village and to
the tattoo parlor located on West 4th Street. As I walked up to the entrance, I took one look at the
name that was printed big and bold, Moon Sheen Tattoo, to make sure I came to the right place. I
pushed the door open and my body felt an instant relief as it hit with the warm air. I quickly
picked up the strong smell of ink and smoke mixed together lingering in the air. I walked up to
the man behind the counter, who I later found out was named Luca. I explained to him the reason
behind my visit. As he was nodding his head, I managed to mentally examine him. Luca seemed
like he was in his mid-thirties, dressed in a black V-neck t-shirt, and jeans that had splotches of
paint all over. He had very minimum hair on his head and both of his arms were covered in
tattoos. One particular tattoo had caught my eye, a ship that was sinking with an angel floating
next to it. It was beautifully tattooed with intricate details. I couldnt help but ask Luca what it
meant. He explained how he had gotten it when he was at his lowest point in life, and only after
his ship had sunk he then learned to swim and found his safe haven, his wife. And for a second,
hearing his story, all my problems had disappeared, and gave me the assurance that all my

personal conflicts will soon come to end too. Luca then took me to the back and introduced me
to the tattoo artists, Nicky and Dion. They all gave me the liberty to look around and ask any
questions I might have. The whole parlor was lit up with orange lights and the walls were
covered with framed tattoos, while the walls were colored pure black. There werent any
additional windows in the parlor, except for the floor to ceiling window at the very front. For a
minute, I didnt think I was in New York. I felt like I was in a village in a foreign country. The
whole environment gave me a rush of adrenaline that was so satisfying. The aura surrounding me
was very exciting and kept me on my toes the whole time I was there. After walking around the
parlor, and examining all the framed tattoos, I walked up to Dion, a 33 year-old male, with dark
hair and a lip piercing. I noticed, just like Luca, Dion also had both of his arms covered in
tattoos. But unlike, Lucas, Dions tattoos were more colorful and had more life to it. I asked
Dion if he ever gotten a tattoo in a haste, or a one that he regrets. He let out a chuckle and
pointed at a tattoo right beneath his armpit. It was a small butterfly. Right when I saw it, I
couldnt help but laugh as well. It was very poorly tattooed and did not even look like a real
butterfly. I asked Dion the story behind it, and he narrated that he had gotten the tattoo when he
was drunk and lost a bet with his friends. I shook my head, and made my way to Nicky, a 33 year
old female, wearing a black tank top, and black jeans. Her brunette wavy hair cascaded down her
shoulders. I noticed she didnt have crazy tattoos like Luca and Dion. She explained that her
tattoos were very meaningful to her and each one of them describes her personality. Hearing
about the stories behind their tattoos from Nicky, Dion and Luca, for a split second, I wanted to
walk out of there with a small tattoo myself. I have always been intrigued by tattoos and always
wondered what would I get. I finally figured I would get the soundwave of my moms laughter
on my wrist, to remind me of my moms laughter at my weakest points. But as faith has it, my

religion does not allow for me to get tattoos. As Muslims, we firmly believe that we do not have
the right to alternate the beauty that was given to us by our lord, and that we should go back the
way we came. I shared my tattoo idea with them all, and they all thought it was truly amazing
and sweet. I picked up my jacket from the chair and said my goodbyes to Nicky, Luca and Dion.
It was a pleasure getting to meet them and see where they all work. I left the parlor and made my
to the train station, anxious to go home and tell my mom about my day.

Professor Steegmans Interview

On Wednesday, November 22nd, I got the pleasure of sitting down with Professor
Steegman on one on one in her office located in the NAC Building, Room 6/317. I softly
knocked on her door and poked my head through her slightly opened door. She looked up from
her laptop and asked me to come in. She pushed away the papers at hand, faced her body towards
me and gave me her full attention. I managed to quickly take in her office. It wasnt a big office,
it was fairly small, with painted white walls. She didnt have much on the walls, just a few
posters. She had file cabinets lined up against the walls, ranging from small to large. The room
was brightly illuminated, so much that it was starting to give me a headache. Professor Steegman
was dressed in a long sleeved woolen Purple sweater, and black pants, paired with ankle boots.
Her legs were crossed, one top of the other, while her hands were intertwined and placed on her
knees. While I asked her my questions, she was twiddling her thumbs which gave me the
impression that she was anxious. During the interview, she seemed a bit hesitant while answering
some of the questions as she kept pausing and saying Um. All in all, Professor Steegman
seemed to be comfortable with me. She went into details when I asked her questions and
answered more than what I asked her. Professor Steegman is not someone who despises tattoos
altogether, she has her reservations on it. Professor Steegman thinks its a form of self-

mutilation. She believes that it is not professional and it is frowned upon in the corporate world.
Back when she was growing up in Germany, the only people she would witness having tattoos
were individuals who were in the Navy, people who had been to jail, young kids who were in
juvenile detention, all signs which indicated people of a lower class. When asked what she thinks
about the stereotypes and the discrimination the tattoo community faces, Professor Steegman
stated that we should not pass any judgement at them as it is their body and they have the right to
do whatever they want with it and everyone should respect their decision.

Transcript
Arpita: So we will just start off with some basics, um, how old are you?
Professor Steegman: 62
Arpita: What is your ethnicity or racial background?
Professor Steegman: Im GermanSo I have two passports and I have a German passport and
um an American passport. So I have two citizenships, but ethnically Im German.
Arpita: Okay. Do you like Tattoos? Why or not?
Professor Steegman: (Pause) I do not like them. I think its a form of self-mutilation (Lets out a
small laugh) I mean thats a very strong statement but um
Arpita: So what about tattoos in particular or in general do you dislike?
Professor Steegman: Um, well maybe I have to backtrackwhen I was younger the only
people who had tattoos were people who were in the Navy, people who had been to jail, um,
women did not have tattoos. If at all, maybe a tiny little butterfly on the shoulder or something
like that. Um, young kids who were like in group homes or juvenile detention, sometimes tattoos
looked very horrible, they were self-made when they had done them to each other. Um, and it
was just of people of a lower class or low lives.

Arpita: Okay
Professor Steegman: So to speak (Lets out a small laugh)
Arpita: So, many people get tattoos for the purpose of self-expression, what do you think about
that?
Professor Steegman: Well, you know I see like okay you tattooing the name of the person you
love, uhh I had a student who had tattooed the name of his brother who was murdered. I could
see that, um, sometimes mothers tattoo the names of their children. If thats what you want to do,
you know, fine. If thats how you want to remember certain people or show that you love
somebody or love your children, but personally I think that should be in your heart. You dont
have to wear it on your body.
Arpita: I understand. So any first thoughts that come to your mind when you see an individual
covered with tattoos?
Professor Steegman: (Pause) well its like, I think, you know, the person wants everybody to
pay attention to them. Um, like in the summer time, whether its like men or women, um, they
have to make sure they wear clothing that reveals their tattoos, because otherwise whats the
point if nobody sees them, I think, you know, they meant to, you want to walk around and you
want everyone to see your tattoos.
Arpita: Okay. So does that act like a first impression to you?
Professor Steegman: Yeah definitely. I mean like, for example, I am on the board of the co-op
and you know the Super we interviewed had tattoos. It gives me a certain image. I personally
prefer a worker who doesnt have that. I think it looks better (lets out a small laugh).

Mr.Rashids Interview:

I never expected nostalgia to hit me as hard as it did once I stepped my right foot through
the front doors of my old high school. Hillcrest High School carried so many memories of my
youth, and it was the place that allowed me to grow up and discover myself in ways I never knew
I could. I followed behind Mr. Rashid, who was my earth science teacher, who was generous
enough to take time out of his schedule and allow me to interview him. Mr. Rashid was a very
inspirational figure in my high school career. His tattoos intrigued me a lot. I knew they werent
just mere tattoos for show, they actually carried a meaning and had deeper stories than it lead on.
I sat down in his small office, where I and the other Arista members hung out after classes were
dismissed. I looked around in his tiny office, two orange sofas lined against the windows, and
my eyes quickly scanned his walls that were covered by signatures of old graduates. It was easy
for me to find my name. I had made sure my name stood out, which was why I signed my name
right on the ceiling. I smiled at the memories and focused my attention on Mr. Rashid. He hadnt
changed at all. He still had few hairs left on his head, but didnt go completely bald. He is still
the big person, who pretty much took up a whole sofa when he sat down. He still didnt get rid of
his habit of always being on his phone. It was nice to come back to someone who keeps you
grounded and reminds you of where you once came from. How old are you, was the first
question I asked him, and without any hesitation like other people, he answered I am 39.
Rashid has a total of three tattoos and is planning on getting a fourth one in February of 2017.
When we started talking about tattoos, Rashid said something that surprised me. He mentioned
how he was never interested in tattoos and was always turned off by them after seeing the
meaningless tattoos his brothers had. It took a total of sixteen years to change Rashids mind, and
to convince him to get a tattoo of his own. The first piece I got was predominantly a puzzle
piece and it was for my son because he has autism and the puzzle piece is a symbol for autism

awareness but I wanted to put things inside the puzzle piece that were relevant to my entire adult
life basically, Rashid narrated after I asked him what his first tattoo meant. He had planned on
getting just one tattoo initially, but the addiction of getting more tattoos had hit him hard. His
second tattoo represents all the places he travelled to. The tattoo depicts a single building from
each place he has been to, composed into one skyline. The tattoo is a skyline of my travels as
Rashid says it is, with a total of 27 buildings, and he plans on extending it as he visits more
places in the future. At this point, suddenly, the school bell rings, something I forgot it existed. I
can hear the bustling outside the office as students are rushing to get to their next class. Rashid
continued to tell me his input about the stereotypes of tattoos, and I realized how he was playing
with a silver necklace he was wearing and kept moving it from left to right with his index finger.
But he had still managed to maintain eye-contact with me throughout the entire interview. I kept
getting distracted with all the car horns, and police car sirens that leaked through the window
opening along with the sharp winter breeze. He went on to tell me that tattoos are self-expressive
and he personally likes to express himself outwardly. To me the definition of body mutilation is
kind of like augmenting your body in a painful way, Rashid disagrees with tattoos being a form
of body mutilation. It felt nice to sit down with Rashid and chat with him like the old times. It
almost felt like I never graduated. While interviewing him, I often got flashbacks of my high
school days and was glad I was able to come back and visit.

Transcript

Arpita: So well just start off with some very simple questions
Rashid: Sure
Arpita: Um how old are you?
Rashid: Um 39
Arpita: And what is your ethnicity or racial background?
Rashid: I am American but of Arab descent.
Arpita: Okay and how many tattoos do you have?
Rashid: I have three
Arpita: Do you plan on getting another one?
Rashid: Yeah (Laughs)
Arpita: When is that?
Rashid: Um its schedule for February 26th.
Arpita: Can you tell us what you are planning on getting?
Rashid: So umwell I am getting a third puzzle piece and its going to be an underwater sea.
Arpita: Can you briefly explain the stories behind your tattoos?
Rashid: (Laughs) I dont know how brief its gonna be but yeah, so um, so I had always wanted
them since I was a teenager and I saw friends and brothers and cousins of mine started getting
them as teenagers also but I realized like the things they were getting were kind of like
meaningless and I didnt want to do that cause it was permanent so I thought I would wait until I
really knew what I wanted something that meant a lot to me and it turned out that it took like 16
years cause I got my first one at 36So um yeah the first piece I got was predominantly a puzzle
piece and it was for my son cause he has autism and the puzzle piece symbols of autism
awareness but I wanted to put things inside the puzzle piece that were relevant to my entire adult

life basically.

Conclusion:

I remember writing in my Introduction Letter in the beginning of the semester

how much I disliked writing and reading, and how I lacked the inspiration for writing that I once
had. Now, I can proudly say I have gotten back my charm and have started writing again. I have
found my long lost love for writing and have happily embraced it. I would like to thank Professor
Steegman, who had a huge part in this. She allowed me the liberty to write as freely as I want in
a constructed paper. Her assignment of Field Study helped me get out of my comfort zone and
enabled me to take on different writing methods.
For my ethnographic study, I decided to battle the stereotypes of tattoos that circulate our
society now. I wanted to interview two groups of people, one group who dislikes tattoos and the
other would be someone with tattoos, and get the perspective of both sides and come to a
conclusion of my own. For my field site, I visited a tattoo parlor located in West Village called
Moon Sheen Tattoo. There, I got the opportunity to meet talented Tattoo Artists and was able to
talk to them and get their insight on the topic as well. I later interviewed Professor Steegman,
who I found out is not a big fan of tattoos. For the other category, I interviewed my old High
School teacher, Mr. Rashid, who has a total of three tattoos and plans on getting more. I recorded
both interviews on my phone. I received a lot of information from both sides, and both sides
made excellent points, respectively.
Compared to the first interview that I had conducted in class with my partner, the
interviews for my field site were more thought out and planned through. But still, I wish I had
done my interviews a bit more differently. After coming home, and listening to the audios, I felt
like something lacked in the questions and there wasnt a good flow between the questions I was
asking. I think the reason behind that was the lack of time that was in my hands. Because I had to

worry about four other classes, I couldnt invest more time in the Field Study. Nonetheless, I am
very proud of my work, and glad I got to experience something different and write about it all.