Get a group of people together and there's a good chance that at least one of them has a tattoo. Because they've become so mainstream, it is increasingly difficult to get tattoos that differ significantly from those of the people around you. This is particularly true for those designs that are most common for tattoos (such as heart tattoos, butterfly tattoos and fairy tattoos). This poses problems for the people who are getting body art done today because a major purpose of the tattoo is to show off your individuality. That purpose is defeated if you show up at a party revealing a heart tattoo that closely matches the heart tattoos on other guests there.

In order to avoid this problem, it has become more necessary than ever before for people who are getting tattoos to really get involved in the creativity of the design. If you just walk into a tattoo parlor and choose fairy tattoos or heart tattoos off of the wall, there's a good chance that someone else in your own area has the exact same tattoos. You'll need to work on designing your own tattoos or altering existing designs in creative ways if you want to make sure that you don't become a victim of the matching tattoo epidemic.

The best way to avoid having tattoos that match anyone else's is to sketch them out yourself or find artists that have very original designs that you can work with. Make a list of the types of tattoos that interest you (basic designs like heart tattoos) and then make a second list of all of your interests, beliefs and things that are important to you. Then sit down and start sketching out a variety of different tattoos that incorporate some of these features. For example, you may make a bunch of identical heart tattoos but then embellish each one with a different item for your list. In the end, you could end up with heart tattoos that also include the names of people you care about, the image of your favorite food or a design that is inspired by a song you love.

Of course, some people may find it too intimidating to sketch out their own tattoos. If you're not an artist, this can be more frustrating than inspiring. If that's the case, your best bet is to start out with a basic design that someone else has drawn and then to add additional artwork from other places. For example, you could go to the local tattoo shop and find a few fairy tattoos that you really like. Photograph them and take them home to play with them. Try cutting them out and pasting them together to create back-to-back fairy tattoos; try turning them upside down and putting them head-to-toe; try adding images of heart tattoos from online to the fairy tattoos that you have to create a new image. Playing with a cut-and-paste method can help you come up with a design that's unique without requiring you to do any drawing yourself.

Tattoos are something that should be really personal for you. You can't help it that there are a thousand different fairy tattoos and heart tattoos out there which all look more or less the same. What you can help is getting enmeshed in the idea that you have to choose one of these designs to take as your own. Instead, figure out a way to play with the designs that exist and the images in your own mind in order to create body art that is truly unique to your style. Most tattoo artists really love the "artist" part of their work and will be more than happy to assist you in altering and enhancing their designs to make new art.