• When it comes to tattoos, there truly are no right or wrong ideas.Tattoo man image by MAXFX from Fotolia.com
  
  Tattoos have a rich and strikingly diverse history, dating back as far as 5,000 years ago to various cultures and different parts of the world, such as Polynesia, Japan, Africa, Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Vikings, the Celts, criminals and circus performers. When it comes to selecting a tattoo for your body, there truly are no right or wrong ideas, simply ideas that would be better or worse for you as an individual.
  
  

Text

• Part of selecting a tattoo is choosing one that truly means something to you, an image that you're going to value and treasure forever. A tattoo that incorporates text will often guarantee this. You can tattoo the names of family members or children on your body, picking a special font for each name. You can tattoo special dates onto your body, such as the day you met your spouse or your children's birthdays. You can tattoo the name of your home town or a beloved sports team. You can even tattoo favorite lines from poems, novels or movies onto your body, provided the words mean something very special to you.
  
  

Fantasy Images

• In many ways, getting a tattoo is not the most practical thing that you could do with your money or time. There are probably more useful things on which you could spend your money, such as paying off debt, fixing your car, saving for a new computer, or buying a loved one a nice present, among others. Thus an image of a fantastical character or place embraces the spirit of frivolity that a tattoo represents and lets you select some highly imaginative image to live with on your body in this very practical world. For example, you could select images of dragons, unicorns, fairies, gnomes, hobbits, goblins, angels, mermaids or other creatures. Or you could have tattoos of fictional places such as Narnia, Wonderland or Middle Earth tattooed on your body. Such fantastical tattoos allow you to carry a piece of your childhood into adulthood.
  
  

Tribal and Celtic Designs

• Tribal tattoos and Celtic designs and symbols are types of tattoos that people have worn for centuries. Any reputable tattoo parlor should have a file with an impressive selection of either type of tattoo. These designs are bold and often have some sort of meaning or significance attached to them. Also, don't be afraid to request that the tattoo artist tweak the design to suit your individual desires. A good tattoo artist will be able to change the colors or shapes to fit your preferences, and this is one way to give an updated look to a tattoo that has been around for hundreds or years.