We all have egos. Some are as big as an elephant. Others are small, like gnats. Some egos are justified and help to generate self-confidence, while others are undeserved and obnoxious. But they all involve an exaggerated sense of self-importance.

I think humility looks better on people. The more talented, the more obviously gifted the person, the more inspiring it is to witness their gentle touch of self-effacement. Case in point: Fred Astaire. Although acknowledged as perhaps one of the three greatest dancers to have ever lived, watch him in an old television interview and you see a truly gentle soul that dodged compliments rather than greedily gobble them down. Astaire was truly a class act.

People in the public eye are especially vulnerable to the ego virus. Movie stars, entertainers, big money people, sports heroes and tattooers, they are all victims. Even the least of the lot has a cadre of hangers-on whose sole purpose is to pile on the praise and tell them how good they are. Leave it to the psychologists to determine why, but, let's be honest, it does make life more pleasant to surround oneself with yes-men and adoring acolytes who love every move you make.

Photographers have egos, too. Some have big ones, while others have super-big ones. (That's an attempt at a joke, but there is a kernel of truth to it.) Why do they have inflated egos, you ask? After all, it's completely digital nowadays and all they have to do is "point and shoot." Actually there's a lot more to it than that, but a photographer's images routinely take about 1/250th of second, while a tattoo artist requires several hours to pull off significant artwork and any self-respecting water-colorist can take days and days to complete a canvas. David Nestler, who writes our How to Draw column, for example, takes two to three weeks for just one of his SKIN&INK covers.

But time spent is not the best criteria for judging quality. Talent is a big part of it. Several years ago I assigned a handful of photographers to shoot the New York City Tattoo Convention: Maurice Pacheco, Charles Gatewood, Dianne Mansfield and Mike McCabe. Each person's images were as different as night and day. Some of the photos were chummy and personal. Some were artistic and elegant. Others were experimental and shocking. But all were fun to look at, and that's because the talent level of these photographers was through the roof. But not their egos. They simply did their job and left it to others to heap on the praise.

Bob Baxter
Editor in Chief

baxter@skin&ink.com
www.skinandink.com