It's no secret that the tattoo business is booming. In the United States, one in five adults sports at least one tattoo, according to a Harris Poll. And now a tattoo enthusiast has come up with a unique idea that may soon reinvent the tattoo industry. It's called Save My Ink and it offers individuals with tattoos and their families a way to preserve precious skin art long after death.
Charles Hamm, the chairman of the National Association for the Preservation of Skin Art (NAPSA) gave birth to the idea for Save My Ink after realizing that when looked at as "objects d'art" his own tattoos are worth $45,000, according to QZ. Given all that, Hamm developed his program as a way to both preserve skin art and bequeath it to loved-ones, "So that your story, spirit and legacy can live on for generations to come."
Since its formation, Save My Ink has preserved 21 tattoos, according to CNN. The organization employs their own embalmer and coordinates with funeral homes. The process of removing a tattoo must take place within 60 hours of a person's demise. Thereafter, preservations do their magic and when it's ready, it is mailed to the beneficiary along with instructions for long-term care, according to Chicago Tribune.
"I think at the end of the day, it's really saying to someone close to you that, 'When I pass away, this is what I want,' " said Hamm.
Here are some sample photo examples from Save My Ink:
A photo posted by Save My Ink (@savemyink) on Sep 23, 2015 at 6:56am PDT
A photo posted by Save My Ink (@savemyink) on Sep 18, 2015 at 7:49am PDT
