Through an extended case study of a tattoo artist in psychoanalytic treatment, this lecture explores tattooing as a legitimate artistic expression. This point of departure shifts the psychoanalytic perspective away from viewing tattoos as a pathological and masochistic external solution to internal unconscious conflicts. What emerges is a dynamic perspective on tattoos, viewing them as part of patients’ creative fantasies and defenses. This imbues tattoos with the capacity to change over time, rather than viewing them as permanently inscribed on a statically conceived body and psyche.