Freedom and growth became another common theme in tattooing in the 2010s. One simple google search for bird silhouette tattoos would yield hundred of pages of results. Items such as bird feathers, bird cages, and even dandelions were typically depicted as the item breaking into hundreds of bird silhouettes often fluttering up the arm or up the side of the torso. While many tattoo artists would tweak the standard design to make it more custom, the subject matter was so common that they all began to look exactly the same. The clusters of birds were reminiscent of the clusters and trails of stars that were among the common tattoos of the nineties. While the idea behind the tattoo was original, the design lacked in originality after the first design of its kind became popular on social media sites such as Pinterest and Instagram.
Social media played a large part in cultivating the tattoo trends of the 2010s. “Pinterest tattoos” became a daily request in tattoo parlors nationwide. One of the most common tattoo designs to come from Pinterest was the infinity symbol. However, the infinity symbol was never just a sideways 8, it always had at least one other element incorporated into the design. Names of loved ones, or important dates were typical requests to be incorporated into the stroke of the infinity symbol. There were even a few designs that combined the infinity symbol with the bird silhouettes. 
Although society had moved away from meaningless tribal tattoos and thoughtless Japanese designs, the 2010s brought a huge trend of dream catcher tattoos. While some people fought to have Native American headdresses banned from costume shops and Halloween parties, others were getting tattoos of Native women wearing wolf headdresses and dream catchers. Being Native American was not viewed as a necessity when it came to wearing one of these tattoos. Once again, American’s took their appreciation for another culture’s art, and adopted it for their own. Alongside the ever popular dream catcher tattoos were designs that combined animals and nature. Wolfs morphing into mountains and bears morphing into trees were among the most common of these designs. 
When it comes to tattoo trends and culturally charged artwork, sugar skull tattoos can’t be looked over. Sugar skulls, which were a large part of Mexican culture, became heavily requested in the 2010s. Done in a variety of styles, this type of design was seen everywhere. Some people chose to go a more realistic route, getting the portrait of a beautiful woman wearing makeup that resembled the designs painted onto a traditional sugar skull. Other people chose to get a little more illustrative and combined the sugar skull designs with less realistic depictions of women and skulls. Sugar skulls were not safe from the grasp of the new school style either. Exaggerated and heavily illustrative sugar skull tattoos were great designs to show off new bright, bold colors, and strong line work.
As the 2010s draw to a close, certain tattoo trends are on the rise. One of the most commonly requested tattoo styles of today is water color style tattoos. The delicate nature of these tattoos combined with the finesse of color application make these designs beautiful and captivating. As the years go on, we continue to see more of a fine art influence on tattooing. It is impossible to predict how long water color tattoos will be on trend, as much of it depends on the longevity of the tattoo. With the advancement of tattooing also comes higher prices, which means people don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars on a tattoo that wont last. The soft and delicate way the colors are handled in water color tattoos raises questions on the durability and longevity of these designs. It is common knowledge that color fades over time, but the faint colors that make up majority of a water color style tattoo may fade away completely in a matter of a few short years. 
