I “borrowed” this from one of my favorite blogs, The Effortless Gent. I thought it was important enough to share with the How to be Swell readers too. The blog post it came from is very good and recommended reading as well, For now this is just a quick post from me, but there is more swell stuff to come. In the mean time … stay swell.
There are a number of places to learn about how to be swell. If you look around the walls of your dentist’s office you might see one attempt that has been made. I am sure many of you are familiar with the obligatory motivational posters that became popular in the late nineties starting with “success” printed below all sorts of thematic pictures. Even Barney Stinson has dipped his toe into proverbial the motivational poster pool. The motivational posters that we are all familiar with are symbolized by the Sharper Image Store staple, the Sucessories. They are usually the butt of the office joke, but back in your grandfather’s day, they revered as sound advice.And some of these original posters are now considered art.
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Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. He had a lot to say about the world around him, as well as the people occupying it. Drastic changes were happening in society and culture in his day which helped to thrust him into the role of a great leader. After escaping from slavery, he became a driving force of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and anti-slavery writing. I am going to share with you some of Frederick Douglass’ wit and wisdom on being a man and ultimately being swell. Continue reading
Body ink and adornment has always been a part of culture, every culture. Around the world people tattoo their bodies in various ways with a myriad of images. Sometimes it is for mere adornment; sometimes it has a deep spiritual meaning, or a mark of class or status. In popular culture the draw of inking oneself has ebbed and flowed over time, but in the last several years has experienced a renaissance. There are so many resources for tattooing, every city of size has hundreds of tattoo parlors, there are huge tattoo conventions, and at least 20 television shows, including a half a dozen spin-offs of Miami ink.
With the huge popularity of tattoos thought it was fine time for a guide on how to do it swell. I am a fan of tattoos of nearly all types, and when done well by an artist with an important meaning, they can be very cool. That being said here are some guidelines for you, if you’re getting a tattoo, to be sure that it looks swell.
My Sun representing my Sons
How to be Swell 