I had wanted a tattoo for years. Ever since I can remember actually. At first it was just the thought of having one. I just thought they were cool, but once I started getting a little older I looked at it more as art. I started seeing it as a way to express the real you. I then realized that that was what attracted me towards the idea of having one. I had to wait a couple years before I could actually get my first tattoo considering I was only 16 when I made this realization. My parents wouldn't allow a tattoo.
At A Glance Author Dustin Contact Dustin@bme.anon When A week ago Artist Chris Studio Magic Skin Tattoo Location Greencastle, IN Once I turned 18 I decided it was time to start deciding what I wanted. I wanted something that would express myself. I didn't want to just pick some random thing because it looks cool. I wanted something that when I was 50 I could still tell people it means something to me. At first my choice was going to be the words "No Regrets" because I believe that no matter what happens you should go on living your life and not worry so much about the past. My next question was where. I wanted it to be in a place where everyone could see it, but not in a place where I couldn't cover it up if I needed to. I decided on my forearm would be the best bet. If I ever needed to cover it up I could just wear long sleeves.
I showed up at the studio to talk to a guy named Chris. I didn't know much about what I wanted so he was really helpful with that. He printed up a couple of different fonts for me to look at. I decided what I wanted and he told me it would be about $40. I was pretty happy with that because I was expecting it to be a lot more. Even though it was pretty cheap, I didn't have the money with me. I told him I'd be back.
Once I got home I realized that getting a tattoo saying "no regrets" just didn't seem right to me. I don't know what made me think that, but I decided to pick something else. Being a musician, the choice was obvious. I had to pick something to do with music. I didn't want to get a guitar, drum set, or bass tattoo because I play all three and well, what if I became more focused on an instrument I didn't pick? I finally decided on a treble clef. I looked through Yahoo! Images until I found a good picture of the one I wanted.
After a couple of days I finally got my paycheck and was ready to make an appointment with Chris. I went back to the studio and walked in as he was giving another guy a tattoo. While waiting I just looked through all of the books and magazines that he had there. He finally asked me if I knew what I was going to get. I then responded by saying yes and showing him the piece of paper. Luckily he told me it would still be $40. That's good considering that's all that I had brought. He told me to come back that same day a couple hours later and he'd be able to do it.
I left to go visit my aunt across the street. I was really nervous about getting the tattoo because I had always been told how much it hurt. She really didn't help the situation much at all. Everyone told me it was so much more painful than getting a piercing, so since I knew what it felt like to get my tongue pierced and ears pierced and gauged, I was slightly worried. I basically just built up a lot of suspense towards the situation.
After a couple of hours I walked back into the studio with a greeting of "You haven't chickened out yet?" That, of course, made me feel a lot better. I just responded with "nah" and waited for the next step. I came in and he had traced the picture onto a thin piece of paper. When he asked me where I wanted it I originally said the outside of my forearm, but once he put the traced paper on it, we both decided it would look better in the inside. I took a seat and waited for it to start. I was so nervous.
When he first started I was completely surprised. I was expecting to be crying or clinching my fists or something. I was just like, "This is it?" to which he responded with "I can make it hurt a lot worse if you want." I decided I was happy with how it was going. It just completely shocked me that after hearing all about how bad it was going to hurt, and about people crying when getting tattoos that it didn't really hurt that bad at all. It took about 45 minutes to complete.
It turned out great, and he told me about how to take care of it and everything, so I was ready to go. I got the tattoo about a week ago, and I'm completely happy with it. Everywhere I go people ask me about it. Everyone now knows that I'm a musician. This definitely won't be my last tattoo.