I always wanted to be tattooed. I am not sure what held me back thus far. Money, maybe. Or just being uncommited to any particular design. Or an intense shyness that kept me from doing almost everything. The last is the most likely. Human contact all too often leaves me feeling as if I have been scoured by sand-paper.
At A Glance Author Suzanne When A week ago Artist Keith(Bang Bang) Studio Whatever Location NYC Once upon a time I used to be very involved with animal rescue and finding homes for stray cats. I love cats. I found homes for hundreds. I ended up with 8 no one else wanted. I moved around alot and always took them with me. I was especially close to two of them. One I had since I was 16. The other I bottle raised since the day she was born. When I was 16-20 years old and they were young I knew about how old I would be when I would loose them. I will turn 35 this years. My cats are all dead now. The last went 6 months ago. He was 17.
So with a sense of time passing that you never get back and my own inevitable end coming I went downtown to get a piercing I had always wanted. Tattoos still way at the back of my mind. I always knew I would need to meet the right artist.
I got pierced that day and met an artist. A scarification artist. Over the last six months I have been cut by him several times. I am very happy with these scars. But more importantly he introduced me to people. Lots of people in the "body modification" business. He opened a door...
And I have gone thru it like the proverbial looking glass.
As much as I love the whole scarification process I have always seen myself tattooed. So when it was time for a break from cutting I called an artist I had met a few months back when he helped out with a cut piece. He was really nice on the phone and we made an appointment. I have never looked thru his book or anything but I have watched him tattoo people a few times. He takes his work very seriously. And is very clean.
When I got down there Sunday at 11:00A.M. the shop was still closed. This type of thing used to panic me. I walked a few doors down to the shop Josh (My Scar Artist/Piercer) is currently working out of. And hung out for a while till Keith got there. Played the Show and Tell game with a piercer from yet another shop.I love how in this setting people you just met start removing thier clothes and showing themselves to you. I can't believe when I find myself doing this too.
I saw Keith arrive and walked down to Whatever. I show Keith about what I want. Two or three inch spider on my outer forearm. I have spider web scars on my legs so this is in keeping with a theme.Also my father has a wicked spider tattoo from when he was in Vietnam. As a kid it would freak us out because even years later it would raise up and become scarlike.
Keith asked if I'd been tattooed before. I said a bit but not in years. I said I didn't think the fore arm was supposed to hurt much. He blinked and laughed and said " It won't hurt as bad as cutting your whole arm open."
I started to get a bit nervous though. I just did'nt feel up to much pain. I had had a multiple tongue piercing a few weeks earlier that had given me hell. But mostly I was flashing on the cuttings. They were done here. I was in THE CHAIR now and usually once I am in the chair there is alot of blood and pain before I get out of it again.
When he started I was surprised and relieved than it didnt hurt in any serious way. With cutting I have to focus myself in such an intense way to get thru it. The world almost seems to narrow down to me and Josh till its over. With this my mind wandered. We were in the front workspace which is in the window. I watched some kids across the street play basketball. I watched the cars drive by. I watched the people watching me. At one point Josh walked by. He smiled and waved.
Once I dreamed meeting Josh was a dream. Once I dreamed he cut my throat ( in a friendly cosmetically pleasing way of course ) When I thought it had been a dream and woke feeling for the scars I was so sad. I do not want to ever stop this.
My little spider is just the beginning. Keith did a great job. I really love it and have been complemented on it a number of times.
The cuttings were very rushy experiences. This feels like business.
I am glad to be finally covering my skin like I always wanted to.
Thank you for reading this. As I said I like the whole show and tell atmosphere.