Well, another birthday has come and gone without me getting a tattoo. I've wanted one for years. I had decided to get one for my thirtieth birthday, but two years later my skin has yet to be touched by a needle. I still want one, but there are so many factors to consider:
~~What if I turn out to be allergic to the ink? I would so not be surprised.
~~I work with international students. What if having a tattoo offends them and compromises the trusting relationship I try to hard to build with them?
~~The designs I am considering will not fit anywhere where I would be able to see them. Do I rethink the design, or the location?
~~My husband is not crazy about this idea. Do I respect his preferences, or go ahead and do something to my body that he will have to confront every day?
~~How will I explain to my kids why I can get a tattoo but they can't draw on their hands with magic marker? More to the point, how will I explain the healing process without scaring them and revealing that I will actually go through pain in order to look a certain way?
~~Is this really something I want to spend money on? Does it really reflect my spending values?
~~Not knowing any tattoo artists personally, and not having a design on paper to go in with, how can I be sure I'll be happy with what I get?
~~The big one--why do I want a tattoo so badly? Am I trying for a personality upgrade? Do I want people to think I'm edgy? Do I want to mark a significant revelation and/or period in my life?
I have to be at peace before I get this done. And yet, there is no way to know how I will feel about it until I do it. Irrevocably.
Although I know this is ultimately my decision, I would love reader response on this one.
(Check out my new Pinterest board: Tattoo Ideas!)
As someone who's been in the chair (or on the table) a few times now, Here's my advice. Start with a henna tattoo! Get used to the feeling of having something permanent on your body without it actually being permanent. Then if you still feel unsure, go into an artist that you've researched and ask him or her to draw something up that would fit where you want it. You don't have to have the exact design ready to go! That's one of the great things about it. Tell them a little about what you want and a good artist will come up with something you couldn't have even imagined that will form to your body. Then, the artist will make a transfer sheet of your tattoo and place it on your skin so you can really see if you like the placement and size. Hopefully you can find a place that won't charge a deposit in case you decide you don't want to go through with it.... but that's about the closest you can get to seeing what it would be like before you actually get it inked in. The right shop and artist will answer any and all questions, calm all concerns, and create something that makes you feel even more beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThe other stuff about kids and hubby and what not... I don't have advice for that. Lol :) The biggest thing, as you said, is to have peace with yourself about it!
Great ideas, thanks!
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