Ever since I was little I have had a huge fear of needles, the thought of anything going through my skin has been a big no no for as long as I can remember, hence why you will not find one piercing on my body, not even my ears. No amount of money would tempt me to get my ears pierced, the thought of it makes me shiver, the thought of having any body part pierced does really, I 100% am the squeamish type.
However a tattoo has been one of those things that Ive never felt weird or scared about, you really think I would with it being a few needles stabbing into my skin at a fast pace, but it's never bothered me in the slightest. I think Ive always admired the art of a tattoo and the tattoo artist. This love began with Kat Von D, she is my main love and inspiration witin the tattooing area, she and her books are the root of my love for tattoos, but after months of admiration and desire, (as well as countless episodes of LA Ink) my 19th birthday rolled around and there began my tattoo journey for real.
Now you're probably thinking, why would you even think of getting a tattoo if you cant stand the thought of a simple injection? even I thought that myself before getting tattooed, sometimes I get close to crying when the dog scratches my arm, but in terms of tattoos, I'd have another tomorrow if I could, and thats saying something.
I always said that if I was to get a tattoo, it would have to have a specific meaning, something that would represent me as a person, so as my middle name is rose, it makes sense that the rose represents my name, as well as relating back to my love of oh so pretty flowers. In addition to the rose I also have a peony, one of my favourite flowers.
One of the things that stops people from getting a tattoo is the so called dreaded pain. I had my tattoo on the inner of my left forearm (as shown on the image) and I cannot really state what my pain tolerance is because it depends! personally I prepared myself for the worse, because if you tell yourself its gonna be easy, when it turns out to be as painful as all hell you're gonna be in for a long ride! Personally the "pain" wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be, i'll admit the thinner lines weren't pain free, but they where still bearable, all I needed to do was just close my eyes, and it was over in a matter of seconds. They just felt like scratches, to put it simple I have been through a lot worse!
One of the best feelings is when the tattoo artist wipes the tattoo, it feels so cool against the warm burning!
The next few days where a slow process, as I found it so hard to do anything because with the tattoo being on my arm I was constantly holding it in weird positions so it didnt brush against my clothes or touch anything as you need to keep it so clean! the method of cleaning your tattoo by dabbing it with clean, warm soapy water was always so soothing, especially doing it around 4 times a day! and rubbing bepanthen on the tattoo was always the icing on the cake, especially when it came to the itchy stage, it was so cooling and calm (thats what makes my tattoo look shiny on the image).
So overall my tattoo experience was nothing but exhilarating and wonderful, id have more added on to my existing tattoo tomorrow if I could!
Here are a few things i'd say to anyone thinking of/getting a tattoo:
1 Make sure you know exactly what you want, be this the location, the size, if it's black and grey or colour, and most importantly, the image that you want tattooed! remember this is going to be on your body for the rest of your life, so make sure you're 100% sure of the design you want, and dont just have one for the fun of it.
2 Do your research. There are so many tattoo artists and tattoo parlours out there it can get a bit overwhelming! For me personally I googled tattoo shops in Manchester and was provided with a nice list of tattoo places (thanks google). Give the options you research some thorough investigation, and reviews from customers are always useful to read. In addition, tattoo artists can specify in a certain type of tattoo, a particular artist may specialise on realism, whilst another tattoo artist may specialise in black and grey, or dot work. Usually a tattoo studio will have a kind of online portfolio showing a selection of different tattoos the artist has created, so you can see then and there which tattoo artist you want to ask for.
3 Dont google pain tolerance! Everyone tolerates pain in a different way, and googling the pain levels of a tattoo may not be specifically accurate to you. If you want a tattoo that bad, you'd put up with any kind of pain no matter what!
4 Have reference images, these images are what your tattoo artist will need to know what you want to be done. They dont know what you want specifically, so images are obviously really handy. If you have a few styles/ideas you like print them off and take them to your artist, they will help you to narrow down your ideas.
5 Bring support with you, be this your mum, dad or even your best friend. Some people are more independent than others, but I know personally that my nerves would of been even worse if I was on my own when getting my tattoo. Granted, my parents left to do a bit of shopping 5 minutes into having it done, but having them around just before and five minutes into the tattoo was a nice thing to fall back on.
6 Dont let anyone put you off. There's always someone who cannot stand the sight of a tattoo, and there will always someone who will say "you know thats going to be on your skin forever right?" If you personally feel that getting a tattoo is what you want, you dont need anyones approval. As someone once said, if your body is a temple, why not decorate the walls?
7 Be prepared to pay. Tattoos are not cheap, especially if you want something good. Im all about a good bargain and saving a bit of money, but this moral was thrown out the window for the quest for my tattoo, as id rather pay a bit and get a beautiful piece of artwork put on me rather than save a few pounds and be stuck with something horrible. Plus, the price always varies depending on your artist, and what you want.
8 Look after your tattoo. Once the deed is done you're gonna have to look after it properly in order to keep it clean and healthy. The tattoo studio I attended supplied me with an information sheet with everything I needed to know. Stick to these rules and your tattoo will be ready in no time. The most important thing is not to itch it, no matter how hard it gets!
9 Enjoy it! Getting your first tattoo should be an enjoyable experience and something you want to remember, dont see it as a couple of hours of pain, see it as an adventure and a challenge! you feel great once its done!
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