5 Tips For Your First Tattoo | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Health and Wellness

5 Tips For Your First Tattoo

Just a few things to know before you get your first tattoo!

27
5 Tips For Your First Tattoo
Clem Onojeghuo

Last weekend I got my first tattoo, and while I'm sitting here typing this article, I'm staring at it in disbelief. This idea to get a tattoo is something I have been sitting with for a few months now, and the significance behind the tattoo is what inspired me to get it in the first place. The months up until I got my tattoo were filled with hundreds of Pinterest articles, discussions with friends about what I was even going to do, and quite frankly, fear. I am not the biggest fan of needles, and I could only imagine what the pain was going to be like. I knew I wanted the tattoo on my wrist, and through all the articles I had read, the wrist was seemingly a very painful place. But, I went through with it anyway and I survived! Now, here are five things I wish I had known (and thankful to know) before I went to get my first tattoo.

1. Go with trusted friends

I was blessed to go with my two best friends, and they made the experience so bearable. Not only were they able to laugh with me while I made various faces, but they were also the first people to validate that this permeant mark I was getting on my body was amazing. Shout out to Sarah for letting me squeeze the life out of her hand during the entire process. Really, have someone there whose hand you can hold.

2. Breathe. It really isn't that painful.

If you are thinking of a tattoo but are worried about how painful it may be, I am here to assure you that it really isn't that bad. I asked so many people who I knew had tattoos about the pain, and they all described it as something that wasn't fun, but definitely not unbearable. I did doubt their descriptions at first, because I had the idea that this was going to be extremely painful, and I chalked up their experiences to them just having high pain tolerance. As someone with low pain tolerance, I can assure you that while it isn't a fun pain, it isn't unbearable. My best friend and one of the people who came with me described the pain as a long cat scratch, and that's exactly how I would describe it.

3. Please eat and drink something beforehand

I'm the kind of person where if I haven't eaten and properly hydrated before something, like a physical activity or a stressful situation, I'll get really shaky. If this happens to you, then definitely get something to eat and bring a water bottle before you go. I would recommend not getting something with caffeine, or something super sugary. You don't want anything that'll make you jittery - you know what makes your body calm, and what gets you jacked up. Before my tattoo, I had a cheese omelette and water with electrolytes in it.

4. Find a good tattoo artist

Now this may seem like a no-brainer, but this really matters. I don't only mean good in the sense of design and actual art ability, but in personality as well. I went into this fearing judgement from my tattoo artist because I had read articles where tattoo artists judge you if you're getting what society would call a "basic" tattoo. I mean basic in the sense of getting something cheesy, or cliche. While my tattoo was not a classic, cheesy, or cliche image, I still feared judgement. But when I walked in, and talked to my tattoo artist, he was so welcoming, non-judgemental, and made me feel so uncomfortable. He cracked jokes with me and my friends, and was extremely genuine. He truly made the experience so great, and I'm so thankful for that. Plus, he made an incredible tattoo!

5. Fall in love with your tattoo

Everyone tells you how this is going to be permeant and it'll be on you for the rest of your life so it better be worth it, blah blah blah. Of course, what they are saying definitely has some truth to it. But, I think there is this idea that we can't get a tattoo unless it symbolizes something deeper and we have to justify why we get a tattoo. While my own personal tattoo has significance to me, I believe any reason you want a tattoo is justified (within reason obviously). If something has enough meaning that you can justify to yourself that you want it on your body forever, then get that tattoo. You will be able to have that connection with whatever symbol or word you choose for the rest of your life, and that's beautiful. Get out there, get that tattoo, and go love it with all your heart.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Student Life

5 Things To Do That Are Better Than Writing A Paper

Don't waste your time trying to write that paper when there are so many more interesting things you could be doing.

7156
computer keyboard
Unsplash

Writing a paper is never fun and is rarely rewarding. The writer's block, the page requirement, be specific, but don’t summarize, make sure you fixed any grammatical errors, did you even use spellcheck? and analyze, analyze, analyze.

Papers can be a major pain. They take up so much time and effort that by the end of the process you hate yourself and you hate the professor for making life so difficult. Questions of your existence start roaming in your mind. Am I even cut out for college if I can’t write a single paper? Am I even capable of taking care of myself if I lack the energy to open my laptop and start typing?

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons Why Sisters Are The Best

Who could be a better friend than your own sister?

4322
sisters
Taylor Hooper

I can barely remember back when I was the only child. Most would say it’s because it is extremely difficult to remember things as a toddler but I would say it's because I was bored until my sister came along. My mother always says how important the "sister bond" is and with every year that passes I realize how right she is. Instead of writing a novel about all of the wonderful things there are about having a sister I decided to list a few of them instead.

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

How To Adult

You're gonna make it after all.

5095
how to adult
Twitter

It is the time of our lives that we are beginning to enter the adult world and most of us, if not all of us, have no idea what we are doing. It's like starting a video game, but skipping the tutorial. We're all just running around aimlessly hoping we accidentally do something right that moves us along the right path. Now that graduation has just happened, or is right around the corner for some of us, it's time to start thinking about how we are going to take care of ourselves once we are on our own.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

7 Signs You're A Starbucks Addict

I'll be the first one to admit I'm addicted to Starbucks.

3045
drinking coffee
Tumblr

If you’re anything like me, you love a good cup of coffee. My coffee always comes from Starbucks; I refuse to drink it from anywhere else. Over the years, it’s become one of my biggest addictions. So, if you are aware that you’re a Starbucks addict as well, or maybe you need to check to see if you’re an addict, here are seven ways to tell.

Keep Reading...Show less
people  in library
Photo by redcharlie on Unsplash

College involves a whirlwind of emotions, whether it’s from the stress of an assignment (or twenty), or from fighting with your roommate. It can be overwhelming at times and it’s important to take a step a back and calmly think things over. Maybe gain some perspective. The following aren’t foolproof tips and may not apply to you, but I was able to find success with them (hope you do too!)

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments