Last week, I got my very first tattoo, and I could not be any more excited about it. It's one of those things where it's not very exciting to other people, but to you and your friends/family is a huge deal. It's like, passing Calculus: you and your friends and family know how many times you threw the textbook at the wall and the multiple all-nighters pulled right before the final, but if you tell a stranger, he or she is unlikely to think it's all that exciting (cause everyone can pass calc, right?).
Have Your Voice Heard: Become an Odyssey Creator
Nonetheless, leading up to my appointment I was a nervous wreck, as are many people getting their first tattoo. This was mainly because it was a new experience that involved needles and the idea of permanent markings on my skin, and a little bit because I have the pain tolerance of a new-born baby. But overall, I had a great experience, and I learned a lot. So to anyone thinking about getting a tattoo at some point, or anyone who just wants some insight, here is my advice and what I learned getting my first tattoo.
Before
First off and obviously, any tattoo you get is going to be on your skin forever. Dun dun dun. Everybody, mainly those who disapprove of you getting a tattoo, will remind you of that fact. And honestly, if you didn't already know that, I would frown upon getting a tattoo in the first place. But anyways, do your research before deciding whether or not you actually want to get a tattoo.
After you've decided that you do in fact want a tattoo, the next step is deciding what and where you want it! This is a very personal decision, and it's important to consider all variables when deciding. I would like to add that, despite what some people believe, your tattoo does not have to be meaningful (although, in my opinion, anything you get will be meaningful just because of the fact that you want it on your body forever).
Yes, some people get their children's names, or birds that symbolize something, or matching tattoos with others, but that doesn't mean it's required. You shouldn't have to justify your tattoo to anyone except yourself. For example, my best friend and I had been planning to get some-what matching tattoos for almost four years; she was going to get a moon and I was going to get a sun, to fit our personalities and as a sign of our friendship. When we originally had the idea, we were going to get almost matching ones with a half quote on each. However, we both decided that we wanted something a little different, and we made our own (gorgeous) designs into something that we loved. So, I guess you could say that my tattoo is meaningful to me. It's not an obvious sign of our friendship, but it's something that we did together and will always cherish.
The next vital part of getting a tattoo is picking a location or shop to get it in. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there is an overabundance of shops, especially in urban areas. The best advice I have is to get recommendations from friends and family members and then go check those places out for yourself.
When you go and visit different shops, make sure to bring a sketch of your design and have a general sense of the size and where you want it to be. This is so that you can get a price range, and so the shop can decide which artist would be the best for the job; some artists specialize in colors, others could be great at doing realistic/face designs, and others could have amazing penmanship. Remember, it's a work of art on your body!
Also remember that the person doing your tattoo is an artist, which means that he or she doesn't want to copy a design that you saw on Pinterest. Whatever sketch you bring in, your artist is going to redraw it and possibly put their own design in it to make it original. Just be open-minded!
The last important thing to remember is on the day of your appointment: be conscious of what you put into your body. Drink water, eat a solid meal, and avoid blood thinners (like aspirin). You're virtually going to get stabbed repeatedly, which means you don't want to pass out or bleed too much. Also, avoid alcohol. Alcohol and tattoos do not mix well.
During
You're most likely gonna be sweating. That's okay. Load up on deodorant.
As I mentioned before, I have a very low pain tolerance, so the amount of pain associated with getting the tattoo was the scariest thing to me. But honestly, I can't really say how much it is going to hurt, because it depends on a lot of things, including where the tattoo is, pain tolerance, and the kind of needle being used. So, the amount of pain is completely up in the air, sorry guys. But I survived, so it couldn't be too awful, right?
Going off of pain, keep in mind that in the process of a tattoo, some spots can hurt more than others. In particular, anytime a bone or muscle is being done, you will feel it. Also, anytime the needle gets close to a portion of skin already tattooed, there will be noticeably more pain. And, what I definitely wish I had known before, the lighter the color, the more painful it is. That's because the lighter the color, the deeper the needles have to go into your skin (yuck) in order to make sure the color stays.
Just be sure to ask for breaks if you need them! Especially if it's your first tattoo, the pain is new and weird, and your artist will completely understand. I took really deep breaths between stabs to calm myself.
Another issue you may face is clothing. If you're getting your tat on your ankle or lower arm, it doesn't really matter what you wear. Mine is on my back shoulder, just above bra line, which meant that while I was getting it done, I had to have my shirt pulled up to expose my full back. My friend got hers on her rib, so she had to hold her shirt up, exposing her stomach, and lay on her side. Be sure that you're comfortable showing any part of your body necessary depending on where you get your tattoo and wear clothing that will allow you to pull it up or just take it off if need be.
Lastly, just know that your skin is most likely going to bleed. I mean, you are letting someone stab you repeatedly. So if you're squeamish, it's best to not look. Or better yet, get it on your back or someplace where you can't stare at it.
Afterwards
Immediately after getting off of the bench, I didn't notice the pain on my tattoo, but rather how sore my back and stomach were. Although my tat was finished in about twenty minutes, I had been clenching my body instinctively the entire time. Even though I couldn't help it, I was not expecting to be sore afterwards.
Depending on where you get your tat and how you lay, sleeping could be an issue. I sleep on my back, which was an issue for the first couple of nights, considering it hurt to put any pressure on my back shoulder. However, after about four nights I was able to lay on my back comfortably.
Relating to sleeping, don't be surprised if your tattoo bleeds a little ink the first few nights. It's best to sleep with a rag or towel under the spot to avoid staining on your sheets.
Also, it is going to itch. After about a week, your tat is going to scab up, which will make it very itchy. The most important thing to remember is to moisturize multiple times a day (using unscented lotion, like Cetaphil) and not scratch or peel. If you scratch off the scab, there's an easier chance of it becoming infected and the healing process has to being again. So be careful and lotion up.
Ultimately, it's your body, which means that you can do what you want with it. So while it is important to listen to others' advice, you're the one who has to look at your tattoo forever, so be sure to get what you want, where you want.
Happy inking!!!
**WARNING: if you did everything right, you may feel the annoying tendency to look at your new tat every time you pass a mirror. Unclear how long this effect will last.**
All photos credited to Amber Zundel
