Kat's fifth post
I love tattoos. As of right now, I have 10 and many more planned. When I was little, I never understood the appeal of having ink in your skin forever; this may be because my parents felt the same way. My mom hates my tattoos, and she hates when I get new ones. My dad claims that he just doesn’t understand. It’s alright though, I feel like we’ve made it past the meltdown stage when they see I’ve gotten a new piece done.
In the beginning of 2019, I decided that I wanted to start making some changes to my life that I solely got to control. Instead of getting a gym membership like my mom suggested, I went to a tattoo and piercing studio instead. In Minnesota, you have to be 18 to get a piercing or tattoo done without a parent with you, and since I had turned 18 in October, I was all set. My first “big girl decision” was to get a rook and a helix piercing. I absolutely loved them; these first two new piercings were soon joined by several more, eventually topping out at 19 (for now). Confined to only my ears and my nose, I felt like all of my piercings were relatively tame. In March, I decided to step away from just piercings and to get my first tattoo. I didn’t get a piece that was super visible, or personal to me. My thinking was that I didn’t want to have something overly complicated somewhere that I would see it all the time; I wanted my first tattoo to be like this incase I hated living with a tattoo. Luckily, I fell in love with it right away. As the spring and summer passed, I got more ink periodically, along with more piercings of course. My mother thought that I had completely gone off the rails.
I think that I like having tattoos because it’s a very direct way to control how I look. I like having a piece of art on my body that no else has. While the tattoo itself is obviously the long term impact of the process, I also love everything else that comes with it. Planning where I want an art piece, how big I want it, what style, and other details is an incredibly fun way to pass my time. I also love researching the artist and conferencing with them about what they want to do with my idea; I’ve often found that blending our ideas births an even better end result than I imagined. I find few things more fun than getting ready for a day of tattooing. In Ireland, I got a seven hour thigh piece done. I loved packing up my bag of snacks and books and other entertainment for the day. Although getting tattoos isn’t for everyone, it is definitely one of my favorite things to plan and have done.
I've never really been interested in getting a tattoo myself, but I think they can look cool if well done. I never really thought about getting them as a way to have "A unique piece of art that no one else has" and I think that's a really interesting perspective on why people get them, and probably more often now than ever. Good luck on finding future pieces!
ReplyDeleteThis was really interesting to read. I have thought about getting a small tattoo before, but I am so indecisive that I don't think I could ever, also I think my mom would kill me. I agree that having a tattoo is a "piece of art that no one else has". My friend actually drew one of her own tattoos, which I think is a great way to express oneself.
ReplyDeleteI really liked your article. Personally, I am not brave enough to get a tattoo without my mother's approval because I genuinely believe that if I did get one, she would disown me or ship me off to military school or something. I have always considered getting one, especially when I turned 18 and my mother was not in the country to stop me but at that time, I didn't know what I would get. It wasn't until recently that I figured out what I wanted and where I wanted it but I still don't really have the courage to get it done. My best friend also got a tattoo when she turned 18 and watching her have to take care of it and be so afraid that she was gonna get an infection or that the ink was gonna smudge was very traumatizing.
ReplyDeleteI think the part that interested me most was how you didn't want to have something "super visible, or personal to" you. Your thought process was definitely valid but in my eyes, I always believed that the first one would be the most meaningful one because just the idea of firsts have been so romanticized by society. A person's first words, first steps and first anything have always held such an important meaning to that person and those around them which is why if I get a tattoo, I would want my first tattoo to be one that means the most to me and I would want to see it everyday as a reminder.