Choosing the meaning, timing, and right person for a tattoo

Tattoos have been around for thousands of years, but it’s only been within the past few years that tattoos have really become popular as a way of expressing oneself. There are a few things that I have found about tattoos over the years:

It needs to mean something. You’re putting permanent ink on your body. I hope it has a deeper meaning behind it other than just ‘I thought it looked cool’.

The timing has to be right. Someone who is serious about ink will understand that the timing must be perfect for getting that tattoo. If it’s a memorial to someone you love, generally the tattoo is done after they pass away. If that tattoo is to represent a club or affiliation you are a part of, generally you aren’t going to get it until after you’ve joined that club or affiliation. I think you get the idea.

It has to be completed by the right person. For me, I can’t just walk into any tattoo shop and say ‘I want some ink’. I have to know the artist, I have to know his or her style, and I have to know that the entire experience is something I want. If, for example, I walk into a tattoo shop and the artist has zero personality I will leave without ink. For me, it’s more of a ritual. I need the whole experience surrounding the tattoo to be positive because it’s the memories that will stay with me.

Also, when I am picking my artist, I need to know that he or she really knows what they are doing. I’ve seen artists do whatever tattoo the customer wants, wherever the customer wants, and in whatever color(s) the customer wants. Frankly, I don’t like this. As the artist, you’re supposed to be the expert. Certain tattoos aren’t going to look good on certain places on the body. Certain colors aren’t going to stick well, or look aesthetically appealing, on certain skin tones. These are things the artist should know and let the customer know prior to beginning the tattoo.

Getting a tattoo is therapeutic – for me at least. I’ve even fallen asleep while being worked on. It can start out fairly painful, and some areas of the body are much more sensitive than others, but once the skin begins to numb I find it quite relaxing. The way you handle getting a tattoo will also depend on your pain tolerance. The higher your pain tolerance, the less you’ll hurt while getting the tattoo. What’s funny is that one side of your body can also have a higher level of pain tolerance than the other (mine is my right side – kinda weird).

There’s so much to learn about tattoos, but the expression can be so beautiful if done right.