I had never considered getting a tattoo before I ended my first long term relationship several months ago. I had gone from living with my parents to living with my boyfriend, and never really been on my own. To celebrate, I went on a trip, alone, to Las Vegas and there I was struck by the urge to be tattooed. I guess it came of my newfound independence and the desire to claim possession of my own body.
At A Glance Author meghan Contact meghan@bme.anon When Three months ago Artist Vince Studio Silver on the Mount Location Hollywood, FL Unfortunately, I couldn't find the design I had in mind then, nor could I afford those images that were kind of similar but not really (I got my bellybutton pierced instead), something for which I am now very grateful. Let me go on a bit more and explain why.
I came home to start life on my own, and immediately nothing went as planned. The job I had went belly-up, getting a new job took forever, my savings nearly ran out. There were problems with my apartment and problems with my car that led to unexpected expenses. The friends who had helped me through my break-up suddenly vanished, consumed with their own lives and problems.
Things picked up bit by bit. Then, one day, I happened to be glancing through a catalog that I'd had around forever and noticed a framed print for sale. I'd seen it before but never paid much attention to it. It was the kanji for 'chaos,' the third hexagram of the I-ching. Below it the description said: "...as a new plant breaks the ground with great difficulty...so must we sometimes push against difficulty in bringing forth our dreams." That was it. I immediately knew that I had to have this image tattooed on my body.
I did more research, fell even more in love with the kanji and what it meant, refined my idea of what I wanted to include the hexagram itself (a set of six solid and broken lines). I picked Silver on the Mount simply because I had passed it so many times and seen the signs in the window, boasting "Reader's Choice" from a local paper. I dropped by one afternoon with my picture and got a quote. The price was well within my budget, and that was it. Shortly thereafter, I took the day off and went for it.
They'd just opened and I was the only customer. I told them what I wanted, gave the assistant my picture; he got it ready and put what I assume was a topical anesthetic on my lower back, where I'd decided to get it. They don't get any points for explaining what was going on. (Everyone was impressed and amazed at the amount of research I'd done and how much meaning I placed on the image. I guess I'm a bit of an information freak.) After a while of sitting around looking at photos of Vince's work, I was called back. They gave me a lollipop to suck on and had me sit sideways, bent over a pillow, on a dentists' chair. I honestly have to say it was awkward and uncomfortable, and amazingly, probably the most unpleasant part of the whole experience. I'm short and Vince is not; he had to raise the chair and my feet were off the ground so I kept feeling like I'd slide off. My greatest fear was that I'd flinch or shift or move in some way that would ruin it halfway through.
But the pain was far less than I'd expected. It wasn't a very big tattoo at all, but it was close to bone and from what I'd heard, I'd been expecting it to hurt more. Instead, I started to feel a little drowsy, which only increased my desire to sit absolutely still so it would be perfect. The hexagram, compared to the kanji, contains tiny lines, but they had to be in the right order or it would change the meaning (if you're the least bit familiar with the I-ching, you'll understand). I wanted it to be absolutely perfect, since I would have it forever.
Thankfully, Vince lived up to his reputation. An hour after I'd arrived I was done and ready to go home. The aftercare recommended at Silver on the Mount was a little different than what I'd read online and heard from others, but I decided to go with it. It involved removing the bandage only an hour later and melting an ice cube over the area (well covered in A and E ointment, of course). Then I babied it. I let it get as much air as possible and moisturized it constantly. When I had to wear clothes over it, I followed their recommendation to tape plastic wrap over it to keep the moisture in and as uncomfortable as this was, I think it really made a difference. A guy at my job got a tattoo the day after I did and took very little care of it. You could see the difference. After a week mine was already healed; his still wasn't and the color had altered.
It's gorgeous. I've gotten tons of compliments from people and I often wear low-rise pants to show it off. I'm not the least bit shy about flashing it, even when it means showing my underwear. But the most important thing is that I adore it completely. It's as though it was always there, waiting to come out. I know I'll never regret it.
I plan to get more tattoos in the future. My new boyfriend says I've 'got the fever' and to not go crazy, but I know I won't because I want every experience to be as meaningful as this one was.