I turned 18 on Oct. 18th. I had been waiting for this day for sooo long. I could finally buy cigarettes, lottery tickets, go to clubs, and above all, GET A TATTOO!
At A Glance Author Kati Contact mixiebaby40oz@aol.com When A week ago Artist Rob Studio Island Tattoo Location Galveston,TX - 12:01 a.m. Oct. 18th-
I went to the convenience store that would never let me buy cigarettes, flashed my ID and told them to give me a pack of Marlboro Milds... ahhhh, I was 18! I didn't go to sleep until 5 a.m due to my excitement of the joyous things that would later come that day!
At about 12 noon, I headed down to Galveston with my best friend, Steffani and we ended up at my boyfriend's beach house. We hung out for a little bit but as time went by, I was getting a bit ansy. The tattoo shop didn't open until 3.
Then finally, 3 approached and we headed down to the shop. Lo and behold, it was NOT open. I was so pumped to get a tattoo, the adrenaline was running through my body like water! We decided to go to the other tattoo shop that was a little further down the seawall and, surprise, surprise they were open! I walked in, asked if they could do my tattoo and asked how much it would cost. $50. All the other places wanted at least $100+ for it so I was really happy about that. I asked the questions I was supposed to i.e sterilization,technique,etc. I looked at the portfolios and told them I was ready.
Well, I had to wait for the tattoo artist to come in. 15 minutes of pure anxiety! I knew I couldn't back out of it now. I was so nervous. I didn't know whether or not to just not get it or go though with it. It was a challenge to me and this was one I was going to win. I was NOT going to freak myself out and back out of it.
The guy arrived and I was a wreck! I was sooo excited I couldn't wait to get in the back and feel the "pain" of a thousand needles! He took me back but made sure my boyfriend and my best friend could still see what he was doing.
He asked me if I had any requests for music and I told him SUBLIME... that always puts me in a good mood so I was a bit more comfortable. He prepped me, shaved me, did whatever he had to do... then, we were ready. He sat me on a huge box and made me lean on my legs(I got my tattoo on my lower back). He gave me a stone to rub, saying it helped with the pain. It was time. I heard the buzz and....
No Pain! I was in heaven! I was so surprised at how little it hurt until he got near my spine. That's when I cringed. It took 2 hours to do but he at least let me have a few cigarette breaks in between. So we all went outside and talked and joked around.
People say that the outlining hurts worse than the filling in, I tend to disagree. At certain points, it felt like a sharp knife was just slicing me open, but it felt good. Good in the sense that I was getting a tattoo!
When I was done, he gave me a mirror to look at it in and I was so freakin' happy! He did more detail that I asked him to. He did the outline 3 times, and it has so much intricate detail done to it. I was flabergasted! I couldn't believe how well of a job he did! I made sure I gave him a goooood tip! He told me that all his work is garanteed and if I ever need to get it touched up, come in, ask for him and he'll do it for free!
So after that, I ended up with a baseball size tribal lotus flower on my back. I've been wanting this tattoo ever since I was 15! This tattoo actually has meaning to me too. The lotus flower is the "purest of all flowers" and that's what my name means(Kathryn). Also, I'm a libra and ruled by Venus, which ties in with Aphrodite, who was born from the sea holding a lotus. Not only do I love this type of flower, it ties into the person I am!
Later that night, I had a keg party and was so worried about drinking after getting my tattoo so I called Rob and asked him... his words..."party your ass off girl!" Needless to say, I did.
I am so happy with my tattoo, I'm already planning my next one! But mind you, this will be the only big one, just because it's the most special one to me!
This tattoo means sooo much to me, it will forever remind me of the good day I had on Oct. 18th!!!