| At A Glance | |
| Author | jasonthe29th |
| Contact | jasonthe29th@bme.anon |
| IAM | jasonthe29th |
| When | Five years ago |
| Artist | Jonathan Pitcher |
| Studio | A Dermagraphic Production |
| Location | Augusta, Georgia |
There was a time when I didn't really didn't care much for tattoos. Growing up in a small farm town in Illinois with no major cities near is kind of like living inside of a bubble. There were a couple of tattoo shops in towns near by, but they were nothing to be admired. Really the only tattoos I had been exposed to were on bikers or friends of mine who gave themselves tattoos in science class. That kind of left me with a negative feeling about tattoos. Honestly I felt that way until I was 18 years old and I moved to Augusta, Georgia.
This was like the city to me and it seemed like there was a tattoo shop on every corner. I had already been into piercing for a while, but this was like nothing I had ever seen. I had never seen such beautiful colors and unlimited designs. I had never thought this was possible. I had never even seen a tattoo magazine before. Even though my eyes had been opened a little bit wider, I still didn't feel that tattoos were for me.
In the late 90's I made friends with Jonathan Pitcher. I had set up a booth at a car show cutting decals and he was tattooing in the booth next to mine. I was fascinated with the process and soon I began to hang out more and more in the tattoo shop that he worked at. I watched a lot of people get tattoos, and I saw a lot of great work. I began to see the art in it. My brother and his wife got a couple of small flash pieces. Then my best friend got some kanji on his arm. One by one almost everyone I new was getting tattoos. I was still afraid that I would be too critical and end up hating whatever I got.
One night while I was working out of town, I got a call from my wife, Laura.
"Your going to be mad at me," she said.
"You got a tattoo didn't you?" I asked.
And she had. I have to admit, my feeling were a little hurt. Maybe it was a little bit of jealousy. I felt like she was freer than I was. So I was determined to get my ink as soon as I got home. When I got home I drew a set of angel wings in a graffiti style. Inside of the wings are my initials, "JKC". I added a set of devil horns, a devil tail, and a halo. I guess that it symbolizes a kind of a good versus evil type thing. I used simple colors because that was how I drew back then. Up until that point everyone had got small tattoos. Even Laura's was relatively small and on the side of her foot. So I wanted mine bigger. About six inches across, as opposed to two inches that most everyone else had.
I went to see Jonathan at the tattoo shop he worked for at the time, and began to get my first tattoo. It hurt, but it wasn't a hurt like I expected it to be. I think it felt more like bad sunburn. It took a while to do; I tend to draw with thick outlines and a lot of small shapes. I think that he did a perfect job. I'm not sure if I tipped him or not, remember I was new at this. But I think I paid about $130 for it and he gave me a bottle of Eucerin. As I remember it healed up well and without complications.
Since then I have had a new perspective as far as tattoos go. I understand what they are all about and that you are not limited to what you see on the wall. I am glad that I waited and didn't get a tattoo just to get one when I was a kid. A lot of people have at least one or two tattoos that they regret getting.
I am glad that I don't.
When Laura got her tattoo it made me feel like she was free and that I wasn't. I was bound by my own reservations and fears and small town attitude. I think getting tattooed is one of the greatest things that a person can do if they respect the significance of it. It can also be one of the worse if they don't. In my case, I am glad that I can always know that it was my wings that set me free.