Oh wow is there anything more exciting than turning 18 (except maybe 21 if you're american)? Luckily for me my birthday always falls during spring break and this year was no exception. I have always admired old school tattoos and especially the wide variations that exist of your traditional pair of swallows. After shopping around for the right image to begin working my ideas around I showed up at True Blue Tattoo on the recommendation of a family friend who is a piercer.
At A Glance Author ladyday Contact DeargCeol@aol.com When A month ago Artist Scott Ellis Studio True Blue Tattoo Location Austin, TX As soon as I entered the studio I felt very relaxed and comfortable especially considering I was a first timer and had every right to be nervous. But instead of my nightmare scenario of walking into a smoky pit full of tattooed bikers who would look down on a first-timer, I was immediately greeted by a super friendly lady artist who was excited about my tattoo as me. I was very fortunate to have found my artist Scott as he has logged many years in the industry and managed to erase my biggest fear about the whole process: that the artist would be too heavy-handed and press down too hard thus ruining my tattoo. When the actual day came we had worked out my design and communicated back and forth with him sending me sketches and me playing around with them.
He was really understanding about my nervousness and reassured me that even he is still slightly jittery himself getting new tattoos. He said ofcourse it would hurt some but that really I would relax after awhile. He was right and can you believe I very nearly drifted off to sleep while he was working because I was so relaxed? I am terrified of needles normally when I go to the doctor to have blood taken I black out every time just from the fear that comes with anticipating the needle poking me. But really the only time that I thought "Oh God this stings please hurry up" was at the very end as I was just hitting my pain threshold and he had to stay in one highly sensitive spot to fill in the eye. It was right on a nerve ending next to my spine and the left side of my body tingled during that but other than that when he started I said "wow this really isnt bad at all." I did get fairly woozy afterwards from lying down for so long but mostly from looking at my finished tattoo in the mirror and seeing the blood. Yes I get sick at the sight of my own blood. I had to wipe my forehead and lie back down but at the end I hopped up, he took a picture for his portfolio and I was out of there and very very pleased. I will be going back in 2 weeks to get the other swallow done and am quite fortunate in being so pale that the colors are brilliantly bright.
My artist said he's been tattooing for years and has never seen the colors come out so bright on someone. He warned me about scabbing afterwards but I did not scab at all. I peeled quite alot like a bad sunburn would and I had to force myself to keep my hands off of it. Washing it twice a day followed my curels lotion kept the peeling under mild control and even as it has been healed for a month I still repeat this ritual to ensure it's lasting quality. What I have heard from everyone I know who has tattoos and from my artist himself who said he could not stress it enough was "do not under any circumstances pick the damn scabs!" It will ruin your tattoo faster and more unlikely to be completely fixable without a total cover up than anything except maybe an infection.
I feel very blessed to have found a studio and an artist who did so much to ease my first timer fears and I think I had an easier time than most folks in terms of feeling uncomfortable and wanting to back out. My appointment was on a day when the shop isnt normally open so it was just me, my best friend and scott there so no audience to make me feel pressured into not backing out. Mainly what helped me personally in calming my anticipatory anxiety about the tattoo was getting lots of sleep the night before, listening to soft music all morning until the appointment and most important of all, focusing all my brain power on how happy I was going to be afterwards. I believe I didn't back out because I knew it was something that I've wanted for so long and so badly that were I to not go through with it I would never be able to forgive myself. Don't focus on the process itself but the finished product and how happy it's going to make you.