EEEK! I’ve been wanting to do this one for a while but totally forgot about it until today. Oops. I recently came across the original design for my tattoo, and it reminded me! I’m so excited!!!
I would like to preface this by saying that I am in no way an expert on this topic; I myself only have one tattoo. But I know that I’m a very thorough researcher, and I have put a lot of time and effort into learning this information. So I hope it serves you well!
This article can be useful for people who already have tattoos, but is mostly for beginners/blank canvases.
So without further ado, here’s some things I’ve learned about tattoos and the best way to approach getting them! The first half is about the artist, the second half is about you!
#1. ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS find a reputable tattoo artist. Do NOT under ANY CIRCUMSTANCES accept getting a tattoo from your sketchy cousin who will do it for free. Not only is it unwise for the quality of the design, is is ESSENTIAL in keeping your health! Tattoo shops have to go through rigorous sanitary checks on a frequent basis. They clean thoroughly between each client and make sure that the area is sterile. Without the special deep cleanings, a tattoo shop would be a very VERY dangerous place. Not only can bacteria and infection get into your skin, it can get into your blood. So make sure that you are going to a reputable, clean, professional artist.
#2. Select an artist who does the style of tattoo you want! Tattooists are like everybody else in the art world; they have their ‘thing’. Even if an artist can draw in four different styles, you’re going to be much better off going to someone who is really really good at their one thing, and ENJOYS doing it. For example: you wouldn’t commission a watercolor artist to paint an oil painting, would you? Because although they are both art, and they are both paint centered, there’s a lot of differences between them. The same can be applied for stylized tattoos. Plus, the tattoo will turn out so much better if both parties are excited about it! So find someone who is as passionate about it as you are.
#3. Make sure that you pay attention and trust your artist! Trust is an essential part of tattoos working out. So, it’s probably a good idea to find an artist who’s open and willing to communicate. Make sure that they know if you’re new to this, because that will be very important. Not only can they then walk you through it all, but they can also make sure you understand what you’re getting yourself into! If they tell you that the spot you chose is not a good idea, it’s a good idea to listen! If they tell you that you need to keep certain rules in order to heal afterwards, you need to follow those instructions! Trust that they know what they’re doing and that they want this to work out too!
#1. THINK ABOUT THE TATTOO THAT YOU WANT BEFORE YOU GET IT!
Yes, people actually get tattoos without thinking about it! If you haven’t figured out the placement, the color (or lack of such), the sizing, the style, or any of the necessary specifications, DO NOT GET THE TATTOO! It’s that simple! Plan ahead!
#2. Do NOT get a tattoo for someone else! While getting “mom” in script over a big red heart might not be a bad tattoo, it will be one that you might regret if you didn’t get it for you. The same goes for anything. Don’t buy a dog because your neighbor thinks you should have one. It is YOUR BODY. You have to be careful letting anyone else make decisions about what goes on your skin. Now, there are a few exceptions that I feel are mildly acceptable:
1. If you and a trusted person want to pick tattoos for each other as a method of bonding (like best friends or something), and you know they will choose something that you like. This is still a pretty bad idea in my book unless you get to see the tattoo before it’s in your skin, but I digress. It’s up to you.
2. If you want to let your tattoo artist pick something. Personally, this is something I desperately want to do before I die. Most artists have a dream piece that they want to do, and one of my dreams is to fulfill that for someone. I want to see their excitement when a job they love gives them a client who will let them do whatever they want. I don’t think it’s a great idea for everyone, it’s just something that I’d like to do one day.
There are, of course, other options that I’m sure aren’t too bad. But that isn’t my point. Especially if this is your first, it is up to YOU whether or not you want a tattoo!
#3. Don’t let yourself be pressured about your tattoo! (This goes along with the last one in some cases.) Whatever the design or style or color or placement you choose, it’s up to you! Don’t let anyone alter or change your tattoo unless you give them express permission. If it’s going on your skin, then it’s up to you what it looks like! That means that if you like green but your mom likes blue, you should go with green! If you like pigeons but your BFF likes doves, go with a pigeon! While it might seem like a cute way to make them happy in the moment, remember that it’s YOU who has to live with it on your skin for the rest of your life! Now, if you want to get a little script of your lover’s name in their favorite color, that’s fine! Just as long as it’s your choice, not theirs. Don’t be afraid to tell them that their preference isn’t your choice. While it might hurt their feelings in the short run, it saves you from regret in the long run.
#4. KEEP CLEAN! It’s very important that you hold still and stay still when your artist is cleaning your skin and when you’re getting the tattoo! As sterile as the area might be, bacteria is always everywhere. A tattoo is literally an open wound, so it’s very important that it stays clean!! That means being careful, both in the studio and outside of it. Make sure to follow the aftercare instructions your artist gives you, even if it is different from other aftercare processes you might have heard in the past! Every tattoo is different, and so it follows that caring for them could be also.
Sidebar: There are different cremes and ointments that some people might recommend, and that is perfectly fine and dandy. But I figured I’d also add what I use. There’s an ointment called “CorrectX” made by the brand doTERRA which helps heal and purify wounds. I was told to keep my tattoo from getting dry, and whatever unscented lotion I had would probably be fine. I used this instead. Not only did my tattoo heal beautifully, but it also didn’t scar and barely even peeled. This helped heal it very rapidly and the pain went away after only a day or so! And it still looks as fresh today as it did when I first got it! So if you want to try it out, I strongly recommend it! 🙂
#5. Don’t get matching tattoos with someone you could regret! This seems obvious enough to me, but apparently some people just don’t get it. If you think you will regret your tattoo later, just don’t get it. In general, just try to be wise and respect yourself enough to stand up for yourself. It will be on your body forever. Speaking up can be hard, especially if you value that person’s opinion and feelings. But you have to think about yourself as well.
For example: My dad and I do not always get along. We have plenty of differing opinions and beliefs. But he was my first best friend, and that will always stick with me. So when I decided to get my first tattoo with him, I knew I wouldn’t regret it. We are both movie geeks, and our “thing” is Firefly and Serenity (a tv show and movie pair.) So we decided to get dinosaur tattoos to represent the loss of our favorite character, Wash. We each picked our favorite dino; a brontosaurus for me, and a stegosaurus for him. Mine is a black line tattoo, his is origami in full color. We picked a theme that we have in common, and ran with it in two different directions. And that’s okay! We agreed that they didn’t have to be the same, so long as the meaning behind it was kept at heart. So if you want to get matching tattoos with someone, I suggest taking a freestyle approach. And if you don’t like that theme, then talk it over and pick something different! That’s okay too! If my dad and I didn’t do dinosaurs, we could have done mini golf balls or Mario Kart characters or a stack of books or coffee mugs or music notes or mini album covers or the VW logo or whatever! If you love this person enough to want to get a tattoo with them, surely you have more than one good memory you can draw from for inspiration. And they should respect that. Of course, if you disagree on a theme, you could always get tattoos that simply remind you of each other! Even if they are not the same or similar!
Now, after this experience, I would recommend that your first tattoo is something of your independent choosing. I don’t regret my tattoo at all, and I don’t regret it being my first. It was my dad’s first as well. But now I kinda wish I had one just for me, like my little secret that was just mine. That I didn’t have to share. If you are a strongly independent person, or want to try to be, I would recommend getting one just for yourself first. Something that you can keep in your mind’s pocket and hidden somewhere on your skin. Maybe it’s a cherished pet’s pawprint, or song lyrics that are close to your heart, or a cartoon, or an object that inspires you, or a minimalist design, or whatever! It’s up to you!
A few other things to note:
1 It’s not a bad idea for your first tattoo to be small, so you can make sure you aren’t allergic to the ink.
2 Not all tattoos have to be meaningful! They can also be stupid, weird things that just make you laugh! It’s your body.
3 If your tattoo is inspired by a movie series, book series, or anything alive and changing, make sure that it’s something that can’t go so wrong that you’ll hate it. If it’s still changing, it has the opportunity to fall out.
Here’s a couple other sources that might help you out if you’re looking for more information.
(How to get your first tattoo, WikiHow)
https://www.wikihow.com/Get-Your-First-Tattoo
(Electric Linda’s homepage on Youtube; her videos helped me better understand tattoos and calm me down before my first one. Strongly recommend!!)
https://www.youtube.com/user/LindaRodahl
Thanks for reading! I hope this was helpful to someone out there! I’m so happy that I found that picture. Writing this brought me so much joy. I hope you feel the same way if you’re getting a tattoo! Feel free to leave any other recommendations or questions in the comments! (Although I’m not an expert, so there will probably be questions that I can’t answer.)
P.S. keep an eye out for my next post, focusing on the tattoo I have, the tattoos I’m getting soon, and other tattoos I think are cool!
Have a good day! 😀
♡, Shortie
