Getting a tattoo can be a really fun and exciting experience, but there are a few things everyone should consider before getting inked.
I have four tattoos (so far), all of them done for different reasons and inked by different tattoo artists.
My first tattoo is on my lower back which I got when I was 18 or 19. Growing up my mum didn’t have a problem with piercings (and I had quite a few of them too) but she always said that she would be really disappointed in me if I got a tattoo.
To be honest, I never thought I would get a tattoo, for years they just never appealed but then I started to think one on my back would look nice, so I started drawing some designs and at the time I knew a good tattooist, then I just went for it.
My second tattoo is a lily with a butterfly. Originally I just got the outline of the lily done, before later getting it coloured in and a butterfly added.
I won’t lie, I wanted this tattoo because there was a small group of us that loved tattoos, and I also fancied one on my wrist. My Mum was a little bit annoyed at this addition but I had moved out of home at this point and was leading my own life.
My third tattoo is on my left rib-cage. This tattoo was a kind of rebellion following a break-up with a long-term boyfriend. I needed a word, a word that I needed to have ingrained on me to remember how to be and that I was worth being with for how I was/am. That word was ‘believe‘.
We are in a generation where nearly everyone has an inking of some sort but I think we do all need to consider how we’ll look if we choose very visual tattoos. Things like the workplace, potential employers might not favour a heavily tattooed sleeve; it’s annoying, but you do have to consider these things.
Five things to consider before getting a tattoo:
- Research and spend time looking for a reputable tattoo artist
- Be patient, if you can’t get booked in for a few weeks this is a good sign -it means your tattooist is in demand and obviously worth waiting for
- Think about your design, be clear with what you want, it’s with you for life after all
- Think also about location of your tattoo. The back of your leg may look great now but will it when you’re older?
- I will also discourage inking names… unless it is of children; on the whole they shouldn’t later divorce you and leave you with a permanent reminder of them.
What advice would you share to someone before getting a tattoo?
Until next time x
