I finally did it!
After years of wanted one, I finally got the guts to walk into a tattoo place and get my body inked. I have spent many years looking online on trying to find exactly the right thing to put on my body. I wanted something meaningful and beautiful.
I met with Steve, the guy who would be stabbing me with needles, and showed him what I wanted. I decided that I wanted a baby blue bird on my lower back and one star on the back of my neck. I brought in my pictures and made an appointment for the day after thanksgiving.
Here is the guy that was going to cause me pain for the next few hours. He was great! He explained everything to me and my tattoos came out great.
The big day arrived and I was so nervous. Steve was running late and I really wanted to get up and leave. I wanted this so bad but the idea of pain was scary! Steve was actually shocked to see me because he thought I was going to bail out! Geez! Give me some credit!
He started with the back of my neck. I was shaking, sweating and just couldn't believe I was doing this to myself. I thought he would yell at me for acting like such a big baby. But he was patient with me and kept me aware of what he was doing. The anticipation was the worst for me. He shaved my neck (ewww), then cleaned it with alcohol and then placed the stencil on. I watched him put together the tattoo needle. It was HUGE!
Then he asked if I was ready and he turned on the needle. The sound was horrible! He brought the tattoo needle closer to my neck and I thought I was going to scream. Was I going to jump when that needle hit my skin? All those youtube.com videos I watch of girls in tears and screaming in agony to me. Would that be me? Am I going to leave this place with just a line on the back of my neck?
Finally the needle hit my skin. This is how I reacted:
Me: Is that it?
Steve: That's all.
Me: Wow, I was a baby over nothing.
My very first tattoo. Its so simple and cute. It didn't hurt at all! I am thinking of eventually getting it filled.
It honestly didn't hurt at all. It felt like someone scratching the back of my neck. It was a great feeling but it didn't cause tears or screaming from me. The tattoo took a total of 5 minutes. I looked at the mirror at my new tattoo and was so proud of myself! I finally did it. Now it was time for my second tattoo. The more painful and detailed one.
This time the prep was so bad. I knew what to expect and he still went very slow at the very beginning. Not going to lie, this tattoo hurt! There were some parts that I couldn't even hold a conversation because it hurt. It wasn't enough to make me tear up or scream out loud, but enough for me to close my eyes tight, wrinkle my nose and grit my teeth. It felt like someone was scratching me where I have a really bad sunburn. But having had a really bad sunburn this year, this was really nothing.
I chose doing a baby bird on my lower back. Baby birds are thrown out of their nest into the real world after a while. They either have to fly or they fall and die. Baby birds need to fly all on their own. This is how I felt with life lately. I either got to fly and survive this crazy world or I will end up crashing to the ground.
After about an hour, the tattoo was done! I left that place feeling like I could do anything! I felt incredible. I felt like a bad ass. I felt like I could accomplish anything. I felt awesome. All the way home I had a huge grin on my face. I couldn't believe I did it!
The worst part for me has been the aftercare. The next day I woke up and the tattoo on my lower back really hurt. It felt like a bad burn. I was told to clean it and apply Aveeno lotion 3 to 4 times a day. Nervous people (like myself) should not get tattoos because while it is healing, funky things started to happen. Mine did some weird things and I couldn't find too many websites that helped settle my fears.
Here is my pictures of the healing process:
The day after I got my tattoo. It was very hot when I touched it and felt dry. I kept putting lotion and washing it 3 to 4 times a day. I was pretty upset that the colors looked
fadedAlso that day, I woke up and noticed this on my bed sheets. I inked the bed.
My tattoo looked like it was cracking. It felt
alittle tight and I made sure to keep applying lotion that day. It was puffy and felt like leather. It looked so gross and was discolored. The light blue parts turned to a greenish yellow.
This was the worst day for me. I took this picture and my tattoo was started to peel. I know this was normal, but look at his wing!! It looked like the tattoo broke! Nothing online helped me feel better about this. I really thought I ruin my tattoo.
The scar came off and everything looks good! The best thing was the wing wasn't shifted, it must have been how the scar was peeling off. The only problem I see if a small white spot on the birdies body. But everything looks fine! Whew!! In a few more weeks it will be 100% it won't look so shiny. I love my little birdie! Isn't he so cute! All I wanted to do throughout the process was scrub my scab off in the shower. This is a big no-no.I think
Would I do this again? Absolutely!! I love having a piece of art on my body. It gave me such an adrenaline rush that I can't even explain. If you can survive a sunburn you can survive a tattoo.
Details
Where: The Painted Bird- Very clean and everyone was super nice to me! I would def recommend Steve and hope he can do my next tattoo.
