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I got my first tattoo when I was 25, and I still love it.
25 was a very different place and time, which meant an ex-boyfriend designed it and I got it in a small shop outside of Dayton, Ohio, from a very large man named Jimbo. I chose the design because, while not a firm believer in horoscopes, I've always identified with Capricorn symbolism, including a ruling planet of Saturn and the sun for my Leo rising sign. I knew this was something about me that would never change, and as tempting as it was to get an Eric Cartman bobblehead on my bicep, I figured I'd go with some stability and earth planet symbolism. Good call.
Me: "It's not going to hurt, right?"
Jimbo: "The hell it won't."
And that was accentuated by literal screaming from a girl getting pierced a few chairs over, so that was nice. I also asked him to make my planet "iridescent colors" and he translated that into seven shades of Juicy Fruit (c) gum, which for me works out fine just fine.
Here it is. And yes that is skin. No it is not obscene. You could see this in a bathing suit, but you won't. LUCKY.
I knew I wanted another tattoo soon, but I didn't really know when it would happen and my plans to mark 35 with one got lost in a shuffle of life stuff and it's just as well because I like it better on the other side. I'm not calculated about much, apparently not even permanent body art. But when Shannon aka Mr. Lady put a plan together for people to get inked this year in Chicago during the BlogHer Conference, I knew immediately that this is where it would happen. And it did, on the last day.
There are a lot of reasons for why I wanted to make this happen here and most of them are aggravatingly mushy. First of all, I can go on and on about how much this conference and overall BlogHer experience mean to me, which made the time and place perfect. Second of all, I knew I had some memorializing to do with this piece, which ended up including a claddagh symbol (Irish crown, heart and hands for loyalty, love and friendship) and the initials of the greatest woman to ever touch my life, who had the nerve to go and die on me this winter.
And there was also the 20 percent discount and the free t-shirt. I'm not a total idiot.
My BlogHer roommate Genie Alisa tells the story of how this came to pass from a different angle than I do, and includes photo and video as well. The final design came about as haphazardly as she describes, or as I like to call it "organically" because that makes me feel better. And to this I say, "Do not do as I do!" And that especially true if you're a first-timer. I had these ideas floating around in my head for months, and I knew I would be happy with them. I always sort of knew I'd do the one I ended up with, just because, and I knew it would turn out ok. But if you're a more nervous sort about this kind of thing - i.e., if you're sane and don't believe your intuition should always be driving the car - take the time. Get the drawing done ahead of time.
Here are a few other hints, tip and trick kinds of things. They are solely my own opinion, so feel free to completely ignore me (but don't, especially for 1, 3 and 4. Those are important.):
1. Know what you're doing, and why. Do not get a tattoo because you think it'll look cool or your friend is getting one. Yes, I might be in my late 30s, but I can still be impressionable. Get one because, after mulling it over for a period of weeks or maybe even months, you really, really want one. I get mine to mark time. Some people, like Mr. Lady, create family portraits. We all have our reasons, it's just good if they're solid.
2. Go with something original. The flash art on the walls is fine for some situations, but mostly for idea jogging. If you're going to get a design drilled into your skin, it's nice to know it has a personal touch, and yeah, that it won't be the
