I got my first tattoo this past week and I’m still internally screaming about it. For those collegiettes out there who are thinking, “Yeah, I want to get a tattoo someday, but I’m not sure what I want…”, this is for you. Or, for that matter, anybody interested in tattoos. So here are the steps I took toward getting inked for the first time!
1. Plan It Out.
It was important to me that I was getting a tattoo that was meaningful to me from an artist whose style reflected what I was looking for. I kept a folder of images on my desktop that I thought I’d want as tattoos someday, and I made sure every image I saved had some significance to my personality or my history. I finally settled on something simple and meaningful for my first tattoo. Then I spent almost a year scouring tattoo parlor pages and artists’ Instagrams before a friend directed me to the shop I ended up falling in love with. I e-mailed back one of the artists, and he expressed interest in taking my design. We talked back and forth for a little while, and he answered every question I had about price and safety. In the end, we booked the date for October 8.
2. Tell Your Parents.
This is quite possibly the scariest step, but I felt it was necessary to tell my family. So I texted them a picture of what I was hoping to get tattooed and explained its meaning, and then I let them know the appointment was made and I was going forward with it. Of course, they asked all of the questions dutifully concerned parents would, like how sterile was the shop I was going to and was I absolutely sure about doing it. They weren’t 100% happy about it, but in the end we all have the understanding that it’s my body and my choice. At least I gave them some time to wrap their heads around the idea instead of blindsiding them.
3. Wait.
Everything is in place, but you can’t do anything. Let me tell you, this part sucks.
4. Get Pumped!
But it also gives you a chance to get really hyped about getting the tattoo. I started drawing my design on notebooks and on my wrist, where I wanted it. As the idea sank in that this design was going to be on my body forever, I got more excited about it.
5. Wait Some More.
But, I still had weeks to wait. Which sucked.
6. Question Your Life Choices.
As the date crept up on me, I started to think about the conversation I had with my family. What if this wasn’t right? What if I actually did hate this tattoo in ten years? For the last few days leading up to the big day, I was a ball of anxiety, my head a swarm of what ifs and worst-case scenarios. But this was a big decision, and it’s natural to question it. I knew I was going to get this tattoo.
7. Go To The Shop.
On the big day, a few of my friends hopped in a car and headed to Columbus, where the tattoo parlor was. We went out to lunch and made a day of it, which definitely helped ease the jitters. Once we finally pulled up to the shop, I felt ready.
8. Get Tattooed.
It all happened pretty fast once we were at the shop. I filled out some paperwork, met my artist in person for the first time, and went over the design to make sure it was perfect. I couldn’t get over how comfortable the guys in the shop made me feel. I was so excited I didn’t want to sit down, but they chatted and kept up a friendly, light-hearted banter the whole time we were there. Once we actually got to the tattooing part, my artist explained that wrist tattoos can be pretty painful, and he talked me through the process, since it was my first tattoo. I’ll be honest, it did sting, but I have a pretty high pain tolerance and it was over fast. I was officially inked! My artist took a few moments to explain aftercare instructions and wrapped it up to protect it for the first hour or so.
9. Enjoy It For The Rest Of Your Life.
I could barely believe it! I actually got a tattoo, and I was beyond happy. Of course, now that it’s done, I’ve still got that voice in the back of my head (suspiciously in the voice of my mother…) telling me that I won’t like it in ten years and I’ll be embarrassed by it. But I’ve decided that tattoos can grow with you as you get older. If it loses meaning over the years, it’ll still remind me that at some point there was meaning enough in the symbol to get it permanently marked on my wrist. It’s a direct connection to who I am now, and it always will be. But that’s assuming I won’t like it as much in the future as I do now, and that’s highly unlikely.
10. Start Planning Your Next One!
They say that getting tattoos is addicting, and I’m starting to realize that this isn’t an exaggeration. As of writing this, it’s been a little over 24 hours since I got the tattoo, and I’m already starting to think about the next one. But I’m sure it’s going to be some time before I work up to the next tattoo, and for now I’m totally and completely content with what I’ve got.
So if you’re on the cusp of getting a tattoo, or you’re just idly interested, here’s my parting wisdom: it’s a really beautiful thing to have something that you feel is a part of you physically and permanently imprinted on your skin. It’s such a personal and beautiful form of art, and it’s totally unique to you. I’m so happy I did it!
Image Credits: Annie Devine