Getting a tattoo for the first time is a very scary, yet exhilarating experience. When you think about it, you are getting a piece of art that will be on your body forever and that is a pretty big commitment!
I decided to get my first tattoo a couple of weeks after my 18th birthday. I honestly didn’t know if I wanted a tattoo for sure because my family is extremely conservative and I knew they would be very disappointed to find out that I got a tattoo, even though I saw nothing wrong with it. I thought about this decision for a very long time and after much contemplation I decided I wanted to get the tattoo. I knew from the beginning I wanted an elephant with its trunk up which represents good luck. I think elephants are such beautiful creatures and with its trunk up, I hoped the elephant would bring me good luck. I then decided the placement and the size that I wanted for the elephant. I wanted it to be fairly small and on my side. I didn’t want to overwhelm myself with the big size and wanted a spot that I liked.
When considering tattoos it is very important to know exactly what you want because tattoos will permanently remain on your body! My friend has many tattoos so when I knew I wanted this tattoo I told her about it. She knew many artists she liked and found me a very good price. When looking for artists make sure to do your research because many tattoo places are overpriced and you want to make sure the artist is experienced. A couple of weeks after my birthday I showed up at the tattoo shop feeling a lot less nervous than I thought I would feel. The tattoo artist showed me the design he created and I really liked it. I expected the tattoo to hurt significantly more than it did. On a scale of 1-10, I thought the pain was about a 5 and the tattoo only took about 20 minutes. After the artist was finished he told me to look in the mirror and I fell in love. The tattoo had such intricate designs and was truly beautiful. I realized in that moment that I was in charge of my body and what I want to put on it. Getting a tattoo did not change me as a person and I still remained the same bubbly and life loving person I am.
Tattoos shouldn’t have such a negative connotation and should instead be viewed as pieces of beautiful artwork that have meaning to you. You shouldn’t care about what other people think and instead just love life and express yourself in whichever way you feel. You shouldn’t care about people judging you because you know yourself and having one tiny tattoo or a million huge tattoos does not change who you are on the inside. When I first got my tattoo I kept this a secret from my parents for four months. I was truly terrified at the reaction I would receive from them but I was confident in the decision I made of getting a tattoo. When I finally told my parents they were initially very upset but eventually they were a lot more understanding than I would have ever imagined. Getting a tattoo is truly an experience and something I will get to keep with me forever.