I currently have ten tattoos and I plan to get more. I’ve loved tattoos ever since I was little and have always known that I wanted to get a lot of them as soon as I was able to. However, there are some things that I wish someone had told me before getting my first tattoo — just so that I could’ve been better prepared. I would like to preface this by saying that I don’t consider myself an expert in tattoos, and my advice is influenced by my own experiences, but I do think that it might help someone who wants to get a tattoo and doesn’t know where to start.
- Research
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This might be something that seems fairly obvious, but when I got my first tattoo, I didn’t know what to look for. So first, you need to figure out what kind of tattoo style you like. Once you know that, you can start researching tattoo artists in your area that work on those styles. I absolutely love my first tattoos, and I wouldn’t change them for anything; but when other people look at them, they notice that the line work on them is different from the rest of my tattoos. That’s because my first tattoos were not done in fine line, which is the style that the rest of them are done in. Even though I love having different styles tattooed on me, I understand that not everyone might feel that way and might only want a single style for all their tattoos. This is why researching which artists work on your favorite styles is important — which leads me to my next point.
- Trusting your tattoo artist
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Finding a tattoo artist you trust is so important! Remember, this is the person who will be putting something on your body that will last for a long time — which is why trust is key. This step is especially important because when you trust your tattoo artist, you inevitably trust the process. I can’t tell you how many times my tattoo artist has placed a stencil on me that didn’t look how I’d envisioned the tattoo in my head. But, I trust her. I know that once she adds the details, the shading, and the colors, the finished product is going to look so different from the stencil. It always does — and it’s always better than I imagined. The stencil is just the outline of the design, and you need to trust your tattoo artist to bring your vision to life.
- Tattoo placement
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Tattoo placement is not something that I’m very picky about, but I know that some people might be concerned because of the pain factor. What I’ve learned is that everybody handles pain differently, and it all depends on your own tolerance for it. My wrist tattoo was one of the most painful ones for me, but my mom, who has one in the exact same place, said she didn’t feel a thing. However, there are some areas like the rib cage, fingers, sternum, and shins that tend to be painful for most people. So, if you’re someone who doesn’t handle pain very well, I would advise you to steer clear of those areas. However, don’t let the fact that it might hurt scare you from getting a tattoo!
- Bigger designs
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When I first started getting tattoos, I thought I was only going to get small ones, but the size of my tattoos have grown with each new one that I get. At first, I was scared to get a bigger design because of how it might look on me, but, once I started getting more tattoos, that fear kind of went away. I wish someone had told me from the start to not be afraid to get something bigger because there is so much more you can do when you have more room to play with. You can incorporate more details and have a more elaborate and unique design. If you’re not sure what size you want your tattoo to be, my advice is to ask your tattoo artist. They know better than anyone which size is better suited for each design, and that will make it look better in the long run.
- Meaning
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This might be a little controversial, but not all tattoos need to have a deep and profound meaning. It’s okay to just get a design because you liked it and thought it was beautiful and cool. When I first started getting tattooed, I thought that each of my tattoos had to have a very significant meaning, but since then, I’ve gotten at least two designs simply because I liked them. That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t also get tattoos with meaning, a lot of my designs have meaning, and every time I look at them they make me smile because I remember why I got them. But if you see a design you really really like, don’t be scared to get it just because there isn’t a story attached to it.
You will have your tattoos on your body for the rest of your life, so the best advice I can give you is that, whether they have a deep meaning or not, pick something that makes you smile every time you look at it.
- Outside opinions
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This is the inevitable reality of getting a tattoo: Everyone will want to share their opinion about them with you. Whether they like them, hate them, think that they are decisions made from impulsive reflexes, or that they are unprofessional; you will hear this and more. My best advice for this: don’t listen to any of them. I know it’s easier said than done, but when you start to tune out everybody who offers an opinion, getting tattooed becomes a lot more fun. Overthinking a tattoo because of something someone else said is an experience that I, and a lot of people, have gone through. At the end of the day, they are not the ones getting a tattoo, you are. Get whatever tattoo you desire and make sure it makes you happy; any other opinion doesn’t matter.
I hope this article offers you some insight into the world of tattoos and my experience with them. If there is one thing I would like you to take away from this it’s that tattoos are a beautiful way to express yourself, a way to carry art and memories with you wherever you go. If it’s something you really want to do, don’t be scared to take the leap!