Deciding to get a tattoo is a big decision, and sometimes one that people rush into. I like tattoos, but I definitely am not a fan of all body ink that’s out there, but at the end of the day, what images or words you have on your body help reflect who you are and no one knows you better than yourself. But with that, comes the question, what do you want your tattoos saying about you? Tattoos can be one of the first clues people see when finding out who you are.
When you decide to get a tattoo the first question people ask you is, “so what are you getting?” Deciding what your tattoo is going to be, is a big step. One suggestion that I have is, pick the image you want, the design, the words, the font, etc. and print it out. Hang the printed image somewhere where you’ll see it every day. Leave that up for about two months and if you still love it just as much every day, you know you won’t second guess it, and it also gives you time to make tweaks and changes to it to make it perfect.
Before you get a tattoo, make sure you drink a lot of water and eat a good meal. Sometimes the nerves and or pain makes people lightheaded, so make sure you are hydrated. Also make sure you alert the artist if you start to feel lightheaded. If you faint, they cannot continue the tattoo, so make sure you keep the line of communication open with the artist.
That leads to my next point, don’t be afraid to tell the artist what you want. This tattoo will be on your body for the rest of your life, don’t hesitate to communicate with the artist. They may want to change some things around, and almost always for the better. They are artists and may want to put their own twist on their artwork, but in the end it is still your body. Always be willing to talk to your artist, it’s a teamwork process. You need to help them so they can help you.
Find meaning in your tattoo. Whatever it is, make sure it means something to you. When your tattoo has meaning, it’ll hold that meaning forever. Even if one day you regret that tattoo, you know that once upon a time, it meant so much to you that you wanted that reminder every day of your life.
Making the decision to get a tattoo is a very important one, and one that people may or may not agree with. But at the end of the day, it’s your body. You live in your body every day, and if you will feel more beautiful with a tattoo, then go for it. Go find others and ask them about their experience with tattoos, and find an artist that fits your style and what you are looking for. Just remember, tattoos are beautiful scars.