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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Winona chapter.

It feels like he’s carving into my skin with a knife.”

This was among my first—and last—thought as I was sitting in a chair at my tattoo artist’s studio. My tattoo artist’s name was Darren, and his studio was located in the basement of his house. I promise it’s not as sketchy as it sounds. The entire studio presented a very welcoming vibe, especially as he had a teddy bear dog running around that you could play with when you weren’t getting “tatted” up. 

For my first tattoo, I decided on getting a bundle of flowers that grow in the garden in my home. The flowers in the bundle were zinnias, lilacs, four o’clock and daisies. I had an idea of how I wanted it to look, but I didn’t have the ability to draw it myself. So, I got in contact with Darren, as my cousin recommended him earlier this year. He responded immediately and stayed in contact with me throughout the entire process. I really appreciated this as I felt quite nervous as this being my first tattoo. I told Darren what I wanted and where I wanted it, and he responded back with a drawing that I fell in love with. 

On the day of getting my tattoo, I felt nervous but not to the point of copping out of the appointment. I met up with my friend, who was also getting a tattoo, and we headed over to Darren’s house together. Darren made his house seem welcoming, and his dog definitely helped that atmosphere. He had his basement set up like a real tattoo studio, complete with an assortment of different styles of human skulls decorating his back wall. In addition, he also had a huge flat screen TV mounted on the opposite wall. He was watching the channel Investigation Discovery when we walked in. It was decided that I was going first, so I sat down in the chair, which was surprisingly comfy. We went over the design again, and he printed the outline out and placed it on my arm. I confirmed that it was what I wanted, and then Darren got to work.

The beginning hurt the most. I didn’t know what to expect for the feeling, but it definitely wasn’t what I imagined it would be. I knew it was going to feel unpleasant, and the best way I can describe it was it felt like he was taking a small, thin knife and tracing it into my skin. After he finished tracing the part closest to my wrist, he moved towards my inner arm. He kept the TV on so I just focused on watching the show the entire time. I eventually got used to the pain, and at times, I even forgot I was getting a tattoo. The best part of the process was when he would stop and wipe off the tattoo with wet water. I didn’t realize how hot my skin was and how much I was sweating until he would do that. 

After Darren finished my tattoo, he went over it with a finer needle and filled in places he thought needed more detail. He had me look at it in the mirror to confirm that I liked it all, and then he wrapped me up “like a casserole” as he said, putting saran wrap around my entire arm. I then sat down and waited until my friend’s tattoo was down. Whenever I would move my arm during that time, and even into that evening, it would send a flash of pain up my arm. 

Now, one month later, my tattoo just feels like another part of my skin. I love the way it looks on me, and I cannot wait until I set up my next one. As they say, once you get one tattoo, you’re addicted and need more!

 

Meet Hannah Petersen! Hannah is a writer for Her Campus at Winona State University. She is in her senior year and studying social work and music. Hannah hopes to work with people who have been diagnosed with disabilities after she graduates. In her free time, Hannah enjoys reading, watching Netflix, listening to music, and spending time at all the coffee shops in Winona.
My name is Hannah Hippensteel, and I like to say I'm a Chicago city-slicker, but I'm actually from the 'burbs. I'm currently a senior at Winona State with a major in mass communication-journalism and a minor in sociology. Catch me enjoying all Winona has to offer: the bluffs, the incomparable Bloedow's Bakery, and not to mention, Minnesota boys. With a goal of working at Teen Vogue, Seventeen or Glamour magazine, I'm soaking up every opportunity to keep my finger on the pulse and share my personal voice!