Hey, Belrix Were you at the last Denverdope?
Nope. I should try for one now that I’m singlefied and looking for new activities.
Yes.
15ish
25
No, although that first one was a very stupid, some-dude, me-laying-on-a-friend’s-kitchen-table, home-made sort of deal. It’s sort of terrible looking, although largely that’s because he gave me exactly the wrong aftercare instructions and it lost half the color, it’s patchy and faded. I mean diametrically opposed aftercare instructions from the professional advice I’ve gotten with later work. :rolleyes:
I regret the circumstances in which it was done, but I’ve been tested for HIV/Hep C since and am all clear. I wish I would have waited to have it professionally done, although it’s a design I’d had in mind for about two years at that point and desperately wanted it on my hide.
Actually, I’m really not sorry I have it. I waffle about having it touched up, it’s kind of a nice reminder or epitaph of my less-sensible years :).
A 3/4 profile, blacked-in silhouette of a walking panther cub with the word “incantatus” which more than likely is not an accurate Latin translation for the word “enchanted”.
Left front belly/pelvic area, below the waist of my jeans, so never visible to the general public. That makes it easy to not regret.
I’ve since had many, many hours worth of work done on a full “mural” back piece which starts at my right shoulder, wraps down to my left hip and will eventually cover my left thigh down to my kneecap.
My tattoo work, for me, is a deeply spiritual thing. It’s a decoration of my skin. My tattoo artist’s business card bears the quote “The soul never thinks without an image–Aristotle” and that’s what I feel about my tattoos, they’re the art of my soul brought to the surface. Some people change their hair or their eye color or the shape of their nose or chin, I decorate my skin. The vast majority of it is also never visible in public unless I choose to make them so, they’re almost all covered by my ordinary clothes, jeans and t-shirts or scrubs. You can see the edges around my collar line at the nape of my neck if you look closely, but people rarely do. I do have forearm work which is easy enough to cover if I ever felt the need to do so, which has yet to happen.
I was actually a bit nervous about the forearm work and whether I’d start getting the disgusted/judgmental/so on reactions, but I get more positive comments and compliments on my forearm tattoos than I ever would have imagined. I don’t often randomly compliment someone’s purse or shirt or shoes, but strangers mention my tattoos all the time.
And maybe that’s because they’re original art, I designed every one of them and they’re all deeply personal images–a line drawing of my dog which is also the logo for my business, photo realistic portraits of other animal friends from different times in my life (a harris hawk, a hairless rat), totems (jumping blue armadillo and purple platypus), protective and healing symbols (willow vines, rowan berries), a waxing/waning/full moon, and so on. With the exception of the old tattoo and the forearm stuff, the rest is a single continuous piece that extends shoulder to hip and eventually shoulder to knee.
There were about ten years between that first tattoo and when I finally had the money and found the right artist to begin the real work. I waited through a major growth period and into adulthood with the same images in mind. I didn’t choose these images because of a fashion trend or to present a particular image to the world. I didn’t get tattooed to impress other people or to look a certain way. I carry a deeply personal piece of original art on my skin, a mural of reminders of friends, events, values, core beliefs and strengths. I will never regret my tattoos.
PS on the subject of itching: mine never itch, ever at all. I do have a raised spot at the back of my shoulder where the hawk’s wingtip spreads, matching the curve of my shoulder. Directly over the joint, where the bone is close to the skin (if I give myself a hug, the spot where my fingertips comfortably touch the shoulder joint) the tips of the primary feathers are raised to the touch. It’s an oddly appropriate effect, although completely uncontrolled.
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Do you have a tattoo/s? Yes, one.
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How old were you when you received the first one? 30
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How old are you now? 43
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Do you regret it? Nope
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If yes, Do you plan on having it removed or covered? N/A
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What is it of? A stylized lizard
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Where is it? Peeking over my right shoulder
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Anything else you’d like to add? It has never itched. Her name is Bryce!