Tattoos! Polarizing, beautiful, big, small, you name it, tattoos pretty much are it. I've been wanting one for years, but didn't know what to get, and I certainly didn't have the money. Those are pretty important, if you want something this permanent on your body for forever. Therefore, getting one wasn't high on my list of things to do or get for a very long time.
But, as of today, that's changed!
It all started last year, when I was wanting to get some ink before the summer, but I was at that point saving for a very large project, and I was still settling on ideas. I wanted an owl, and, I'd decided, I wanted my wolves as well. The owl I'm still not sure just where to put it, but Paavo, Eha, and Alver are now preserved in permanence on my right forearm. And they look beautiful.
I'd gone back and forth on what I wanted them to look like; initially, I wanted them to be a geometric, simple design, but as time wore on and my dreams got a little bigger, the design evolved. In fact, I had to pull it back just so they'd be doable and wouldn't break the bank. I saved from March to October, drew and hemmed and hawed over what I wanted, and kept telling myself 'Okay, I'm going to go in on THIS DAY, and book my appointment!'
I was going to get this done back in October, so you can see how well that worked out. Finally, after an art class, and with my bestie at my side, I got up the nerve to go up and talk to the artist.
Except he wasn't there. But I wasn't foiled, as I got his business card, and I sent him a text over dinner (whilst internally freaking out). He got back to me, and he couldn't have been nicer. When we met a week later for my consult, he was open to ideas, enthusiastic, and just generally awesome. The seeds of excitement were planted. I gave him my marker drawing that I'd done the night before of the wolves, and he went from there. The wolves on my arm are his design, but he did them justice in a way I never dared hope. Two weeks from that meeting, I would be back and I'd be getting the ink done.
I prepped like crazy for this, perusing all sorts of subs and sites that dealt with tattoo work, buying snacks, preparing sugary drinks, food, the whole shebang. When I walked in this afternoon, I was physically ready to go. My stomach was in knots, but not because I was worried about regretting it. No, sitting there today, I knew this was not going to be a regret in any way. My anxiety was over how much this was going to hurt. You hear the horror stories, you expect the worst, and then it happens, and you know what? It hurts, yeah, but it's not mind bogglingly awful . It felt like a wasp sting, but less painful. The needle going in feels like that initial sting, but unlike the sting, it doesn't linger. Right now, typing this, it fees a bit like a sunburn, and it's not really uncomfortable. I know it's there, but it's not bad.
Now begins the healing, and the planning for the next ;)
If you happen to be in Canmore, the guys at New World Samurai will treat you right and give you some art you'll love. My artist was Ben, and I can't recommend him enough.
For now, my wolves will be with me forever.
