Tattoo Therapy

Tattoos are something that I've already been extremely interested in. I got my first tattoo when I was fifteen, the summer between my freshman and sophomore year. Once you get your first one, you're hooked. I know so many people that get one tattoo and a few days later they come to me and say they're ready for more. Piercings are a whole other story and I seem to have the worst luck with them. When you find your favorite artist, you just keep going back and soon you have a sleeve in progress, your legs and feet are covered and already thinking about what you want as a chest piece. Of course, tattoos aren't always accepted by society unfortunately. Knowing what you want as a career matters when it comes to get tattoos that are always visible. The hand is a big commitment for example. Luckily, they're becoming less of a big deal in the job and career place. Whoever said tattoos made people work less hard than they would if they were completely blank is a goddamn liar.

Probably 70% of the time, I get tattoos as a form of therapy. The needle that's sticking me so fast and pushing all that ink into me is almost relaxing. It makes me feel a different pain, a physical pain. I'd rather feel that kind of pain than the emotional kind, which is almost always the kind that I can never escape. Plus, I'm putting a story on my body in beautiful art. If those stories change in the future, I can look back and say "that's what I was doing at that point in my life. That's what I was feeling." It's almost calming and relieving if you get a tattoo that has a huge backstory behind it and when it's all over, you can look at it and say that you've overcome that obstacle.

Of course, there are tattoos that I want and a lot of people have that have no meaning behind them. The only meaning could just be that they liked the design or they like how they look. I definitely have further tattoo ideas that'll have that meaning. I want a mandala tattoo because I love the way they look as tattoos. They're just beautiful.

Surprisingly enough, my Captain Spaulding tattoo was probably one of the easiest tattoos I've gotten, even though it's the biggest. Just having to sit there for four or five hours with that needle constantly going just kept me calm. Also, my artist who did this for me is one of the easiest people to talk to. I have one main artist and another one who will be in charge of my portraits. Both of my artists are great people and they always make me laugh, even if I don't feel like it when I'm wincing at the pain.

My main artist, Andrew, is like another brother to me honestly. He gives me so much crap like my real brothers but always gives me what I want with my tattoos. I haven't gotten anything touched up, other than a small spot on my hand months after it was done. He says "ouch" when I tell him what part of my body I want tattooed, like my hand or my palm. Plus, he just likes torturing me because he sits and smiles at my pain. He's also helping me take my career to another level. After I'm finished with barbering in 2018, I'll be apprenticing to get licensed in piercing. Since I myself am not an artist and can't be a tattoo artist, piercing is the next best thing. My brother, Joel, told me that piercers are people that aren't that talented to be a tattoo artist. Again, he gives me a lot of crap. I'm excited to make my career title Cosmetologist/Barber/Piercer.

After the pain of the needles, comes the healing process of tattoos. This is the part I hate the most because I have a tendency to pick at my skin if I notice a bump or a scab and picking at fresh, peeling tattoos is a major no-no. At first, they're swollen and raw and tender, and after that, they get dry and start to shed off. My hand was the worst healing process ever because my hand was so swollen that two of my knuckles disappeared, I had to keep it levitated, and it was just a catcher's mitt. But it still makes me feel different pain than what people can do to my brain with words or actions they say or do. So far, 90% of my tattoos are music based. Music plays a huge role in my life and I couldn't be more thankful for it. My rose and the butterfly is after songs by Meg & Dia, I have multiple New Years Day and Set It Off tattoos, because if it wasn't for music, I wouldn't be here.

Cody Carson, the singer of Set It Off, drew me my favorite animal at Warped Tour in 2016. A pig. At first, he was confused about why I wanted a pig and when I told him I wanted it tattooed, he panicked at making it look decent because it was going to be on my skin forever. He drew the duality sign in the middle because he wanted to make it our thing, our little duality pig. I was bawling my eyes out the whole time and teared up a little while getting it done. Andrew couldn't know that though because he'd think I was crying and we'd instantly go into Beavis and Butthead voices.

I highly, highly, highly recommend getting tattooed, even if it's a small one. Or if you don't have any, don't jump down peoples' throat that do. You don't know what getting tattoos could mean to people. With the right artist and the right design, you can make anything into a tattoo. It's a lot of money but it's special art you can't buy in a museum.

#tattoos #therapy