Ahhh guysss, I finally got my first tattoo! :D What the hell?! I can’t even tell you how long I’ve wanted this tattoo for, it’s been years! I’ve always known exactly what I wanted and where I wanted it, the only reason why it took me so long was because I didn’t have the balls haha. But hey, looks like a grew a pair because I finally done it! I got it done last week Thursday with two friends of mine. I tried to get it done the week before, but they didn’t have any space to fit me in. The guys at the tattoo shop said that we can only book to get a tattoo done if it’s big, for small tattoos they just do walk ins and it's a first come, first served basis.
Apparently you need to have a good breakfast before getting a tattoo, so me and my friend went to have breakfast in a cute little place near where we live. We then made our way to the tattoo place, it’s called Tattoo Time and it’s in North Street in Bristol. We got there really early, but the tattoo artist was already busy, so the owner of the place kept my phone number and said he would call me back during the day to let me know if they had space for us. Trust me, I was a nervous wreck the whole time! I’m the kind of person that likes to get things done straight away, so waiting really got my anxiety levels up. Around midday another friend of mine said she was coming to get a tattoo too, so the three of us just waited around for the phone call. The phone call came at about 3pm and we got to the tattoo shop in about five minutes!
We were all bricking it! Haha. One of my friends had already had a tattoo before, so she was the calmest out of the three. My other friend was shaking, and I just couldn’t wait to get it over and done with. I went first as I already had my design all printed out and ready for them to tattoo. Here's how I experienced the whole thing.
I still have a bit of adhesive tape left on my skin. It's a pain to remove! I also had a skin allergy because of it.
PAIN
I won’t lie to you, it hurts! Personally it felt like a box cutter cutting my skin over and over again. When she first started tattooing, I was shaking! I guess it’s just because I didn’t know what to expect. It was a different kind of pain to anything I’ve ever felt. The worse parts were the words ‘Keep Me’ the rest was absolutely fine. And I mean fine! I couldn’t even feel it. I had to ask Katie (the tattoo artist) if she was actually touching my skin because I couldn’t feel a thing. But the 'Keep Me' part was really bad, I'm assuming it’s because it was on the boniest part. The tattoo took less than 10 minutes, so it was super quick. I also didn’t bleed much which I was really surprised about for some reason.
MEANING
My tattoo says ‘Keep me where the light is’. It's in a John Mayer song, but that isn’t why I got it. I got it because I love the meaning. For someone who has suffered with anxiety since the age of 17, I feel like it’s important to always see the positive in everything and to stay away from negative/dark thoughts, so that’s the meaning behind the tattoo. I’ve also always known I wanted to get it on my left side, and on my upper shoulder/back. Don’t know why, but I always knew I wanted it there. Also, I wanted to quickly mention that I don’t believe you should always have a meaning for your tattoos. If you like something enough to have it on your body for life, that to me is meaning enough.
That is the exact paper I showed the tattoo artist. I don't remember the name of the font, but I found it on the DaFont website.
HOW IT FELT AFTER & HOW I TOOK CARE OF IT
I’m sure you’ve heard this before, but the pain is temporary. The minute they get the needle off your skin, the pain stops.. hallelujah! However, about 10/15 minutes after getting the tattoo done, my skin did start to sting a little. I kept my tattoo wrapped for a few hours, although the tattoo artist mentioned that I could remove the dressing 1h after getting it done. I bought a Dove Baby Wash and Bepanthen to care for the tattoo. After a couple of hours I filled up my sink with warm water, made some bubbles with the baby wash and used a cotton round to clean the tattoo. Then I went in with a thin layer of Bepanthen and covered it again with a dressing. My friends didn’t keep theirs covered, but I saw a video of Jamie Genevieve where she mentioned that she always applies cream and covers her tattoos for a couple of days after getting it done, and that it helps keep the tattoo moisturised and therefore causing less itchiness, and I have to say I agree. I’ve had close to no itchiness at all so far. The worst itchiness I've experienced was exactly a week after getting it done, and to be fair I did forget to put cream on it the whole day, so I guess it was just a little dry. I wash my tattoo twice a day, once in the morning and again in the evening, and I apply Bepanthen three times a day. The first few days I cleaned my tattoo a bit of ink came off which is normal, but I haven't noticed any more since.
ADVICE
I know I’ve only got one tattoo, but I still want to give you my two cents of advice. Firstly, eat! If you’re as nervous as I was, it will be hard to fit anything in your stomach, but I can see why they tell you to eat a big meal. You can feel a little faint if you’re under the pain for too long, so make sure you eat well and bring in a sugary drink or snack if you’re going for a longer session. Secondly, make sure you know exactly what it is you want and where you want it. Spontaneity is great, but a tattoo is something that is going to be on your body for life, so make sure you’re 100% sure before getting it done. Thirdly, don’t be scared to tell the tattoo artist if you don’t like the placement/design of your tattoo. It’s going to be on your body not theirs, so make sure you speak up. And lastly, just enjoy it! It’s over before you know it and like I already mentioned, the pain doesn’t last long, so if the fear of the pain is holding you back, just go for it! Its’ not that bad.
I paid £50 to get mine done, which I guess is a standard price for a small tattoo, and I did tip the tattoo artist. I read somewhere that you should always tip them, and I agree. They’re giving you something that's going to be on your body forever, so why not thank them with a little something? Now that I know what getting a tattoo feels like, and I no longer fear it, I am most definitely going to get a couple more done. Let me know if you would like me to share my future tattoos with you.
Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Lots of love, SFS.
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