I certainly wouldn't describe my first tattoo experience as a premeditated moment and I definitely would not describe my tattoo experience as a particularly rebellious moment either. But it was definitely an experience that I thought would be interesting to share. And one I'll never forget, because you know tattoos are permanent.
Anyways unlike most people, I did not spend weeks planning out what tattoo I wanted. I had only ever thought about getting a tattoo in the abstract. The day I got my first tattoo I was supposed to go see my best friend play softball at James Madison University. Unfortunately, it was raining that day so the game was canceled. Due to the game being canceled, we had to find something else to do while we were staying in Harrisonburg. And that something else ended up being a spontaneous decision to get a tattoo.
Although my first tattoo was not planned at all, it is an experience that I will always remember because of the adventure of finding a tattoo place and the people I was with. Getting a tattoo for me was nothing like what you see on television. You can't just walk into a tattoo shop and get a tattoo. We literally had to drive to five different tattoo shops trying to find a place that had an appointment available. So I suggest that you if want to get a tattoo, plan it out and schedule an appointment so you are not driving all around town like I was.
Tatayana Allen
Additionally to not planning to get a tattoo that day, I won't describe my experience as a typical rebellious teen scenario for two reasons. The first reason is when I got my tattoo I was with my mom, my best friend, and my best friend's mom. I am not 100% sure but I am going to go out on a limb here and say that most teenagers don't take their mom with them when they get tattoos. But in my scenario, I think that just means that my mom is cool and we have a good relationship.
The second reason is my tattoo is really small. Like it could be considered microscopic by most people. When I tell people I have a tattoo most of them are surprised because they assume that I am not the type of person who would have one. But then when I show it to them, they're like, "Oh, that makes sense."
Tatayana Allen
Getting the actual tattoo was not as painful as I thought it was going to be. While others said that I looked very sad and like I was getting tortured when I was getting my tattoo, I didn't faint or cry so I count that as a success. Honestly, it hurt a lot in the beginning but eventually my foot just went numb because it was being stabbed by a needle repeatedly and it didn't hurt anymore.
Overall, getting a tattoo means different things to different people and every experience is unique. What I learned during my experience is that it is important to be clear about what you want and to be true to myself. People may laugh or make a joke when I show them my first tattoo because it is small and minimalistic, but honestly I don't care. The people that look at it and know who I am as a person, understand why it fits me.
Getting my first tattoo wasn't about how long I planned or how cool it was. My star tattoo is special to me because it has important meaning in my own life and it fits who I am as a person perfectly.
