All my life I knew that I wanted to get a tattoo, but of what? With my petite figure I realized anything elaborate wouldn’t work because 1. It would be hard to cover 2. It simply wouldn’t look badass enough, so what would my first tattoo be?
I decided to get a meaningful tattoo, because my deafness in my right ear has affected my life physically and emotionally. The tattoo would then symbolize how I can comfortably embrace it. Also, getting something of meaning is a safe idea that way I knew I wouldn’t regret in years to come.
When it came to finding a place to get the tattoo I figured my hometown wouldn’t be reliable. My options were to either go into NYC, or wait until I left for school, which is located in D.C.
Now I’m at school and two years have passed since the idea had sparked. Additionally, my 19th birthday arrived, so I called up my parents, got their okay, and did research on a few of the tattoo shops in the area.
My best friend helped me design what the tattoo would even be. I went with the idea of just having the mute symbol, but I realized that it was going to be more complicated than I initially thought. Would there be a circle around the symbol? Shaded or an outline? Will you have the x or a single line? It was the smaller details that I realized were more important, rather than the message itself.
Finally, we made it to the tattoo shop. The one we ended up going to was great, it was in a familiar area, and all the workers were super friendly. Most of all, they were reassuring. I kept asking questions, and they answered honestly and kindly. I felt safe and comfortable the entire time.
Last, but not least--the golden dollar question: Did it hurt? Honestly, it did, but not as much as I thought. It wasn’t awful, and it was easy to get through. It felt like a continuous pinch, and it only lasted for 10 minutes. Additionally, my tattoo artist said he went as gentle as he could! Which was reassuring on its own. My best friend let me hold her hand the entire time which was great. I didn’t hold her hand for pain (well a little bit), but more for the emotional support of: “oh my god it’s actually happening.”
The entire experience was surreal, and I am looking forward for another tattoo in the future. The aftercare process was a tad annoying, but it wasn’t awful. With one experience, am I a tattoo expert? No way, but I loved my experience so much I would definitely do it again.
