Back in September of 2018, I got my first tattoo!
I have wanted a tattoo for years and I finally decided to get my first tattoo a few months ago! Since then, I have gotten two more tattoos and will talk about those in a future post.
The tattoo I decided on is the Texas Bluebonnet (TX state flower) and California poppy (CA state flower), with the phrase “Nevertheless, she persisted” underneath the flowers. The reason behind this tattoo design is very personal and long, so I won’t get into it in this post.
My artist was Danae from Broken Clover Tattoo in Tucson, Arizona. I had been following her and her work on Instagram for about two years and I absolutely fell in love with it! I absolutely wanted Danae to do my first tattoo, and future tattoos, because I love her artwork so much.
I emailed Danae with my design idea, which she loved, and then we set up a time for the tattooing session. I hadn’t seen the design before arriving but I trusted her enough with her art. I think that it’s important to trust your artist and not micro-manage their art. Of course, if you have minor alterations (or even major changes) to the work, definitely let them know. This is something that will be on your body forever so it’s important that it’s something you love.
I arrived at the tattoo salon and oh my goodness, I was so nervous! I was nervous about the pain, about the fact that I hadn’t seen the design, that it was going to be on my body forever, what would my family think, what if something went wrong… And pretty much everything else you could possibly imagine. Luckily I had a friend come with me so that made it easier since I had her support.
I finally met Danae, saw the tattoo design, and absolutely fell in love. I showed her where I wanted it (on my upper right ribcage) and she placed it with the stencil.
Then it was time to tattoo. I won’t post pictures of the tattooing because, due to the location, it would not be appropriate photos. I think that it’s important to know that while you may be nervous about exposing your body like that, that 1) your artist has seen hundreds of other half-naked people for other tattoos, 2) your body is beautiful and is nothing to be ashamed of, and 3) if you really want the tattoo and in that location, you must handle the consequences.
Danae started with a simple line, to see how I would react. I tensed up a bit but the pain wasn’t horrible. She continued and we didn’t stop until about an hour and a half (maybe two hours) later. Of course, I could have taken breaks but I wanted to get it done as quickly as possible and in one sitting.
I’m not going to lie… there were certain spots that hurt SO BAD. I cried. Not a lot or obnoxiously, but my eyes were definitely watering. I didn’t scream or fidget or anything intense like that, I just had quiet tears streaming from my eyes. My entire body would tense up (which you’re not really supposed to do, but it’s involuntary!) and sometimes I would flex a foot or close my eyes. Whenever it got really bad, I would mentally say “You can do this, you can do this” over and over again. Millions of people have gotten tattoos for hundreds of years, and, after all, beauty is pain.
It wasn’t all bad though. I would split the time into three sections. The first part was awful as my body was getting used to being tattooed. The second part was fine, I was talking again and relaxing more. Then the third part was awful again. My skin and body was getting sore from being tattooed for over an hour and I just wanted it to be over. I got really antsy towards the end. My friend with me, luckily, was pretty chatty so she kept me engaged and distracted most of the time.
Then, finally, my tattooing session was over and I had my first tattoo! I loved it, and I still love it. It means to much to me and I don’t regret it. It symbolizes something really important to me and a phase of my life, so I’m really happy that I got it.
I was a little sore afterwards but my makeup hadn’t been messsed up too badly from the tears, so my friend and I went to dinner and a bit of shopping afterwards. I followed what my artist told me to do after getting tattooed and it healed perfectly with no issues.
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Thank you for reading! Have you ever gotten a tattoo or thought about getting your first tattoo? Let me know in the comments below and like this post if you want more like it!
Xoxo’s
Emmalee
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Emmalee Mauldin 