Along with the decision to move to Chicago once the New Year rolls around, I figured getting a tattoo would be a nice way to finalize/remember the big change. I hadn’t really thought of what I would get. I know that I don’t want some meaningless random tribal design. I certainly like the look of some tribal tattoos, but I want mine to have some meaning beyond just “because it looked cool.”
When I visited my sister in NYC the other weekend, I finally decided to start looking. We ended up in the Village, browsing several tattoo parlors. I had no idea what I wanted… which kind of frustrated me because I should since this is something that will be put on my body permanently. I know that I want it either on my right upper arm, or perhaps my back shoulder. Just somewhere that I can cover it up. I’d rather keep it a private thing that I share with those I know than have it as something to flaunt.
I took pics of some of the tattoos I liked when browsing the books. Click to read my captions:
My sister had asked me, “What is your favorite animal?” I couldn’t come up with one. But as we browsed the books and whatnot, I started to warm up to having a dragon. I think I’ll do a little bit more research and see if I can find a real meaning for having a dragon tattooed on my skin… oh look! A Bakunawa!
I also found some other cool designs and ideas on flickr that I really like:
I told my cousins on Thanksgiving about my wanting a tattoo. They really had some reservations about it, in fact they actually stated some restrictions! These include: no tribals, no barb wire, no Chinese/Japanese/Oriental characters. Hahaha actually one of them said to me that all forms of tattoos are unacceptable… except for “hula girls and anchors,” since those are timeless classic before tattoos were the “in” thing. Uh yeah… I don’t think so, Tina. 
I still have plenty of time to think it over. If you have any suggestions, send ‘em my way!
December 3, 2008 at 7:02 am
Get something that means something to you, so you won’t look back in a few years and think, ‘Why did I do that? It looks terrible/is stupid/I forget the meaning now.’
This may be just a girl thing, but try to aim for a spot that won’t stretch too much with age. Mine is on my hip, and even though I’ve definitely filled out… I’ve made sure to at least keep under a certain weight so that you can tell what my tattoo is
Some people I know weren’t so lucky.
December 3, 2008 at 9:13 am
Yeah, most definitely. I want it to look cool for sure, but it should be something that reminds me of why I got it; which should be my big move to Chicago.
And I met this girl in Florida… I can only imagine how she’ll look like 20-30 years from now with these tattoos. They’re hot now, but damn… I can’t imagine time treating those well.
December 4, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Did you mention somewhere that you thought about designing one yourself? What about that?
December 5, 2008 at 10:28 am
For a while I did think about designing one… but my artistic skills have rotted away since my days in high school. I don’t think I’m creative enough to make something worth while.
December 9, 2008 at 12:56 am
if you can come up with a rough sketch of something you want, an actual tattoo artist (which if you go to any decent shop this is what you get) will be able to take what you want/drew and draw something that will work well as a tattoo for the size and location you want. in most cases, its even better than what you imagined yourself. sometimes this takes a few appointments to sort out, sometimes they get it perfect the first try. but i always give my tattoos months of thought before i commit to anything, that’s why they’re all about a year apart. you want something that, when people do see it and ask you why you got it, you can give an answer that makes you happy to talk about it and they don’t end up thinking you’re an idiot. and for the record, dragon tattoos are way overused and up there with the aforementioned restrictions. these are all absolute “hell no’s” in the tattoo world if you want a serious one, and not one that looks like you got drunk on vacation and went to some shitty place on the beach and got something off the wall. my suggestion is to take something meaningful to you and try and make it into a design you like (which seems to be tribalesque) and if you get stuck, take a bunch of pictures and your idea to a tattoo artist you like and have them give you suggestions. that’s another thing, its important to have an artist that you like/agree with/share some commonalities with and, most importantly, trust. this is more so the case with someone wanting more than one tattoo or a big piece that will be a work in progress but still. you want to be comfortable with the person permanently inking your body. sorry this is a really long comment haha. good luck!!
December 9, 2008 at 12:57 am
oh and PS – i think you should totally get an old school pin up on your upper arm haha
December 10, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Thanks for the input, Jess! I think I’ll be waiting a couple months before getting it now. I certainly don’t want to rush it, but I definitely want one. Reason being that I want it as a reminder of where I’m from (good ol’ Maryland) and to mark the big change that’s coming up. I have plenty of time to choose/design what it’s going to be…
Oh, and dragons are now out of contention. But they certainly look bad ass! lol!