My Story
I figured it would only be appropriate to have my first post on this blog be about the tattoo story I know best—my own!

As I said in my brief bio, I have always been interested in tattoos. Looking back, I’m pretty sure my first encounter with tattoos came when I was about 4 with my then-pastor having a tattoo on his calf. (Given that environment, there was never really any debate as to whether getting a tattoo was a moral issue or not.) As I got older, the only thing keeping me from getting one was coming up with a design I liked that would also represent something important to me for the rest of my life.

Well, along came my freshman year of college, and so many things were going on in my life, not only transitioning to the college setting but also some stuff back home. Due to everything that was going on, I had a lot of people walk out of my life, and that left me with an intense desire for something permanent and meaningful…I bet you can see where this is going!

After talking for months with a friend here at school about tattoos, I was set on getting a small tattoo of my favorite hockey team’s logo, because I absolutely love hockey and it is a special connection I have with my dad, in particular. So while I was on Easter break (specifically, on Good Friday—April 22, 2011), I went to a shop back home to get it done.

 I showed the artist what I wanted, and he told me that he would not be able to do it as small as I wanted. When he told me it would have to be about the size of his palm, I was no longer interested in the design. But I was determined to get a tattoo, so I began looking through the racks of samples in the studio. I contemplated getting a cross, but turned that idea down. The idea of getting a rose also came to mind, which is kind of funny because I’m not a huge fan of flowers. Then I saw a simple music note, and that sparked a design in my head that my friend had talked about before—a heart formed from a bass clef and a treble clef. So I concluded if I could find that design in the shop’s portfolio, then I would get it.

Lo and behold, it was there!

A picture of my tattoo a couple hours after it was done. I was pleasantly surprised that it did not bleed much.

I sat for hours in the waiting area, somewhat nervous but also extremely excited, before the artist called me back. He put the stencil on, and I was overjoyed with how it looked. I went out to show my dad and sister the design and placement, and when I got back my tattoo artist had the equipment sitting out disassembled. Seeing that huge needle out of the gun sent chills down my spine, but my pride kept me in that seat. I told myself that I went to get a tattoo, and I was not leaving without one!

 Words can’t even describe that first prick. It was obviously painful, but it is a pain like no other I have ever felt before; it was exciting and almost euphoric. My tattoo only took 20 minutes or so, and I honestly smiled the whole way through. For that short time my mind was focused on me. My mind was not bogged down with everything else in my life that broke me and confused me. Getting my tattoo gave me a feeling of stability in that it is a tangible thing I will carry around with me for the rest of my life. Also, it represents the people in my life who will always be there for me—my family.

 Now, some of you may be looking down on me because the design of my tattoo ended up being kind of impulsive. And looking back now, I cannot imagine having the logo of my favorite hockey team on my foot, especially when I am pursuing a career in sports writing (talk about an appearance of conflict of interests!) I’m glad with how things worked out. It was almost like divine intervention, because this tattoo really epitomizes who I am. It (most importantly) represents my family, our shared love for music, and the influence music has had in my personal life with dance, in particular.

That’s about it. I’ll be back on Wednesday to tell you the story behind some tattoos of a friend of mine. If you have any comments or questions I would love to hear from you. Thanks for coming with me behind the ink!