Have you ever had an adventurous dream or goal? For the longest time I’ve been wanting to get a tattoo. I turned 40 and told myself this was the year. I waited about a good 20+ years to finally do it. It wasn’t a spontaneous decision or spur of the moment.

Tattoos are a work of art but when not treated as an important decision it can be something you regret down the road so I thought this was the perfect opportunity to share about the responsibilities, things you should know and my own experience getting one.

Responsibility

It’s a life changing decision that should be made wisely and properly. Age and work life are the 2 main things to think about when getting a tattoo. At 40, I knew that it was the right time for me. I’m able to wholeheartedly make the decision to get one. Work wise I’m not limited in getting one since I work from home.

Bastian has asked to get a tattoo but I advised him to let time pass. I asked him to think about the job he would have in the future, the company he would work with and the culture he’d be immersed in. Sadly, there are still some companies that don’t accept employees with tattoos and though that shouldn’t be something to consider, work over recreation is more important.

Choosing a design

Picking a design is one of the hardest steps. What design would you be happy having on your body permanently? Popular choices are names, symbols, animals, faces, etc. The thing is, what you may like now, you may not be so hot for after 10 years. As much as possible try not to decide on a tattoo based on current emotions. If you’re at a low point in your life you may choose a design that won’t be appropriate or it may no longer hold the same meaning. So, choose wisely!

I wanted to get something meaningful since it would be permanent and the only thing permanent for me is my love for my kids. I asked my friend who’s hobby is calligraphy to come up with a design for me. What she presented blew me away. I LOVED it! She gave me a few options to choose from but I chose this design and she detailed it even more with different fonts. She accepts custom design orders. Just send me a message if you’re interested to have calligraphy work done whether for tattoos, invitations, etc.

Choosing a tattoo artist

Getting a tattoo can be scary but the best thing to do is to choose a professional and safe tattoo artist. Jaycee came highly recommended from Hey, It’s Chel. He does an at home tattoo service and he’s very affordable, too! If you guys want to get in touch with him let me know!

Where to get your tattoo

One of the things I was dreading was the pain! My pain tolerance is pretty high based on past experiences from giving birth to my gallbladder operation. When Jaycee started I was cringing a bit waiting for the pain but… nothing! It didn’t hurt! If I would describe it, it would be like someone using a fork prong to write on your skin. There’s pressure and maybe discomfort at the start but other than that it was pain free. I expected it to hurt even more because I had chosen to place my tattoo on my collar bone but nada!

Photo Credit: LifeHacker

 

Also, a bit of advice carefully decide where on you’re body you’d like to place the tattoo. I went with the collarbone without thinking that my bra strap would be right on top of it. If I could do it over again I would have moved it a bit. Though my own personal research has shown that a bra strap shouldn’t ruin the design, I’m still worried. It’s been a couple of weeks since and I move my strap to the side so it doesn’t hit it. This also goes for back shoulder tattoos.

If you’re getting a tattoo on exposed parts of your body that get sunlight your tattoo may fade faster than normal.

When the tattoo session was done Jaycee put a plastic cover on it but put some cream and medicine on it for faster healing.

Caring for your tattoo

For me another important part is caring for your tattoo. I was told that it would swell, itch and peel and I was surprised that not much of that happened. It didn’t swell too much in fact after 3 days there was no more swelling and you couldn’t even tell that it was a fresh tattoo. It didn’t peel at all. There was black lint taking off but no peeling of skin or anything. I think it depends on the design as well since mine was small and mostly writing. It itched a tad bit but nothing I couldn’t handle.
What to do:
Apply petroleum jelly for 3 days before taking a bath
Apply A&D Tattoo ointment (Vitamin A + Vitamin D) after taking a bath
I applied petroleum jelly for one week after especially since I attend yoga classes. I had to rest from yoga though for 5 days.
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