She’s only gone and done it. After weeks of deliberation over ideas, the permanence of such a thing, and whether I could handle the pain of that damn needle, on the 30th May I finally got my first tattoo. This is a monumental occasion in my life and after hinting a few weeks ago on my thoughts and ideas on me getting a tattoo, it was only right that I retell the story and my experience, and how I’m feeling about having this thing on me forever😬.
On the day I understandably woke up very nervous, and made sure I ate a good breakfast and lunch in case I felt faint during the process, something I had heard was recommended. My flat mate Imogen accompanied me on the bus to the studio and by this point I simply wanted to get in there and get it done in case I chickened out. When we arrived I was greeted by the receptionist and after a filling in a consent form I finally met my tattoo artist Deni. I had found Deni via the Black Garden Instagram account, and chose her to be my artist after seeing the impressive work she posted on her Instagram, some of it in the exact styling that I wanted mine to be. I would say it is very important when picking your tattoo artist that you are sure that they work in the style you want yours to be and that you are sure they are qualified and trusted enough to mark your body for life.
Deni showed me the stencil that she was hoping to work from and thankfully it was the exact size I had pictured in my mind, but she did offer to change the size if I had wanted to. There was then a little bit of a wait again as she prepared all of her equipment, and after that I was finally called over. Unfortunately the size of the studio was pretty small and Imogen wasn’t allowed to come back with me for moral support, but Deni was so friendly that I still felt fairly at ease. The stencil was then placed in the area I wanted, which is at the side of my left boob, on my ribs. I checked the placing in the mirror and was happy, so all that was left was for me to take my top off, have paper taped to my nipples for modesty (lol), and for me to lie down in position. It was a bit of an awkward position due to the placing of the tattoo, but that’s nobody’s fault but mine lol.
I honestly don’t want to make it seem that I want to come across as a badass, but when the tattooing of the lines finally began, I was pleasantly surprised. It certainly didn’t feel great, kind of like how you would imagine the continuous scratch of a needle to be to be honest, but it was far from the level of me needing to flinch away, meaning I could stay pretty still as to keep the artist happy.
Everything took a lot longer than I thought, and with the way I was lying, I had no indication of what it looked like, so could only guess the process based on what it felt like she was drawing. When the lines were finally done, it was onto the shading. This was certainly a different sensation to the lines, and whilst it was still bearable enough to sit still, the continuous scraping and dotting going on in the same area continuously was certainly ‘grabbing onto the side of the bed’ worthy. It understandably hurt more the closer the tattoo got to my boob and I was definitely making a few faces by this point. What I liked about Deni was that she was a real perfectionist, and even though I couldn’t see the tattoo at all whilst it was being done, the way she kept stopping and starting, taking pictures of it and zooming in to make sure everything was just right, really reassured me that she was the girl for the job, and knew exactly how I wanted it to look.
When the time finally came for the big reveal, after about 2 hours of tattooing, I was over the moon when I looked in the mirror. The vision I had had in my mind for so long had finally came to fruition and I couldn’t have been happier with how it looked, it immediately felt like part of me. I thanked my artist and it was wrapped in cling film and tape, and I was given strict aftercare instructions, which I will talk about next. I payed the remaining £110 and left the studio completely elated by the whole experience.
It doesn’t look exactly how it will once healing is finished, and is currently in the delightful scabbing stage, but I am still obsessed and can’t help but stare at it in the mirror at every chance I get. After 3 weeks of applying the ointment, I should have a fully healed tattoo!
As many of you will know, I study theology at university and am endeavouring to pursue a career in academic theology, either as a professor of the subject or as simply a published writer in academic circles. As this tattoo has religious imagery, without being too obvious to someone who is unaware of the original painting, I see the design as a subtle homage to the subject I hold dearest to me. Furthermore, even before my fascination with theology, I was always obsessed with this painting and the intricacies of the Sistine Chapel, so this also acts as a tribute to Michelangelo simply as a fantastic artist.
The imagery of the two hands is theologically very significant, as whilst God’s hand reaches out, Adam’s seems to droop down as if not reaching back as strongly. This is said to probably be reminiscent of the fall of humanity as told in the Garden of Eden story in Genesis, and whilst yes, the belief or disbelief of this story is a hot topic which I will not begin to go into, simply to represent that story, I think this is a cool and well thought out piece of imagery.
On a more personal level, the reaching of the hands also serves as a personal reminder to me that, whilst one can reach out for goals as much as they can, the goal may not always be immediately reaching back, but as it is told in the Bible that God did not give up on humanity after Adam and Eve’s sinful fall, so should I not give up on a dream that may not immeidtaltuy seem very accessible to me.
I am so happy with my tattoo and am so thankful to my artist for giving me something that I know for certain that I’m never going to hate or regret. Whilst I have no immediate plans for more, I am so glad I now know what to expect and what the pain is like, and with that I would also say that if you have an idea that you are sure of and that you love, then go for it! It is honestly the best feeling when it’s done.
H x
How the day panned out
My tattoo appointment was at 3pm at Black Garden Tattoo on Drury Lane, not far from Covent Garden. I had visited it a few days earlier to drop of a £50 deposit and confirm my booking. It was a very small, quaint place that seemed like a relaxed and friendly environment to get a tattoo done, and whilst the buzzing sounds of the tattoo needles did intimidate me slightly, I was confident that I had chosen a respectable place for my first tattoo.On the day I understandably woke up very nervous, and made sure I ate a good breakfast and lunch in case I felt faint during the process, something I had heard was recommended. My flat mate Imogen accompanied me on the bus to the studio and by this point I simply wanted to get in there and get it done in case I chickened out. When we arrived I was greeted by the receptionist and after a filling in a consent form I finally met my tattoo artist Deni. I had found Deni via the Black Garden Instagram account, and chose her to be my artist after seeing the impressive work she posted on her Instagram, some of it in the exact styling that I wanted mine to be. I would say it is very important when picking your tattoo artist that you are sure that they work in the style you want yours to be and that you are sure they are qualified and trusted enough to mark your body for life.
Deni showed me the stencil that she was hoping to work from and thankfully it was the exact size I had pictured in my mind, but she did offer to change the size if I had wanted to. There was then a little bit of a wait again as she prepared all of her equipment, and after that I was finally called over. Unfortunately the size of the studio was pretty small and Imogen wasn’t allowed to come back with me for moral support, but Deni was so friendly that I still felt fairly at ease. The stencil was then placed in the area I wanted, which is at the side of my left boob, on my ribs. I checked the placing in the mirror and was happy, so all that was left was for me to take my top off, have paper taped to my nipples for modesty (lol), and for me to lie down in position. It was a bit of an awkward position due to the placing of the tattoo, but that’s nobody’s fault but mine lol.
Getting the tattoo
I asked my artist right before we started if I had gone in at the deep end by getting a rib tattoo as my first one, and she basically said well yeah this is really going to hurt, and that if I feel the need to flinch away I have to tell her so that she doesn’t mess it up as a result. I know she was just being honest, but that admittance certainly freaked me out, but there was no backing out now. I was assured that the lines would hurt far more than the shading, so preparing for that first line to go on was certainly scary.I honestly don’t want to make it seem that I want to come across as a badass, but when the tattooing of the lines finally began, I was pleasantly surprised. It certainly didn’t feel great, kind of like how you would imagine the continuous scratch of a needle to be to be honest, but it was far from the level of me needing to flinch away, meaning I could stay pretty still as to keep the artist happy.
Everything took a lot longer than I thought, and with the way I was lying, I had no indication of what it looked like, so could only guess the process based on what it felt like she was drawing. When the lines were finally done, it was onto the shading. This was certainly a different sensation to the lines, and whilst it was still bearable enough to sit still, the continuous scraping and dotting going on in the same area continuously was certainly ‘grabbing onto the side of the bed’ worthy. It understandably hurt more the closer the tattoo got to my boob and I was definitely making a few faces by this point. What I liked about Deni was that she was a real perfectionist, and even though I couldn’t see the tattoo at all whilst it was being done, the way she kept stopping and starting, taking pictures of it and zooming in to make sure everything was just right, really reassured me that she was the girl for the job, and knew exactly how I wanted it to look.
When the time finally came for the big reveal, after about 2 hours of tattooing, I was over the moon when I looked in the mirror. The vision I had had in my mind for so long had finally came to fruition and I couldn’t have been happier with how it looked, it immediately felt like part of me. I thanked my artist and it was wrapped in cling film and tape, and I was given strict aftercare instructions, which I will talk about next. I payed the remaining £110 and left the studio completely elated by the whole experience.
Aftercare
Whilst I am a dab hand at healing piercings, at least I hope I am seen as I currently have 11 lol, tattoo healing is a whole new ball game for me. I was instructed to take the cling film off after a few hours, clean the tattoo with mild soap, apply an ointment that the studio kindly gave me, and wrap it back up. I was then told to repeat this process for 3 days, and after that I could get rid of the cling film and simply apply the ointment 3 times a day. As I was travelling to Leeds the next day, followed by travelling back to London, only to leave for Liverpool the day after, I certainly hadn’t picked the ideal time to commit to such a strict aftercare process. Nevertheless, I did still stick to it as best I could, and whist it is still fairly sore to the touch, I am at the stage of anointing 3 times a day and things seem to be going well.It doesn’t look exactly how it will once healing is finished, and is currently in the delightful scabbing stage, but I am still obsessed and can’t help but stare at it in the mirror at every chance I get. After 3 weeks of applying the ointment, I should have a fully healed tattoo!
Meaning
As a disclaimer I’d like to say that I don’t necessairly believe that a tattoo has to have a whole paragraph of meaning to a person to be legitimate enough to get. They are at the end of the day pieces of artwork, and if a person simply finds something aesthetically nice enough that they want it on their body, then so be it. I would say that the way my tattoo looks in the placement I chose was a massive factor in me wanting to get it. It is after all literally lifted from the ‘Creation of Adam’ artwork by Michelangelo and so obviously I visually enjoy what it looks like. I do have a few other meaning attached to this tattoo also, that I spoke briefly about in my ‘Should I Get A Tattoo?’ post.As many of you will know, I study theology at university and am endeavouring to pursue a career in academic theology, either as a professor of the subject or as simply a published writer in academic circles. As this tattoo has religious imagery, without being too obvious to someone who is unaware of the original painting, I see the design as a subtle homage to the subject I hold dearest to me. Furthermore, even before my fascination with theology, I was always obsessed with this painting and the intricacies of the Sistine Chapel, so this also acts as a tribute to Michelangelo simply as a fantastic artist.
The imagery of the two hands is theologically very significant, as whilst God’s hand reaches out, Adam’s seems to droop down as if not reaching back as strongly. This is said to probably be reminiscent of the fall of humanity as told in the Garden of Eden story in Genesis, and whilst yes, the belief or disbelief of this story is a hot topic which I will not begin to go into, simply to represent that story, I think this is a cool and well thought out piece of imagery.
On a more personal level, the reaching of the hands also serves as a personal reminder to me that, whilst one can reach out for goals as much as they can, the goal may not always be immediately reaching back, but as it is told in the Bible that God did not give up on humanity after Adam and Eve’s sinful fall, so should I not give up on a dream that may not immeidtaltuy seem very accessible to me.
I am so happy with my tattoo and am so thankful to my artist for giving me something that I know for certain that I’m never going to hate or regret. Whilst I have no immediate plans for more, I am so glad I now know what to expect and what the pain is like, and with that I would also say that if you have an idea that you are sure of and that you love, then go for it! It is honestly the best feeling when it’s done.
H x
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