My First Tattoo, Scheduling and Designing

So I had mentioned that part of my celebration of having Melvin for a year was getting a tattoo.  This was a new thing for me--most of the knowledge that I have about the subject were movie stereotypes, Bad Ink, and Inkmaster.  Well, that and friends with tattoos all echoing in different words that as soon as you get your first tattoo, you start planning your second.  

That means that I started researching as most every millennial woman does--looking for recommendations on Facebook.  Well, that and hunting for a few articles of suggestions on the internet.  What I gleaned out of that was that it was important to research your artist, to make sure that their style meshes well with your idea, and to schedule an appointment.  Most of the recommendations that I received through that Facebook conversation or in person were for places outside of town, so I also went to Yelp to see what was around and well-reviewed.  

Once I narrowed down a place and found which artists work resonated best with me and what I was aiming to do, I called up the shop.  I started off by stating that I was hoping to get a tattoo and identifying which artist I was looking at.  Then, she asked me for some details about what I was thinking about getting.  I asked a lot of questions, explaining that this was my first tattoo and thanking them in advance for their patience.  Ultimately and understandably, her recommendation was to come into the shop and bring some mock-ups of my idea, if I had them.  

Of course I had them.  And I had some time in my schedule to run by the shop two days later.  I talked to the person at the front desk and it happened the artist I was looking at was available to discuss some of the elements of what I was looking for.  I was gently led to understand that the idea that I had would not necessarily translate well to skin, without being much larger and way more expensive than I was expecting.  He did not want to give me something that would look muddy or blow out my budget or otherwise just not represent what I wanted, which I certainly respect.  For context, my idea was to have some select words in a florid script surrounded by black lace. (see below)  All of those tiny, skinny, intersecting lines, yeah, that makes a flavor of sense to me now why that wouldn't work, but I had had no context previously for what was and was not possible.  I asked several more questions, looking to get a better understanding of what did and did not translate well.  The conversation actually steered me back toward elements of my original idea, a frame around the words I was hoping to use looking more like a photo frame.  

I was leaning toward the right, but was curious if

as much detail on the left was possible

So I sat down and scribbled out what were my "Must Haves" regarding what I wanted permanently etched on my body.  

1. 1.  Only black ink, no color
2. 2.  My wanted text
3. 3.  Roughly the size that would fit between my stealthbelt (which holds my ostomy) and my pants
4. 4.  Some kind of vintage look
5. 5.  Within the budget confines we agreed on

I revised my idea and went back to the shop with a few different mockups.  I went to an easier font and a simpler frame than complex lace, going toward a vintage frame.  Once we agreed on something that was a much better starting point, I put down my deposit to reserve my time which would contribute toward my overall total.  And then I had several more questions--what I had in mind would take about three hours, I found out what position I would hold (and that it wouldn't put too much pressure on Melvin for too long, and, no, I did not have to prepare my skin in any way.  

And now we're going for something more like this in an oval shape

And bonus--my mother-in-law is planning on joining me, getting her first ink, too.  What a delightful bonding time!  I'm slated, assuming that I am healthy and barring unforeseen disasters, to get my tattoo the day before Thanksgiving.  Very excited!