Writing To Persuade

Getting tattooed has to be one of the most exhilarating, and yet simple, pleasures in life. Even the very sound of that machine buzzing is enough to give me, personally, that ever-famous buzz itself. And then to feel the needle vibrating against your skin, rapidly piercing your flesh as the splashes of colour penetrate. That’s when your blood starts to pump faster and your heart begins to race.

Getting new ink is like transforming a part of yourself, and you get to sit there, wide awake. Conscious to every feeling, every swell of adrenaline that takes over you during the process. Mostly, the pain is bearable, hurting you only to the point of euphoria. Then there are the times it tortures you. This only ever really occurs in the event of tattoos placed over a bone… An elbow. An ankle. Or even, in the more extreme cases, a skull. This is the time, quite frankly, to nut up or shut up.

Could you sit there, perfectly composed, while a complete stranger drags that buzzing needle across your body? Scraping your bones. Hoping that the inky blotched mess now scarring you for life will be worth this burning, bloody hell.

And then there’s the design to worry about. You’ve seen misspelled names or portraits that resemble a five year olds crayon expedition more than a work of art. Do you hunt intently for an actual needle-genius in the hope they’re more than capable of creating a masterpiece to brand you with, but at a price? Or do you go for the generic, off-the-wall butterfly-based tramp-stamp that gets offered to you for pennies? And all the while you’re wondering whether that five year olds crayon expedition is about to become the permanent  accessory you wear.

The main thing to remember about tattoos is that you get them for you. Your body is a canvas, and it’s waiting to be painted with your story.