hello hello. so, i'm turning 18 in around four days. exciting. next friday, my mom's making an appointment to get my first tattoo. ever since..february-ish, i've had what i wanted to be my first tattoo picked out, which is my (currently) favorite album cover
up until now, i was 100% sure this is what i wanted to get, but now i'm just really second guessing myself about it. on one hand, i've always felt like my horrible anxiety has held me back from everything i've wanted to do, and i wanted this tattoo to be a way to just..let go of some of my fears, i guess. on the other hand, my music taste is definitely going to change between 18 years old and, like, 40. i'm not the type of person to just suddenly start HATING bands/albums/whatever that i used to like, but i'm still just..suddenly really hesitant about this whole thing. also, i really like the album's cover anyways, but besides that, the album itself means a lot to me for a multitude of different personal reasons.
i don't know, i guess now i don't want to back out because i've gotten myself so excited but i don't wanna end up with something i just kind of hate in a few years. but i also feel like i spent months being 100% certain this was the tattoo i was going to get, but now that i'm second guessing, i don't have enough time to pick out anything that i feel like i should actually get. of course i don't have to rush into it but i'm just dying to get a tattoo honestly.
i don't know, what do you guys think?
up until now, i was 100% sure this is what i wanted to get, but now i'm just really second guessing myself about it. on one hand, i've always felt like my horrible anxiety has held me back from everything i've wanted to do, and i wanted this tattoo to be a way to just..let go of some of my fears, i guess. on the other hand, my music taste is definitely going to change between 18 years old and, like, 40. i'm not the type of person to just suddenly start HATING bands/albums/whatever that i used to like, but i'm still just..suddenly really hesitant about this whole thing. also, i really like the album's cover anyways, but besides that, the album itself means a lot to me for a multitude of different personal reasons.
i don't know, i guess now i don't want to back out because i've gotten myself so excited but i don't wanna end up with something i just kind of hate in a few years. but i also feel like i spent months being 100% certain this was the tattoo i was going to get, but now that i'm second guessing, i don't have enough time to pick out anything that i feel like i should actually get. of course i don't have to rush into it but i'm just dying to get a tattoo honestly.
i don't know, what do you guys think?
Ok. Well. If you dont absolutely love it, I say dont get it. Its a tattoo, so its not,coming off.
When you have the right tattoo, you'll know.
When you have the right tattoo, you'll know.
It should mean something personal to you, but think of it this way. If you don't like the band later on down the line, you could probably turn that image into something different but still meaningful.
but if there's something else that means more to you that isn't based on a band, you might feel more at ease with it. the more personal it is, the less chance you'll come to regret it.
Good luck, my man, it's gonna be awesome 👌
but if there's something else that means more to you that isn't based on a band, you might feel more at ease with it. the more personal it is, the less chance you'll come to regret it.
Good luck, my man, it's gonna be awesome 👌
Really it's all up to you, it's your body that's going to be permanently inked...but if you really want advice from others...
Really it's a catch 22...it's in the human nature to grow and change and no matter which tattoo you end up deciding on (if any) there's a good chance later in life you won't be into what inspired you to get inked. Specifically since you chose album cover art. Though the good thing about that is you may not like the music later but right now it sounds like you hold some pretty good memories...I'd say if there were good times had while listening to that album then go for it because later on (even if you no longer listen to the music or even if you do end up hating the album) the tattoo will remind you of the good times you had that inspired you to get the art inked on.
Just be sure you really want it and pick an area you know you regret later (Ae. Don't have your first tattoo in a place that is too obvious)
Hope I helped~
Really it's a catch 22...it's in the human nature to grow and change and no matter which tattoo you end up deciding on (if any) there's a good chance later in life you won't be into what inspired you to get inked. Specifically since you chose album cover art. Though the good thing about that is you may not like the music later but right now it sounds like you hold some pretty good memories...I'd say if there were good times had while listening to that album then go for it because later on (even if you no longer listen to the music or even if you do end up hating the album) the tattoo will remind you of the good times you had that inspired you to get the art inked on.
Just be sure you really want it and pick an area you know you regret later (Ae. Don't have your first tattoo in a place that is too obvious)
Hope I helped~
I'd say go for it. It's always going to mean something to you no matter how you end up changing. Plus, it's a nice design all on its own and not large or obtrusive, so I don't think you'll ever have one of those "wish I didn't get a massive tattoo of a celebrity's face on my entire back" moments.
If you want it, get it!
As much as people say tattoos are forever, you could always get it removed (though I hear that's expensive and a bit painful depending on tattoo) or covered up (there are some wonderful cover up artists out there). Or worst case scenario is you come up with a new meaning for it!
Even if your music tastes change, if you have a very personal connection to this tattoo ("but besides that, the album itself means a lot to me for a multitude of different personal reasons"), then it shouldn't be an issue; Even if you don't like the music, whenever you look at this piece, you'll always remember these reasons.
Granted, I don't have any tattoos myself (I want some ; 3 ; ), but I figure you should go with what you feel right now.
Note: Don't get any names or anything unless you're 100% sure you can get a cover up or get it removed later. Names, imo, are a death-sentence tattoo, lol. My best friend ever is my mom, and I'd still never get her name tattooed on my body, and she's said the same for me. Icons and art pieces are always better but again, just an opinion.
TL;DR Trust your gut; If you want the tattoo, get the tattoo. Do what makes you happy now. Life is only so long.
As much as people say tattoos are forever, you could always get it removed (though I hear that's expensive and a bit painful depending on tattoo) or covered up (there are some wonderful cover up artists out there). Or worst case scenario is you come up with a new meaning for it!
Even if your music tastes change, if you have a very personal connection to this tattoo ("but besides that, the album itself means a lot to me for a multitude of different personal reasons"), then it shouldn't be an issue; Even if you don't like the music, whenever you look at this piece, you'll always remember these reasons.
Granted, I don't have any tattoos myself (I want some ; 3 ; ), but I figure you should go with what you feel right now.
Note: Don't get any names or anything unless you're 100% sure you can get a cover up or get it removed later. Names, imo, are a death-sentence tattoo, lol. My best friend ever is my mom, and I'd still never get her name tattooed on my body, and she's said the same for me. Icons and art pieces are always better but again, just an opinion.
TL;DR Trust your gut; If you want the tattoo, get the tattoo. Do what makes you happy now. Life is only so long.
As people before me have stated, going with your gut is probably the best way to go about it.
Your tattoos don't have to be things that you'll love throughout your whole life if you don't want them to be, but I'm one of those people that thinks that tattoos should just be whatever you want as long as you're willing to commit.
Most of the time, people see their old tattoos as memories of themselves when they were younger and they absolutely love it. To get what you want now is to commemorate who you are- what you liked/were into/absolutely downright loved, stuff like that!
If it makes you feel any better, my first tattoo is going to be pop-culture reference. I'm unsure if I'm gonna get the video game one or the music one first, but still!
Your tattoos don't have to be things that you'll love throughout your whole life if you don't want them to be, but I'm one of those people that thinks that tattoos should just be whatever you want as long as you're willing to commit.
Most of the time, people see their old tattoos as memories of themselves when they were younger and they absolutely love it. To get what you want now is to commemorate who you are- what you liked/were into/absolutely downright loved, stuff like that!
If it makes you feel any better, my first tattoo is going to be pop-culture reference. I'm unsure if I'm gonna get the video game one or the music one first, but still!
Do it. It's just a tattoo. I've got six, and some of them don't mean anything anymore, but I'm still glad I got them.
Onto the actual advice.
Fat and muscle are your friends as far as pain goes. Prepare to hurt if it's over bone or somewhere that does have a lot of meat. Sensitive spots are sensitive spots, so if it's not something that gets a lot of exposure or contact, that's something else to consider.
Do Not Use Neosporin. Neosporin has additives in it that are great for wound care, but terrible for tattoos. It'll cause the lines to bleed and blur. Use Bacitracin Zinc instead.
Don't let anyone "set" or slap your tattoo. It can cause the ink to burst into the fat layer, potentially resulting in illness or a crappy looking tattoo.
I don't know if it's still the term, but "hammer drill" used to slang for the tattooist driving the needle hard and deep. If you can deal with that, it's a good thing.
Don't get a color tattoo first, or even fifth. Get a black tattoo and give it a few years to fade and see how your body treats it.
Keep it clean. I got a tattoo while deployed and couldn't give it the attention that I needed to, so it healed with all sorts of weird cracks and lines in it.
If you're afraid of getting the tattoo you want, get one just for fun somewhere else and see if you can deal with it.
Tattoos aren't forever anymore. Wrecking Balm is sold in Wal-Mart and works great.
Even if you don't remove them, they still tell the story of who you were, and who you are now. Don't be afraid of change. Embrace it.
A good tattoo looks wicked sick bro.
Onto the actual advice.
Fat and muscle are your friends as far as pain goes. Prepare to hurt if it's over bone or somewhere that does have a lot of meat. Sensitive spots are sensitive spots, so if it's not something that gets a lot of exposure or contact, that's something else to consider.
Do Not Use Neosporin. Neosporin has additives in it that are great for wound care, but terrible for tattoos. It'll cause the lines to bleed and blur. Use Bacitracin Zinc instead.
Don't let anyone "set" or slap your tattoo. It can cause the ink to burst into the fat layer, potentially resulting in illness or a crappy looking tattoo.
I don't know if it's still the term, but "hammer drill" used to slang for the tattooist driving the needle hard and deep. If you can deal with that, it's a good thing.
Don't get a color tattoo first, or even fifth. Get a black tattoo and give it a few years to fade and see how your body treats it.
Keep it clean. I got a tattoo while deployed and couldn't give it the attention that I needed to, so it healed with all sorts of weird cracks and lines in it.
If you're afraid of getting the tattoo you want, get one just for fun somewhere else and see if you can deal with it.
Tattoos aren't forever anymore. Wrecking Balm is sold in Wal-Mart and works great.
Even if you don't remove them, they still tell the story of who you were, and who you are now. Don't be afraid of change. Embrace it.
A good tattoo looks wicked sick bro.
Do it. Even if you don't like the band anymore, that specific image, the hands, can easily mean a number of other things. If someone saw that, they likely wouldn't even think about that album cover they would probably assume it was something about asking for help, or emotional growth, or reaching for someone you love. It's easy to think you might also view it that way one day.
Tattoos aren't actually forever anymore, people get them faded all the time, and sometimes people get them turned into other things. You could easily have something put between the hands when you get older if you want. You will probably not regret the tattoo, but you will most likely regret not getting it, or waiting forever to get it.
It looks like a very meaningful tattoo, hands reaching for each other. It's not like this is a naked lady riding a chicken and blowing bubbles out of her butt, (I mean if someone wants that tattoo that's fine lol) it's just two hands reaching for each other, which is quite simple, meaningful, and unlikely to be regretted.
Tattoos aren't actually forever anymore, people get them faded all the time, and sometimes people get them turned into other things. You could easily have something put between the hands when you get older if you want. You will probably not regret the tattoo, but you will most likely regret not getting it, or waiting forever to get it.
It looks like a very meaningful tattoo, hands reaching for each other. It's not like this is a naked lady riding a chicken and blowing bubbles out of her butt, (I mean if someone wants that tattoo that's fine lol) it's just two hands reaching for each other, which is quite simple, meaningful, and unlikely to be regretted.
I lean toward agreeing with what Hikari said, but I get what Damnation is saying too.
I can understand where you are coming from, I still second guess myself on a variety of ideas for tattoos though I have one right now.
Get something that means a lot to you. I know there are a lot of projects out there for mental health issues that involve getting tattoos. My first tattoo was about one of those projects, the Semicolon movement. If you never heard of it, its a wonderful thing. The semicolon represents a sentence that almost came to an end but didn't. It for all who struggled with suicidal thoughts and so on, I got it to remind myself that if I came overcome the pain that almost drove me over my edge, I can do it again. Its not over, but I'm gonna keep fighting. Mine is bigger than what most would get. I wanted it to mean something more than just that so I got it in two shades of blue to represent water. Not only for my birthday sign as a Cancer but also to show that while the waves will get rough sometimes, the ocean won't always be that way.
So, really, get what's meaningful to you and be careful where you get it. I have a parent who got a lot of arm tattoos when he was young and has talked about how hard it was for him to get a job because of those tattoos. I say get it on your leg, somewhere you will see it but it won't ever stop you from getting a job. My current tattoo is on my right ankle and let me tell you, that shit hurt like no one's business but when I had it done and healed, I couldn't be happier to have it. All the pain I went through to get it was well worth it. I definitely plan to get more, even if the areas are normally the most painful of ones, I like my tattoos.
I am rambling too much, I can already tell. Get the album cover if it really has a lot of meaning to you but if you might want something else, think of another thing thst has meaning. Like a design of something that calms you, or a piece of a happy memory. My next few are for memories and one just for me.
My dad got a power puff girl tattoo just for me when I was younger, around 6(found out it was where I got my first tattoo) so I wanna get a power puff girl tattoo on my leg in the same place he has his for him one day.
Another one is a pastel orange rose for small angel wings and a little halo above it over a small quarter size scar on my left shoulder. The scar bothers me greatly even if no one has ever once noticed it, it still bothers me so I am gonna cover it with a memory. My grandmother passed away when I was 10 and she loved tending to her roses so after her death, my mom struggled for months trying to keep the last rose bush my grandmother left alive but alas, it died from lack of sunlight. This November will mark the third year since my mom passed away so the rose will be a memorial to both my grandmother and my mother.
The last one I plan on getting is still split between two I really like. One being rather large angel wings on my back that would be covering my shoulder blades and a circle on the center of my back that would have part of the starry night painting by Vincent Van Gough, that painting has inspired me to draw and paint as a young kid and I still love thst painting to this day. Love it enough that even though an ex of mine gave me a version of it on a canvas and I got rid of everything he ever gave me, I still hold on to that one thing because I love that painting so much.
Get something that means a lot to you. I know there are a lot of projects out there for mental health issues that involve getting tattoos. My first tattoo was about one of those projects, the Semicolon movement. If you never heard of it, its a wonderful thing. The semicolon represents a sentence that almost came to an end but didn't. It for all who struggled with suicidal thoughts and so on, I got it to remind myself that if I came overcome the pain that almost drove me over my edge, I can do it again. Its not over, but I'm gonna keep fighting. Mine is bigger than what most would get. I wanted it to mean something more than just that so I got it in two shades of blue to represent water. Not only for my birthday sign as a Cancer but also to show that while the waves will get rough sometimes, the ocean won't always be that way.
So, really, get what's meaningful to you and be careful where you get it. I have a parent who got a lot of arm tattoos when he was young and has talked about how hard it was for him to get a job because of those tattoos. I say get it on your leg, somewhere you will see it but it won't ever stop you from getting a job. My current tattoo is on my right ankle and let me tell you, that shit hurt like no one's business but when I had it done and healed, I couldn't be happier to have it. All the pain I went through to get it was well worth it. I definitely plan to get more, even if the areas are normally the most painful of ones, I like my tattoos.
I am rambling too much, I can already tell. Get the album cover if it really has a lot of meaning to you but if you might want something else, think of another thing thst has meaning. Like a design of something that calms you, or a piece of a happy memory. My next few are for memories and one just for me.
My dad got a power puff girl tattoo just for me when I was younger, around 6(found out it was where I got my first tattoo) so I wanna get a power puff girl tattoo on my leg in the same place he has his for him one day.
Another one is a pastel orange rose for small angel wings and a little halo above it over a small quarter size scar on my left shoulder. The scar bothers me greatly even if no one has ever once noticed it, it still bothers me so I am gonna cover it with a memory. My grandmother passed away when I was 10 and she loved tending to her roses so after her death, my mom struggled for months trying to keep the last rose bush my grandmother left alive but alas, it died from lack of sunlight. This November will mark the third year since my mom passed away so the rose will be a memorial to both my grandmother and my mother.
The last one I plan on getting is still split between two I really like. One being rather large angel wings on my back that would be covering my shoulder blades and a circle on the center of my back that would have part of the starry night painting by Vincent Van Gough, that painting has inspired me to draw and paint as a young kid and I still love thst painting to this day. Love it enough that even though an ex of mine gave me a version of it on a canvas and I got rid of everything he ever gave me, I still hold on to that one thing because I love that painting so much.
You can consider tattoos like photographs: they capture something about yourself that is now, something that has been part in shaping who you are now. Just like how a photograph can be a memory, a tattoo can be too. Even if it doesn't mean anything anymore to you 10 years from now because you moved on from the music, it's a memory on your skin like a picture in an album.
Tattoo removal is possible, but it's not necessarily easy or painless or even guaranteed. Scarring may occur, ink may not be gone entirely, and it takes time to fade. Be mindful that if you're basing your decision on the ability to remove a tattoo later on, that you know what it entails now. I'm sure techniques will improve with time, but if current techniques aren't an option for you now, it's a good indicator that you can't reliably fall back on it.
It's your body and your decision. If you're not confident that you can be happy with it, save yourself the time, money and potential pain and wait for a tattoo idea that you are confident and happy with. I personally think first tattoos should be gotten thoughtfully, but they're also a first time thing and that can create anxiety. Make sure you're not confusing 'first time anxiety' with 'I don't know if I actually want this' anxiety. They're different things, one still leaves you excited and just nervous about the process, the other leaves you doubtful about whether or not it's a good idea to go through with it at all.
Either way, trust your gut.
Edit: I also want to stress how important it is you visit a tattoo artist who makes you feel comfortable, who explains the process to you and let's you examine their studio for hygienic inspection. Tattoo artists who are dismissive or don't let you see how they sterilize the environment raise all sorts of red flags and are not interested in what's best for you and what you want. Even if you're in the chair ready to go, if they make you feel uncomfortable or instill doubts in you, you have every right to get out and leave.
Tattoo removal is possible, but it's not necessarily easy or painless or even guaranteed. Scarring may occur, ink may not be gone entirely, and it takes time to fade. Be mindful that if you're basing your decision on the ability to remove a tattoo later on, that you know what it entails now. I'm sure techniques will improve with time, but if current techniques aren't an option for you now, it's a good indicator that you can't reliably fall back on it.
It's your body and your decision. If you're not confident that you can be happy with it, save yourself the time, money and potential pain and wait for a tattoo idea that you are confident and happy with. I personally think first tattoos should be gotten thoughtfully, but they're also a first time thing and that can create anxiety. Make sure you're not confusing 'first time anxiety' with 'I don't know if I actually want this' anxiety. They're different things, one still leaves you excited and just nervous about the process, the other leaves you doubtful about whether or not it's a good idea to go through with it at all.
Either way, trust your gut.
Edit: I also want to stress how important it is you visit a tattoo artist who makes you feel comfortable, who explains the process to you and let's you examine their studio for hygienic inspection. Tattoo artists who are dismissive or don't let you see how they sterilize the environment raise all sorts of red flags and are not interested in what's best for you and what you want. Even if you're in the chair ready to go, if they make you feel uncomfortable or instill doubts in you, you have every right to get out and leave.
an update!:
big hurt
big hurt
it’s done!
it only took 15 minutes and i couldn’t be happier with the result :^0
it only took 15 minutes and i couldn’t be happier with the result :^0
I think next you should get the RPR logo tatted on with barbed wire around it. 😎
It looks good.
It looks good.
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