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Random Stories - Tattoo Stories
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The Infinite Tattoo. It's NOT An Eight!
Illyria Jade
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Author of this Story:
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Illyria Jade
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Shop Pierced @ and Location:
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Bullwinkle Tattoo, Wichita KS
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Was the inital Piercing Painful:
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Not bad, like any tattoo.
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Initial Jewelry used:
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umm...black ink?
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Current Jewelry being used:
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umm...black ink?
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Date Pierced:
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2003
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Description:
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I was itching for more ink, so I started looking on the internet for symbols. Specifically, something that reminded me to let go of my anger, something to add balance to my life. Somewhere along my journey around the 'net, I found a Wiccan website, showing the infinity symbol as symbolizing peace and harmony. Put that together with the fact that it is a balanced figure, and I knew I just had to have it.
So, now it was time to put in another 10 or so hours searching the internet for the perfect infinity image. There are plenty of them out there, in more different forms than you would imagine. I saved all of the ones I liked (and we're not talking a small amount here, either) into a file on my computer, and then once I was done searching I popped open my graphics program and put them all into a collage. Once I printed it out and looked at it for a while, I knew exactly which one I had to have.
Since I had never been tattooed in Wichita before, now that I had my design it was time to check out shops and artists. There were a few shops in Wichita that had sites online, so I searched through them, looked at the art of each of the artists, and selected the one I wanted, after seeing Jason's black and white work on his online portfolio.
I went to the bank and got my cash on Saturday, and impatiently waited for Monday to arrive. I called the shop at 10AM when they opened, but was told that the afternoon was completely open so there was no point in making an appointment. I arrived a little after 1PM, to find they were booked quite full. I spent quite a while looking through Jason's portfolio and loved what I saw, and knew I was in the right place. I took the 5:00PM appointment, which was the earliest they had, and gave them my deposit. Thankfully, I had brought a book.
With instructions to eat within 2 hours before my appointment, I drove the few blocks to the McDonalds I had passed on the way to the shop. I grabbed some drive through and sat in my jeep with the windows down and munched on my food as I read my book. Having wasted as much time as I pleased to in the 85-degree weather, I went back to the air-conditioned shop to waste another hour. Unfortunately I slowly found out that their 2nd tattoo artist had become ill a few days before, so everything was running on odd schedules. Thankfully they only ran an hour or so late, and it was a small tattoo.
Jason was totally awesome and helped me pick the best placement on my wrist after he made the pattern for it. We let it dry as he got everything set up, and when we were ready he warned me not to move and that this was one of the more painful areas to tattoo.
I was ready as could be, and totally excited as he got started. It didn't tickle like my first tattoo had, thankfully, but it didn't really hurt either. Since my first tattoo was on my lower back, it was great being able to watch Jason tattoo me, being able to see the design I wanted appearing from seemingly out of nowhere on my wrist. I sat entranced for an unknown amount of time, but I'm sure it wasn't very long. I was so enraptured with the art appearing on my skin that I don't think I looked away once. I loved the design on paper, but I loved it a million times more on my flesh.
The outline came first, then all the fill-in work, and finally all the touchups and perfections, as Jason tattooed me in beautiful black ink. He had me look at it to see if I was happy with it or saw anything wrong, but it was perfect! He did a few more little touchups, put Vaseline over my tattoo and then a gauze bandage. With instructions to remove the bandage when I got home, and aftercare instructions, I tipped him and left, having already paid. It was kind of a disappointment not to be able to see my beautiful artwork anymore, but I knew it was best.
I started my hour-long drive home with no pain, but my endorphins slowly started to fade out, and I could feel the stinging of my fresh tattoo. I adjusted the air-conditioning vent so that it blew right onto the gauze pad when I laid my arm onto my armrest, and turned up the stereo as I drove home.
When I got home is when the complications started...no, not with my tattoo, but the fact that I had to inform my mother. Now, being 21 years old, I can do what I want, but that doesn't mean she'll like it. I warned her, and showed her. It went over better than I expected, but she nearly threw a fit, not having known that I had done my research. She questioned me anxiously and calmed a little bit when she was informed that I had known what I was doing and had researched the shop. But that didn't mean she was thrilled with my new artwork. Smartly, I answered her questions and then left her alone, going to my end of the house. She has taken it in stride since then, never mentioning it again, but has learned to accept (or act like she accepts, anyway) my love for body modifications.
My aftercare consisted of a lot of Aquaphor, which is a "healing ointment" that a dermatologist recommended to me a few years ago. Basically, it's a moisturizer and a protectant, with nothing harmful to tattoos in it (yes, I checked). I also put non-stick gauze on it at night so that I didn't damage it in my sleep, as I'm known to move around a bit while sleeping. Once it was mostly healed, I switched to using lotion on it, but had difficulties finding one that didn't burn when applied, as I have incredibly sensitive skin. Finally I found Lubriderm's Seriously Sensitive lotion, which worked wonderfully. My tattoo was healed in no time at all, and it was beautiful!
I've received very few comments on it, as it's not in a spot that is overly visible. The only person who continues to comment on it a year later is my 4 year old cousin...every time I'm babysitting and have to wash his hair in the bathtub, he warns me not to get it wet. He is absolutely convinced that it will "wash off". The only place I received many comments on my tattoo was when I was in the hospital. The nurses would see it every time they put medicine into my IV line. Many of them asked what it was, and were answered succinctly that it was an infinity symbol. Their questions ranged from "like in math?" To "a what?" To "like the car?". I assure you, I got a kick out of that last one.
Over a year later, I am still absolutely in love with my tattoo, and it's had an added effect. I'm not sure why, but something about the never-ending -ness of eternity reminds me of my Grandmother who passed away almost 10 years ago. When I look at my tattoo, I think of her, and my day always gets a little bit better.
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