How Theatre Made Me Do It

I got my first tattoo at 18 years old. I was in Theatre Arts, I was in the Drama Club, and I volunteered in the community theatre. I realized fairly quickly that acting was just something I had a passion for. I decided, after much consideration, that I would get a tattoo to symbolize my love for acting and tie me to the theatre forever.

Research

Please listen when I tell you: DO YOUR RESEARCH when getting a tattoo, especially for the first time. Now that I’ve told you that, I can also tell you that I am a massive hypocrate. I did little to no research on my tattoo parlour. My friends had been getting tattoos and, though I had been contemplating the idea for some time, I decided that I needed one right that moment. So I started asking my friends which one I should go to. Admittedly, this was a small amount of research, but after calling the place that my friends had recommended, and getting turned away, I picked a place out of the phone book to ink me.

My Shop

First off: I lucked out HUGE with the tattoo shop I had randomly selected from the directory. There are HUNDREDS of tattoo parlors in any given metropolitan area and far too many are very sketchy places. What you want in a tattoo parlour, is a clean, comfortable, friendly environment with licensed staff. The tattoo shop I happened to go to that day (and still go to) was actually voted cleanest tattoo parlour in Ottawa 5 years in a row. This put me at ease a lot when I was getting my first tattoo. You’ll also want to look through the portfolios of the artists in the shop. Even though most shops employ artists who have very diverse skills, there is a chance that you dislike the style of art in the artists. If you don’t like the style of art, DO NOT GET THE TATTOO. My number one piece of advice when getting tattooed is if you are not sure: DON’T GET IT. Period. Exclamation Mark. Being hasty and getting something just for the sake of getting it is how we do things we regret. And trust me, if you regret a tattoo AT ALL before you get it, you’ll regret it a lot more later.

My Preferred Shop: Living Colour Tattoo in Ottawa, Ontario

My Artist

I got an artist on random because I called in as a walk-in appointment and again: got VERY lucky. My artist, Ben, moved to Ottawa from Pittsburgh after almost 15 years of tattooing there. The first time I met Ben, he was extremely open to all of my ideas about the design I wanted. He heard my ideas and saw the sketch that I had prepared, and made some suggestions of his own. We collaborated and I granted him artistic license to compromise our visions. What came out was fantastic. I discovered after a few tattoos with Ben, that he and I collaborate well together, and my ideas are often realized through him. Ben likes to incorporate lots of colour into his designs, which is something I like a lot, and his use of lines in my work is stunning.

My Artist: The Talented Mr. Ben Z

My First Tatt

My first tattoo was everything I wanted it to be. I still have a passion for the Dramatic Arts, and my tattoo, which is Comedy and Tragedy, the symbol for Drama, in skull format, still reminds me that I’m an actor. If you’re one of those people who is going to ask me: ‘Does it hurt?’, I will stab you in the jaw. Ok, so that’s a little harsh, but you have no idea how often I hear that. It’s needles going into your skin at hundreds of times a minute, yes it hurts. I can tell you that it hurts more than a sunburn and less than a piercing. However, one thing I noticed through all three of my tattoos is that the more you relax, the less the needle hurts. Tensing your muscles only adds to the overall pain. For my first tattoo, I decided that I was going to get only greyscale, as colour was kinda flashy for such a serious piece.

My First Tattoo, Comedy and Tragedy

Healing

Something needs to be said about the healing of tattoos, mainly because I didn’t know what to expect from my first one, and now (after about 13 hours of tattoo work on my body) have a pretty good idea of how tattoos heal. When you leave the shop after your tattoo, they will probably bandage the tattoo and tell you to leave it on for at least a couple hours. I recommend you do this. Your skin is very damaged from the trauma sustained from the tattoo gun. It will seep a thin pussy liquid as well as a bit of blood and maybe even some ink. Keeping the bandage on prevents infection and keeps your shirts and sheets unstained. Showering with a tattoo is a bit of a trick. The secret is to treat it like a burn, don’t get it too wet, and don’t let it stay wet long. Wash it with soap, preferably unscented and antibacterial. When getting out of the shower, let the tattoo air-dry slightly before LIGHTLY patting it dry with a towel. You’re going to want to apply lots of unscented lotion (usually for sale in tattoo parlors) to your tattoo because it will itch like crazy and scratching it could damage it. Your skin will flake off, chunks of colour might even fall off. Don’t be freaked out. It’s normal. I repeat: DO NOT SCRATCH.

My Second Tattoo: A Memorial

Almost 2 years ago now, my grandfather died. The man was very important to me, present through my entire childhood, symbol of power and reliability. We even worked at the same company. My grandfather’s job description was vast. He was the Service Technician for our company. This meant that he was in charge of painting, repair, installation and inspection of lots of intricate equipment. The thing I remember most about my grandfather though, was his vast knowledge of electronics and electricity. One day, a line from a song I like really stuck with me: “There are powerlines in our bloodlines”. It was decided, my memorial piece to my grandfather was to include that quote and something relating to his profession as an amateur (but incredibly talented) electrician.

My Memorial Tattoo for my Grandfather

My Third Tattoo: A Work in Progress

I decided at some point that I would get an English degree and become a teacher. Whether this holds true or not is still a point which fate will decide. I have however begun to get my degree and what I’ve discovered is that I’m very passionate about the English language. I know that no matter what I’m doing in life, I will always be reading and writing. For this reason, I decided to get a tattoo to commemorate my love for the English language and literature in general. However, I decided that I would get a half-sleeve, since I have always found sleeve tattoos to be incredible. This tattoo is still in progress. Currently, six hours have elapsed for this particular piece and another three remain. The design is a typewriter with other writing memorabilia, surrounded by rays of red with letters spilling out on them.

First Stage of My Typewriter Half-Sleeve: 2 hours of Work

Typewriter Half-Sleeve Second Stage: Another 4 Hours of Work

Conclusion

So now, as I wait for my third and final appointment on my half-sleeve, I have come to a conclusion. I love every single tattoo on my body. And I think that if there were any feelings besides love for my tattoos, I would have had an extremely bad experience with tattoos. Therefore, my concluding statement is this: be sure of what you want. I chose to get tattoos which represented various aspects of my life. This isn’t for everyone, I know. But whatever your thing is, be sure to know for sure that you will want it not just now, but several years down the road.