The final drawing of my tattoo is done, everything has been finalized, and in about 13 hours I will have a design on my body that will stay on me for the rest of my life until I die. And I'm sort of freaking out about it.
I think it's a good freaking out. An excited freaking out. But it's still sort of scary. I'm making a decision about something that will stay for life, and I'm not sure I've ever done that before. I can't go back on it after, and I can't change it. It will always be there and it won't ever leave. It's sort of like marriage.
But yeah, I'm nervous, but an excited nervous. I'm no wimp to pain, I'm not that nervous about that part. I think that it's just starting to hit me now that I will have this on me forever, but I am okay with that. It's just a little bit frightening.
By the time this posts, you should have your tattoo, Justine.
ReplyDeleteYou have documented your nerves and uncertainty, which takes some courage. I haven't commented because I didn't feel it was my place to add another voice to your circle of advisors.
However, now that the decision is made and the deed done, I have a thought to share. Before and during this project you have been exploring whether or not you would like to work as a tattoo artist. At some point on the path to this job/career it seems inevitable that you'd either have to decided it wasn't for you or get a tattoo as part of the journey. I suppose it is possible to be a tattoo artist without a tattoo, but it seems very unlikely. How can you maintain empathy for clients or counsel them if you haven't experienced a tattoo? You are/were right to consider the lifelong aspect of this decision, but if, in your prayerful pursuit of this career, you still feel like you're called to the work, a tattoo seems like a part of the pursuit (now or later).