Mistakes, Wobbles, and Growing Pains

Going from fake skin to actual skin was terifying! With an over abundance of confidence I pulled my first line on myself and wiped the extra ink away from what I was absolutely convinced was going to be the most perfect line I’ve ever witnessed.

I was NOT prepared for how shaky this first little line of mine would be. It was tough. I thought for sure I was going to be a great tattoo artist right out of the gate.

My lines were wobbly. My hands were tense. I’d try to act calm on the outside, but inside? Chaos. My brain was screaming, “What are you doing? This is permanent! You’re tattooing YOUR SKIN not fake skin anymore!”

It was wild.

I remember gripping the machine so tight I thought my fingers would snap off. I second-guessed everything — the depth, the ink, the setup, the stencil. I’d stare at the tattoo while working and think, “Is it supposed to look like that…?”

I didn’t have it all figured out — while I’m leaps and bounds from where I started- I still don’t have it all figured out. I knew I couldn’t get better without going through that awkward stage. Some tattoos didn’t turn out the way I pictured them. Some turned out better than I expected. Some I still think about at 2am.

But they all taught me something.

Both of these tattoos took me 4 hours

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First tattoo My latest tattoo