My Tattoo Story
It all started with a flower, but weeds grow quickly.
I’ve always been intrigued by tattoos. I fell in love with the the art when I was a teenager but could never fully commit. There were so many options and the thought of permanency kind of freaked me out a little. Honestly I was of the mind that it needed to mean something.
Today, I couldn’t think more differently. It wasn’t until my late 20’s that I finally took the plunge and I never looked back. Now I am the proud owner of 6 tattoos, each one special to me in their own way, even if their meaning is just that I liked the design. All it just takes is a bit of guts, trust, and a pinch of tattoo artist fairy dust.
Read below for my personal tattoo journey!
The one that started it all
Although tattoos don’t need to mean anything in order to get them, my first is the only one with original sentiment. Back in 2020 I lost my step-father, and my way of honoring his memory was to get a tattoo dedicated to him. I had always wanted to get a rose, and I used that design to incorporate his first initial “M” into the stem. At the time I thought naively that would be my only one, but oh was I mistaken.
The “Ink Master” duo
My second (and favorite) tattoo was done by the amazing Dani Ryan, who I first discovered from watching the show “Ink Master”. She had done this witch design on one of the episodes and I knew from there that I needed something like that for myself. I was lucky enough to have her respond to my inquiry and long story short, she created this stunningly beautiful tarot card witch piece for me that still captivates me to this day.
After the magical outcome of the witch tattoo, I basically ran back to Dani Ryan for another one. I have a strong interest in mythology and wanted to get a Medusa tattoo, but with a twist.
The moth & the moon
At this point in my story I knew I was on a slippery slope, but it was one that I was happy to keep sledding down. This was lucky tattoo #4 and is the beginning of my floral era. It’s a piece I named “the moth & the moon” and was a flash design from an artist I had followed on IG @aliciathomas_tattoo.
Why did I get this in Miami?
I lived in Miami for a year from the fall of 2021 to the summer of 2022 and I knew I wanted to get a tattoo there to remind me of the adventure. I found a local artist known as @poonkaros on IG who specializes in fine line tattoos and I gravitated towards her floral designs. I mixed that with my current obsession of fantasy books and viola! I got a peony tattoo with a dagger going through it. And I know what you’re thinking, it doesn’t relate to Miami in any way. And to that I say shhhhhhh… At least it’s not a cliché. Let’s move on!
The Brighton tattoo convention
After Miami I lived in London for a year to partake in the master’s program I created this website for. While there I attended the Brighton tattoo convention to research different tattoo artists to feature here. If you haven’t yet, go check them out in the Artists & Shops blog post!
While there I thought it would be a great opportunity to get a tattoo to remember my time in London. Like in Miami, I didn’t want to get anything too obvious, and flowers seem to be my signature go-to in these situations. The artist @kamiladaidytattoo created this unique piece and I couldn’t be happier. It’s currently my last tattoo, but at this point I think we all know that won’t last long.
Thanks for reading!
My tattoo story has been full of surprises, magic, and of course incredible artwork. I’m excited to continue the journey, but it hasn’t been without it’s struggles. When I was first starting out I wish I was able to find all the necessary information on how to go through the process all in one place. I found myself searching for hours on how to go about it properly. This has been the inspiration for tattooyoo.ink, and I hope I can help make your first tattoo experience an easy one. Check out my Tattoo Tips for more info!