The First Time

When you sit down to get your first tattoo, you might experience any or all of the following:

Hesitation
Nausea
Sweat
Disbelief
Fear
Paranoia
The all-consuming need to run away as fast and far as your shaking knees will allow, leaving a perfect cut-out of your form in the nearest wall, just like in cartoons.

That's almost what I was feeling when I started writing this, my first ever blog post.

But, after many, many tattoos, both on myself and on the thousands of first time customers I've dealt with, I know that the key to overcoming those feelings is to sit down, shut up, and DO IT. Besides, it's only ink.

Well, ink of a very permanent nature. Tattoos are forever. What you say on your skin tells something about you, good or bad, or both.

And a blog?
It's permanent too. Mostly. It will also say something about you, good or bad...or downright ugly.

*nagging butterflies begin to flitter in my gut*

What if I say something wrong? What if my ramblings present a less than flattering image? What if I pass out and pee myself? (Seriously, I had that happen to a customer once.)

*palms sweating*

Before I begin to panic, before I leap from my chair and bust through the wall, I think about what I say to every first time victim customer--

There are only two rules you need to remember:

1. Breathe.
2. Sit still.

So, I did (except for my fingers on the keyboard).

And it felt like someone was slicing me open with a razor wasn't so bad after all.