I've only recently been exposed to the great, wide world of body modification because of a dear friend. But I love many things about it.
At A Glance Author cameah Contact cameah@bme.anon IAM cameah When Three months ago Artist Lysa Studio Industrial Tattoo Location Berkeley CA My whole life I've never lived very dangerously at all. I don't mean like, breaking the rules or things like that I simply mean when I'm afraid to do something I wont do it. If I'm afraid to talk to someone I wont talk to them. If I'm afraid of the consequences I wont take a chance.
This was before I met my now best friend and before I had entered the body modification community. And since then I have broken out of a shell I found almost impossible to break out of. so ANYWAYS down to the real story
Ever since I got my lip pierced I have considered other piercings and the one that I found most appealing was cheek piercings. I just thought they were so cool looking and for about 6 months I wanted to get mine done. I hadn't done any research on them what so ever. It was the last thing that was on my mind. I just wanted them desperately! Earlier that week I had played a joke on my mother. You see, I had been trying for months to get her to let me pierce my cheeks! So one day finally I went to my friend's house, got some super glue, got two little metal piercing balls and glued them to my cheeks. That day she picked me up from my friend's house and as I got into the car, got situated and looked at her with a smile her jaw had completely dropped to the floor. My friends were close by watching in hysterics. She looked pissed so to keep from being hated for the rest of their lives by my mother my friends ran up to the car explaining to her that it was a joke. But surprisingly she wasn't that upset. She laughed! and after that she decided to finally let me get them done.
Finally during the summer I made my way down to Berkeley with my dad and friend and brother, walked into the shop feeling like I was going to vomit from fear and excitement, told Lysa what I wanted done and the exact response she gave me was "Absolutely not." I was shocked and felt even more now like I was going to vomit. I asked her why and she explained to me that since I was so young and the piercing so risky she didn't want me to have to deal with the effects if it got fucked up.
I walked back outside to think about things since I had just ridden in a car for an hour and a half for nothing. "But all is not lost!" I thought. I talked to my friend about getting a different piercing and decided that a septum would look nice. I had considered getting my septum pierced for quite some time before my cheeks off and on. I pinched my nose and thought "Oh my flippen god that's going to hurt soooo bad." But I walked back into the shop pleased at the thought of getting a septum done and Lysa pleased at the sight of a smile on my face. I told her what I wanted and then she asked me what kind of jewelry, what size, and had me follow her into the room where I was to be pierced.
lying on the bench, my hands were clammy and my stomach was in a knot. All I could think about was the pain. After about 10 minutes of her poking around at my nose and us talking and me getting wide eyed every time something long and skinny came near me she finally told me to take two deep breaths. at the end of the second deep breath the needle slid through. Ya thats right, SLID! Not ripped, not tore, not pushed, "slid." That needle slid through my flesh like a hot knife through butta! It was virtually painless and the first words that came out of my mouth were "Oh my god! that didn't hurt at all!" I was so excited and when I looked in the mirror I loved what I saw. She did an amazing job and got it perfectly straight.
After I paid, received complements from her and the other piercer, Todd (love that guy) and tipped Lysa, i went home feeling accomplished. Each time I choose to take a risk I feel like I have found another puzzle piece to myself and I slowly become whole. I felt that getting my septum pierced was a risk because I was so afraid of the pain. And yet I got it anyway because I came to a point when the pain didn't matter anymore, just like I'm sure many of you already have yourselves. The pain doesn't make a difference because it's the emotional or spiritual effect it has on me that matters.
anyways Lysa was awesome!!! Industrial Tattoo is the only place I go To get my piercings. I recommend it to all!