I had received my first tattoo on a whim with my cousin when I was 18. It was a small piece of flash from the wall that is nice but not something that means an extreme lot to me. I knew that I had the tattoo bug but I did not want to be rash so I decided to find something that had relevance to me. I wanted something that would be just as relevant to me when I was older as it does right now.
At A Glance Author *tori* Contact heroin_chic_69@hotmail.com When A year ago Artist Rob Studio Reactive Ink Location Toronto While flipping thru a book of the basics of Zen Buddhism I came across 2 ideas that really spoke to me. One of them was "Mi Zan" which consisted of 2 Japanese symbols that translated to mean "Not Yet". The idea behind this is that no matter how much knowledge you have, you can always continue learning, that as full as your cup may be, you can always empty it out & refill it. (It is not that I am "waiting for marriage") The second idea was "Katsu" which is one Japanese character that translates to mean "the roar of one who knows what it means to be alive". I fell absolutely in love with these Zen ideas!!! I had such a hard time deciding which one I wanted to get tattooed at the time.
I decided that I wanted to get a tattoo of the Mi Zan inside my right forearm. After about a month's contemplation about it I just decided to go out on a rainy Saturday afternoon without telling anyone and get myself a tattoo!
First, I went to the place where I had been inked the first time but they said it would cost $90 & there was a 2hr wait. I also hadn't had a very good repoire with the staff there as they seemed to come off as very cool & weren't very welcoming to people's questions or custom designing.
I took a chance & went to Reactive Ink in Kensington Market because I had heard some good reviews of the place. My friend had pierced her nose there & I remembered that the staff had seemed friendly.
The minute I walked in, the girl at the front desk greeted me warmly & said it would be no problem to work on my tattoo. Rob, the artist, came out & we discussed placement etc...
I wanted to put it on the inside of my right forearm & I wanted it to be done to look like a painting.... very light, like brushstrokes.
Rob drew the tattoo freehand while looking at the photocopy I had brought in for him to work from. It took a couple of tries but in the end it was exactly where I wanted it. I really liked that he was pleasant & wanted to make sure I was content with the tattoo before any ink was put on my skin. I also remember that I really liked the tattoos on his arms. He had a tattoo of a burning monk (people might know the image from a Rage Against the Machine cd cover) which I thought was really wicked.
Once we decided that the placement & drawing were correct it was all systems GO!
Rob chatted during the process about a recent vacation he had been on & about tattoos in general & seemed extremely comfortable with the entire process, which made me feel much more at ease. Up to the actual tattooing I had yet to feel nervous :) but once I heard the buzz of the tattoo gun I felt a little jumpy. The actual pain in that area was substantial but not unbearable by any means....... I had to grit my teeth at some points but you have to expect that from any tattoo, right? It didn't bleed much at all, which I took as a good sign.
The entire process took about forty-five minutes to an hour & the end result was great. The tattoo actually looked like it was drawn on my arm with brushstrokes!! Rob wrapped my newly tattooed arm in Saran Wrap & said to leave it in the Saran for a couple of hours. Once I took the Saran off, he said not to touch it for any reason. I put some unscented Lubriderm on it just because it got itchy while scabbing but it was pretty bearable. In the end, it healed the way I wanted it to look & I'm extremely pleased with my new addition. I love how it looks as though I could just wash it away......
I've decided that my next tattoo is going be a tattoo of the Katsu symbol between my breasts right on my sternum & I'm very excited about it :) In the end, my experience with my second tattoo has added to my obsession with tattoos & I plan on getting many many more. Happy Tattooing!!