Photo by Davin Risk All Rights Reserved

I got a tattoo.

I feel a little silly saying it since there is something kind of odd really about having artwork permanently etched onto one’s body. And despite what anyone has ever told you, getting a tattoo hurts. So, paying someone to essentially scratch me repeatedly for hours on end with a cluster of seven needles on a vibrating pen that introduces ink to the wound that will hopefully, if all goes well, become a permanent scar on my body… yeah, that’s a bit odd.

I’m only really getting just how odd now that it’s there. I’m very glad that I decided to wait until I was old enough to be sure about what I was putting on my body. Had I gone ahead at the age of consent I might be stuck with Morrissey’s mug on my arm or… I don’t want to imagine the humiliating possibilities… I shudder to think.

Here’s the outline only minutes after completion in all of it’s swollen and painful glory:

Photo by Davin Risk All Rights Reserved

  • My spouse Davin drew the illustration. I wanted it to be unique to me and having it come from him was important. We enjoy collaborating on art projects, although in this case I was less involved in the making. My role was to bear the pain and permanently host the art.
  • The work was done by India Amara.
  • It’s based on an unknown wild tomato that comes up as a volunteer in my community garden plot every year. I wanted something that, in my mind, represented resilience, perseverance, and determination.
  • I decided on a tomato plant for pretty obvious reasons — it’s my favourite plant to grow!

I really like the tattoo although I am second-guessing going back at a later date to have it shaded. I’m starting to think it might be good enough as-is. These doubts about follow-up work started a day ago and were cast by the itching.

Oh the itching. Someone please make the itching stop!

The tattoo itself just started itching yesterday but that itching was previously usurped by the massive bandage and paper tape allergy that has erupted on the underside of my arm. I have a giant red welt underneath my arm and a smaller one just next to it. But now that the scabbing is in full effect the tattoo itself has begun to itch. Imagine, if you will, that a cat has gone to town on your arm. And now those scratches have scabbed over. Ouch! There were some horribly wincing moments during the tattooing process, but I have a fairly high pain tolerance and those moments were lingering. I started to get irritated with the process by the end but never once thought about stopping. But the itching… the itching may take me down yet. So now the tattoo has a whole new meaning to add to the symbolism.