Since 2014, I had this crazy idea that I wanted to interview people who had tattoos and write about their personal stories. At that time, I was working with a photographer on my Poetry & Prose book Church Street … Where Hope Grows. I had hoped that she would be keen on working with me to create the tattoo books that I had envisioned. But it turned out the tattoo project just wasn’t her thing. So a couple of years later, after my poetry book was complete, I was gifted with a DSLR camera, bought a voice recorder and began to pursue my personal interests in tattoos. To be honest, I thought that it would be a lot easier to find people who would be willing to share their stories or want to be interviewed. I quickly came to realize that many people are not that open and certainly not willing to just trust a random person with something that may be very personal. Fair enough. Therefore, I am very grateful to those who have already shared their stories with me and allowed me to share those stories with an audience.
I had also considered that because I had not yet had the experience of getting inked, some people may not take my intentions as being serious or sincere. I can accept and appreciate this way of thinking. The thing is, I am a very passionate person and believe that if I am writing about something then I need to understand my subject from more than one angle. To write about tattoos and not have one not only seems completely illogical but also lame. In order to pursue this project, I had to embrace the experience and commit to it.
When I had the opportunity to have an interview with AK Tuan Vo, I felt compelled to get my first tattoo. Well, actually there were lots of reasons why I decided that day to get the tattoo. For one, it was the day the tattoo shop had their 2x2 size tattoo for $75. For another, Tuan is a talented artist who projects affable energy. It has always been my intention to chose people who I am really comfortable with to do my tattoos. Therefore, it made sense that I would choose this day to have it done. And ironically enough, my astrology for the week kept repeating the word “to listen” which is exactly what my tattoo means. But perhaps the most important reason for me to get the tattoo on this day was that it felt so important to me that I needed to experience receiving a tattoo before I could move forward with this project.
When I entered Eternal Ink, Tuan greeted me with a charming grin and welcomed me into his work room. I liked that each of the artists had their own private room to work in. It made doing the interview so much easier because I could stay focused without the distractions of people coming and going. When I told him I intended to have my first tattoo, he seemed pretty happy to oblige. Then the receptionist got me to sign the legal forms, and we began.
When I told Tuan I was getting my tattoo on my hand, he looked at me with concern and advised that the hand was not the most desirable place to have a tattoo because it was difficult to keep dry and clean after it was inked there. He also advised that ink on the hands fades more quickly than other areas. For one second I thought about it. Nope! I felt compelled it needed to be on my hand. I showed him the design and he smiled and knew the hand was exactly where this tattoo belonged.
“In ancient times, Chinese people called their land Shen |hou, the land of the divine. Chinese traditional culture is a divinely-inspired culture, and legend has it that scholar Cangjie was sent down to China by the heavens. Cangjie was born with four eyes, enabling him to see through all creations on earth. He is the person who created Chinese writing.” ~ Joyce Lo. Epoch Times and Zhu Li. Epoch Times. http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/2230261-the-profundity-of-the-character-listen-in-chinese/?utm_content=bufferaa31c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer
The image is a Traditional Chinese character for “ting”, or “to listen”. It means to listen with your ears, your eyes, and your heart. This little symbol held so much meaning for me. First, as a person who has ADHD, acquiring the skill to quiet my mind and be able to be quiet and focused can be a real challenge. While having a conversation with someone, sometimes my mind can move quickly and races forward onto what I want to say next without taking the time to listen to the response I asked for. This can be challenging in daily life, but even more so for a writer or journalist. Therefore, I see this as a symbol of my commitment to being a journalist. I also believe that my inadequacy to be a good listener has been a key factor in why I have made some poor decisions in my life. I think if I had been a better listener in some circumstances, I would have made some better decisions. Which is really ironic because, in astrology, I am a Gemini North Node, which means a part of my life purpose is to learn to listen. The reason why I chose to put it on my hand was so that it would always be in plain sight for me to see as a gentle reminder to myself to listen. Even the placement of the design was important to me. I felt it needed to be directly under and in the line of the index finger so then when the index finger is brought to the lips it would be symbolized as the visual of “shh” ...to be quiet and “listen”. Ya, what can I tell you, I’m a symbolism and communications geek.
Before the ink and hardware came to view, we worked on what the actual size of my tattoo would be. It was important that it was big enough so that the lines would not blur together and yet small enough so that it didn’t overpower my hand. Tuan then made a stencil and I gave it the thumbs up. After putting the image onto the stencil, Tuan methodically set up his area by putting down a sterilized disposable workspace pad on the counter and then carefully wrapping and bagged his instruments. 
As I lay my hand palm down on the plastic, Tuan thoughtfully positioned the image onto my hand and then had me verify if it was the correct placement. It was exactly where I wanted it. After cleaning the skin, applying an ointment and replacing the design, he was ready to begin applying the ink. With a gentle voice, Tuan wanted to know if I was ready. And ready I was. Did I mention I am really uncomfortable with needles? And that is when my hand began to sweat. This made me laugh because now I understood why the cushioned apparatus was all wrapped up. It would be a normal reaction to sweat. I was actually very excited to finally be experiencing what it felt like to get a tattoo. I decided not to watch, but instead, analyze the sensations I was feeling.
It didn’t feel like needles. At first, I really couldn’t feel anything, or at least not until what I think was when he went to the spot he had done already that I actually felt the discomfort. Everyone feels pain differently, at different levels and through different sensations. The only way I could describe it would be the equivalent to a tolerable burning sensation. And because I had such a small area to be done, it was done in no time at all. Perhaps twenty minutes. Therefore, to know what it feels like to sit for an hour would be a different experience and will have to wait until my second tattoo.
I was pleasantly surprised that my band-aid was clear and breathable so that I could see it and watch the healing process closely. Tuan had again warned me to keep it out of water for three days and how to clean the area should it get wet. And I was sent home with an aftercare note.
On the second day, I began to feel a bit concerned when I noticed that the ink was expanding, making the tattoo look like the details were bleeding out. Before going into a panic, I read my aftercare note and saw that they said this kind of thing is a natural occurrence. On the fourth day, I took off the clear band-aid and cleaned the tattoo with warm water. I was so relieved to see that the ink had not bled, and was indeed a detailed tattoo. I have since then found the area to be itchy which is normal with the healing of skin, and continue to apply a cream.
I must also disclose how happy I am to have put this image on my hand. Not for the reasons, I shared earlier, but rather because I really, really like to look at it. As a writer, having this beautiful ancient character of wisdom and virtue become a part of me is a wonderful yet humbling thing to embrace. Every day I am greeted with a written message of my personal goal that I would like to achieve. Although the hand was a risky placement, I have no regrets and I am actually delighted to have placed the image there. I absolutely love my tattoo and really looking forward to getting started on the next one.
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