It's a Definite "GO" - Rodney Is Fabulous

Yesterday's meeting with Rodney went really well. We spent more than an hour talking, looking at pictures on my phone, and deciding on a course of action. I have an appointment for June 30th from 10:00 am until ? and we'll see if we can do this in a single sitting, or if I'll need a second appointment to wrap things up. 

I wasn't aware of the changes in tattoo equipment since 
I got my last tattoos in early August 2007, and equipment 
has come a long way in the past 14 years. I guess that's 
to be expected. Look at how your cell phones and computers 
have evolved in the same time span. 

It's been years since my last tattoos and equipment has come a long way. He pulled a few things from his drawer to show me the old electronic coil style applicators vs the newest rotary one which is what he'll use on me. It's really like night a day - such a difference in how the ink is delivered, almost no fighting the equipment to get the lines necessary. It would be a dream to use but both machine have their applications and are still used by most artists. 

It's going to be expensive. When I got my last two tattoos in 
2007, I think it was $100-$200 for each of the two 
designs, but they were small, didn't take more than 30 minutes 
or so each, and I had an apprentice, not the master, 
doing the work. I know the shop owner, at that time, 
was getting $600 or more per tattoo. Like everything else, 
tattoo prices have gone up. 

It's going to be expensive - he's a commercial artist and gets paid for his work and his time. His hourly rate is equivalent to some attorney's rates, or at least not a whole lot of difference. But I didn't walk into this thinking he would be inexpensive. He's an award-winning artist, has been featured in "Ink" magazine a couple of times, and has people flying in from all over the nation to get inked by him. I like the location he's in - it's not as "skanky" as his previous location, the parking will be no-charge in the attached ramp, and it's only about 15 minutes from my home (traffic depending). 

I love my Credit Union. They're located within 
a mile of my house, so I can walk there if I 
decide I'd like the exercise. They're consistently 
rated among the top in the nation, and I've 
been happy with them from Day 1. I'll 
need to phone them to arrange to get the 
cash out of my account. Usually I'd just 
use my cash card, but this will be a bit 
more than a cash withdrawal from a 
money machine. 

He gets paid in cash only, so I'll have to arrange a visit to my bank within the next week or so. I don't have that much ready cash sitting around at home - LOL. I'll be sending him a lot of pictures. I gave him a small downpayment, necessary before he started working on the artwork. He'll have something to me at least two weeks before the 30th (so I'd better get moving on those pics for him), because DH has veto rights on the image, so Rodney may have to do some revisions before we've settled on a final design. 

Pain is relative. What doesn't kill you, might kill 
someone else. So be careful when the urge to 
say "I've seen worse" or "It could be worse" 
hits you. I have no idea how I'll react to getting 
this tattoo, but I really want it. Sometimes wanting 
something this much can be all that's needed to 
push through. That, AND a really great 
artist at the controls. 

Of course the question always comes down to "Won't that hurt?" Well, of course it will. It always hurts to have needles applied to skin. But for me it's well worth it, and I can zen out of a lot of that pain. If I need to tap out after a few hours, it'll be fine. We can pick back up with a second session. No shame. It really doesn't do anyone any good to "push through" unless you're within a very short time of being finished. It's going to be absolutely gnarly, though, and I can hardly wait. 

On that note, I'm out of here. Have a fabulous Thursday and please, be kind and stay safe. I'll be back tomorrow.