Leah's Tattoo Stories~

Leah's story:

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As long as I can remember I’ve been interested in tattoos, but throughout most of my 20s, had yet to stumble upon an image that compelled me enough to pursue. I was a bit wary about the notion of a “permanent marking.” However, I had a change of perspective on this point during a conversation with an acquaintance (and also a tattoo artist) who pointed out that each of his tattoos are a kind of acknowledgement of different phases of his life.  Each piece acts as representation of where he was at that particular moment.  As someone who is somewhat nostalgic, this really appealed to me! I loved the idea of literally marking the past with an image.

About two years ago my friend sent me a screenshot of an image she found on a restaurant menu with the text, “Here is your tattoo.”  I immediately knew she was right! I sat with the image and started checking out portfolios of local artists. It took me quite some time to work up the gumption to call up the artist I wanted to see and make a consult appointment (like two years)! 

The image itself is a half flamenco dancer half octopus.  Both are representative of movement. I danced flamenco in college and what I learned about myself in that classroom has strongly informed how I carry myself in the world today.  

I don’t have a name for my tattoo, but the fabulous Dennis Del Prete, at Providence Tattoo in Providence, RI, did it.  It’s worth mentioning that I really turned over the entire creative process to the artist. I knew that I wanted placement on my torso, but wasn’t sure where exactly it would look best. Since I love Dennis’s work so much, I turned total license over to him and the result was delightful.  I really wasn’t interested in nitpicking the image. He came up with interesting details during the shading process that are really awesome and weren’t necessarily planned.   

The experiencing of actually getting the tattoo was fascinating! The placement for the tattoo was, in the words of another friend, “a pretty dumb spot for a first tattoo.” This was a correct assessment! The first session was a definite out of body experience.  I was so grateful to have many hours of yoga and meditation under my belt, because otherwise I don’t know how I would have dealt with the sensation.  It was just like a yin yoga pose. In yin yoga, you get the body into shape and the mind screams, wails and begs for the moment to be over, but that isn’t an option. Instead, the best course of action was to breath deep into the sensation and examine it and instead of having a tantrum and wanting to run away.  I wouldn’t have lasted very long without this technique! This is especially true in light of the fact that my tattoo took 3 different sessions at about 3 hours each.  My tattoo artist referred to difficult sensations as “spicy,” which I loved and found very apt.  

I think it would be really neat to get the other side of my torso done too! Though I think I’ll be waiting until I forget how painful the process was before then.  I would definitely like another piece, but I think I’ll be picking a more fleshly area of the body for my next one.