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My sleeve is almost finished, and I love it. I thought the panda would be my first and only tattoo. Hahahaha!

I got my first tattoo just before my 68th birthday, so at 29 you’re not late to the party. 😎

My ocelot was finished this afternoon. I absolutely love it! It's the last animal on my left arm sleeve. Al that remains now is some leaves and vines to connect the animals.

My red footed booby was finished today. I love the way my sleeve is progressing. When I got my first tattoo a year ago, I thought it was going to be my only tattoo. Hahahaha!!!

My white tiger was finished today! I love it.

I'm a big fan of Hustle Butter. I discovered it when my first tattoo reached the itching stage, and I've been using it ever since.

I've watched Episode 1. Hilarious!! I'll definitely watch all available episodes.

Here's my white tiger, in progress. It represents a dearly departed tiger named Jellybean that I worked with when I volunteered at a local tiger rescue. My artist had visited Jellybean, so it was a nice connection. I specifically requested a mellow tiger rather than a fierce tiger. My sleeve of special animals is taking shape. By the way, the work in the ditch hurt like a sonofabitch! It was worth it, of course. 😀

My artist (Christy at Blue Flame Tattoo in Raleigh) has a typical waitlist of 5-6 months. I had viewed her work online and on a couple of her clients, and her work was what I had been looking for for years. It turned out that she had a cancellation and i got my first tattoo after waiting only a month. But now that I know her work firsthand, I would wait a year, albeit impatiently, for an appointment with her. For me it's about the artistry, the personal compatibility, and the shared vision. I thought I wanted only one tattoo, but now I'm working on a sleeve. Your artist's work is beautiful! Will you be able to have a consultation in less than a year? For me it was really important to sense a rapport with my artist. I'm lucky that I found a Tesla artist without a Tesla waiting list.

I got my first tattoo last month at age 67. I didn't expect my mom to be thrilled, but I was disappointed with how negatively she reacted when I sent her a photo of my panda. I realize that she's part of a generation in which "nice" people, especially nice girls, didn't have tattoos. When I went to visit her a couple of weeks ago, she looked at my arm briefly and said "Oh." That was all--just a disapproving "Oh". She finally said that she guessed one tattoo was okay. I got my second tattoo last week, and I've booked several more appointments with my artist (it's true what they say about tattoo addiction). Lol. Fortunately friends have been very supportive of my tattoos. Family, not so much

The artist is Christy Alexander at Blue Flame Tattoo in Raleigh, NC. thank you for the terminology clarification. Patti

if it's not appropriate to call my tattoo ink, what is the preferred term ( other than tattoo)? I'm not being snarky, I'm just trying to learn.

Thanks, Ginger! I'm so glad I found this forum. I think my friends are tired of hearing me talk about my ink, and I'm far from tired of talking about it.

Thanks for the welcome, Dan. Yes, I'm a believer in the addiction phenomenon. I've already booked 3 more appointments for later this year. I'm working on a sleeve to include additional animals I've volunteered with. My second tattoo is a Suri alpaca I worked with in Peru. It's good for my budget that my artist is in high demand. And I'm finding that I enjoy the process, not just the finished art. I love your Joaquin Phoenix quote.

Hi all. I'm Patti. For at least 20 years I've wanted a tattoo. Between worrying about the pain and not knowing how to find a good artist, I never got any ink. A couple of months ago I met a guy who had two awesome colorful sleeves. I asked him who and where his artist was, and he gave me her name and the LOCAL shop where she works. I sent her an email telling her my idea and asking if she'd be willing to consult with me. I figured if i never heard from her, it would mean the universe was telling me I wasn't supposed to get a tattoo. Surprisingly, she contacted me and we set up a consultation appointment. Once I got the nerve to walk into a tattoo shop for the very first time, we had a good discussion and agreed on a design and placement. I knew she typically had a 5 or 6 month wait list, so I knew I had several months to work up my nerve. But, she had had a cancellation for a slot THE FOLLOWING WEEK! I probably turned pale, but I decided to put on my big girl panties and accept the appointment. Getting my first tattoo was the best thing I've done in years! I sat for 2 1/2 hours. The pain was a lot less than I expected. I did say "Ow" inside my head a couple of times, but I stayed perfectly still. I love my first tattoo, and I got the first part of my second tattoo two days ago. The first tattoo represents a panda that I took care of on a volunteer trip to China. He actually sat cross-legged when he ate so that he could recover any crumbs that fell on his lap.