I've always thought that I would get a tattoo some day, but it was never something I wanted to do on a whim. I can be pretty impulsive and this wasn't a place for that. The idea for it finally came to me last February. Moons have a special spot in our family. Parker has a large moon decal in his room along with lyrics from Owl City's "The Yacht Club" that say, "If you can fly, don't stop at the sky 'cause there's footprints on the moon." While laying in Parker's bed one night I wondered if you could find out what the moon looked like on a specific date. It turns out you can, so I pulled them up for each of our birthdays. We all had waxing moons which I thought was pretty cool. I drafted up this image below starting with Jimmy's on the left and ending with Esme's on the right. I was instantly in love.
The next step was looking up custom temporary tattoos. I had one ordered within a couple days. It's a pretty slick application and a great way to try out something permanent. It took a few hours to fully develop. While not as detailed as the real one would be, It helped to visualize it. Now that I decided I liked it, I told myself I needed to wait a year. If I still wanted it after that, I would get it. Well, along came COVID and made it a lot easier to wait.
Come March of this year, it was time to start researching studios. I came across Beloved Studios and really liked their artist profiles. They had great reviews as well. I sent over an inquiry and hear back a few weeks later to schedule a consultation in mid-April. After a quick chat we decided to get it scheduled. My artist, Travis, actually had a cancellation just a few days later, but that was the evening of Esme's birthday party, so I had to pass. July 1st it was.
I arrived on time and filled out all the required paperwork and waivers. Travis printed off a few different sizes to test and we got the transfer put on. Last chance to bail!
It was less than 30 minutes from the time he started. It didn't hurt as bad as I had feared. My nerves settled pretty quickly after he started. The worst part was when we went over some of the outlines a second time. Whether it was the truth or not, he said these were the favorite moons he had ever tattooed.
They have these neat little bandages that you leave on for 3-4 days. It helps the body heal itself and keeps it protected.
Days 1 and 2
Days 3 and 5
I am so happy with how this turned out and how well it's healing. We've entered the itchy/peeling phase of healing, but we are getting through. I love having a meaningful representation of those I love the most with me all the time. While everyone says they are addicting, I am in no hurry to go back for another, but who knows what will inspire me in the future.
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