Interviews by Keighli O’Brien
CW: Discussions of pain, mental health, depression, and suicidal ideations.
This piece was originally published in ‘Vestige’, Bossy’s 2023 print edition.
Most people with tattoos have a story associated with their ink. Whether it was a hasty decision made in a questionable foreign parlour, or a meticulously planned ordeal, all accounts deserve to be told. To delve deeper into the meaning behind these mementos, Bossy asked people to share their tattoo stories—the good, the bad and the ugly!
Charlie
I was 19 when I got my first tattoo. It was in Sydney by an artist named Pawsk. I was with my mum when I got it, and even though she hates the idea of tattoos, when I told her I was going alone, she wouldn’t let me. I was feeling super nervous but excited, and it wasn’t painful at first. The fine line tickled, but the shading—especially the white shading on my ribs—really killed me. It had been two and a half hours, and I was determined not to faint because I was in a tattoo parlour that had a bunch of these big scary guys, and I wanted to prove something to myself.
I struggle with my body image—I have body dysmorphia, so I don’t particularly like looking at my body or even thinking about it too much. However, I really wanted to get a tattoo of something that I love and will never not love so I could have a part of my body that I will always treasure. I decided that my dog, my little companion, is something I will never lose my love for. It makes me happy when I catch a glimpse of my body in a mirror and see his little face. I still love it so much but I think my love has changed a little bit. I forget about it all the time, but no matter what, I’ll always have a part of my body that I think is pretty cool.
Alex
I got my first tattoo at Sister’s Inked in Canberra when I was 21. My tattoo artist was Keshna, who made the whole process less daunting!
I had it done by myself after class one day—I had booked the appointment months in advance and I was excited and nervous for the day to finally arrive. As my tattoo is on my ribs, many people had told me it would be a painful spot, which made me a little anxious beforehand. Keshna was so understanding that it was my first tattoo and she quickly reassured me that many people get their first tattoos on their ribs and that we could take breaks if I needed to. The tattoo itself ended up being relatively painless. Honestly, the most painful part was when she applied the antiseptic after the tattoo was complete. The process went by quickly, and I was so happy with the results.
My tattoo is of a Latin phrase that roughly translates to ‘through adversity to the stars.’ I have always found this phrase entirely meaningful. For me, it signifies that no matter what life throws at you, there is always something to keep moving towards, something to aim for, something better. It also happens to be the motto of the British Royal Airforce, which my late father was once a member of—so it also works as a memorial piece for him. I have only grown to love my tattoo more and I can’t wait to get more tattoos in the future!
Angel
I was 27 when I got my first tattoo with the artist Ben Angelidis at Freestyle Tattoo Studio. I was alone, slightly nervous, but determined since getting a tattoo had been on my mind for a while, perhaps even years. Before the session, I had researched the degree of pain on different body parts and I had expected some pain, but it was tolerable, thanks to the adrenaline rush. But, to anyone considering getting a tattoo, be prepared for the massive drop in your mood after the high and, especially, the itchiness when it’s healing! The latter is much worse than the pain!
The tattoo is a treble cleft. But I got the design from Rose, a character from the Canadian movie Café de Flore with this tattoo on her back. I’m a musician, and one of the instruments I play is the piano, so I got the tattoo on my right arm, which mainly plays the treble cleft. I was writing my first Master’s thesis then, and depression had started manifesting. The tattoo was partially to help me feel something physical rather than the immense psychological pain that I was experiencing. I’m still in love with it, as I strongly embrace my identity as a pianist. Music was one of the things that helped me overcome depression, and I’ve finally found purpose in life and the will to live again. I now have a second tattoo that in Latin that says ‘Alis volo propriis,’ which translates to ‘I fly with my wings’ to encourage myself, and I’m already thinking of getting a third one!
Mel
I got my first tattoo with Rachael Grybaitis-Troth when I was 19. I was getting brunch with my two best friends, who I have known since grade 2, and one of them suggested that we get tattoos. It was completely on a whim—we went into a tattoo studio down the road from where we had brunch. They didn’t have space, so we spent the next half an hour calling every tattoo parlour on Google Maps. A place at Bondi had room, and we got the train from the city. I went first and was so scared, but it barely felt like a scratch on my skin. My artist was so lovely, and we all laughed and felt at ease quickly. I thought it didn’t hurt because it was small, but I have had many since, and none have hurt me so far. The others got theirs, we took some photos and then went about our days.
We decided on flames as our old primary school emblem was a flame and a torch, and there were references to fire and lasting friendship in our old school song. It was the place that brought us together, so it made sense to each get a flame. The exciting part was that we each picked a different placement and slightly different, but cohesive, flame design. We all had unique tattoos whilst still being connected. I still love it to this day. I sometimes forget it is there because it is not too visible, but I do not regret it. I live with one of the friends I got it with, and the other is still our closest friend, so the trio is still very much together. Even if we weren’t friends, it represents a formative part of my life and I don’t think I could ever regret it. I may have gone for a different flame style if I had my time again, but I still do love it. It has the least intense meaning of all my tattoos, but I appreciate that part as a fun memory. Not every tattoo needs to be serious so as not to regret it.
Amelie
My first tattoo was with Felix from Pocketgrubs in Sydney when I was 19. I went with my girlfriend only a week after we made it official. I had booked it a few weeks before and would go by myself, but she said it’d be a fun date idea. We took the Murray’s bus to Sydney in the morning and met up with some of her friends from high school. I thought I could only pay cash and had been stressing about using an ATM all day. I’ve used them before, but they’re scary, and I convinced myself that my bank would think I was trying to steal my own money. The tattoo is on my inner upper arm—a good spot for pain. I was scared about the pain, but the tattoo was hand-poked, so it was a very different sensation to a machine one. It was a pretty chill experience. I blabbed about an art project I had just finished about Garfield and had a good time overall. Telling my mum, the next day was less good. The design was from a flash, but I’ve always liked scissor imagery because I do a lot of crafting (knitting, crocheting and embroidery) and have a lot of thoughts about how they’re considered invalid art forms because it has been women who primarily practice them. Also, I am a big fan of flowers—I’m allergic to many of them, so it’s a love-hate relationship. I still love my tattoo, but it has only been a year.
Leave a Reply