(no subject)
I kept saying, "I'll blog tomorrow." It never happened. It's been a busy term, and I have learned A LOT. The last month or so have been quite intense, academically and emotionally. I sort of went into hibernation for a bit. But I'm resurfacing now. I will copy and paste from my private journal what I wrote this evening:
I got my first tattoo today. It is something I have wanted to do since high school but I was never able to settle on a design. I told myself that I wouldn’t get inked until I could settle on an image and still want it after a year of waiting and pondering.
So today was the day, and now I have an illustration from Le Petit Prince tattooed on my back.
It was a really good experience. I got it done at Soul Survivors in Osborne Village, and my artist’s name is Carly. She has a beautiful portfolio. She was running a little late, but I just chilled on the couch till she was ready. She prepped the area and had me lay down face down so the chances of me fainting were minimal. Everything was extremely clean, very comfortable atmosphere, good music on the stereo, and just overall really pleasant and laid back.
Carly chatted with me about music, TV, films, and England to keep me distracted while she worked. It was a very strange sensation, unlike anything I have ever experienced before. It was intensely painful at some parts, but bearable. I didn’t cry. The shading was the most difficult, perhaps because the skin had already been distressed by the outlining. My nervous system was also getting confused by that time; my brain didn’t seem to know how to interpret the signals being sent by my nerves. I started feeling intermittent shocks of intense pleasure, followed by intense pain. At one point it actually felt somewhat akin to an orgasm, but different. It was a really interesting experience. I am not sure if I would do it again, but I am glad I did it once.
I felt sort of connected to ancient art, there on the table... tattooing is a very old practice, although today’s incarnation of the art is much different from its origins. I was contemplating the connections between beauty and pain, art and suffering; my mind went many places while working its way through the pain.
I am very happy with the design that I settled on; it’s an illustration from Le Petit Prince, my favourite book ever. The image comes from the part of the book that discusses how the Prince conducted his travels: he flew from planet to planet on a flock of birds. The image, to me, represents a spirit of adventure, itinerancy, constant seeking and exploring and learning. That’s what I feel like my life has been, this last few years especially, and I want my life to continue this way. I feel it significant that I got the tattoo after the end of this past school year... I learned so much about my academic desires and interests, and discovered a deep passion for learning about cultural theory and its applications. The fact that the tattoo is an illustration keeps me connected to the world of literature, and forever imprints upon me my love for the written word, as well.
Here is a picture of the tattoo right after the artist finished, and hence it is still quite raw. The swelling has mostly gone now and it is much less red.
I got my first tattoo today. It is something I have wanted to do since high school but I was never able to settle on a design. I told myself that I wouldn’t get inked until I could settle on an image and still want it after a year of waiting and pondering.
So today was the day, and now I have an illustration from Le Petit Prince tattooed on my back.
It was a really good experience. I got it done at Soul Survivors in Osborne Village, and my artist’s name is Carly. She has a beautiful portfolio. She was running a little late, but I just chilled on the couch till she was ready. She prepped the area and had me lay down face down so the chances of me fainting were minimal. Everything was extremely clean, very comfortable atmosphere, good music on the stereo, and just overall really pleasant and laid back.
Carly chatted with me about music, TV, films, and England to keep me distracted while she worked. It was a very strange sensation, unlike anything I have ever experienced before. It was intensely painful at some parts, but bearable. I didn’t cry. The shading was the most difficult, perhaps because the skin had already been distressed by the outlining. My nervous system was also getting confused by that time; my brain didn’t seem to know how to interpret the signals being sent by my nerves. I started feeling intermittent shocks of intense pleasure, followed by intense pain. At one point it actually felt somewhat akin to an orgasm, but different. It was a really interesting experience. I am not sure if I would do it again, but I am glad I did it once.
I felt sort of connected to ancient art, there on the table... tattooing is a very old practice, although today’s incarnation of the art is much different from its origins. I was contemplating the connections between beauty and pain, art and suffering; my mind went many places while working its way through the pain.
I am very happy with the design that I settled on; it’s an illustration from Le Petit Prince, my favourite book ever. The image comes from the part of the book that discusses how the Prince conducted his travels: he flew from planet to planet on a flock of birds. The image, to me, represents a spirit of adventure, itinerancy, constant seeking and exploring and learning. That’s what I feel like my life has been, this last few years especially, and I want my life to continue this way. I feel it significant that I got the tattoo after the end of this past school year... I learned so much about my academic desires and interests, and discovered a deep passion for learning about cultural theory and its applications. The fact that the tattoo is an illustration keeps me connected to the world of literature, and forever imprints upon me my love for the written word, as well.
Here is a picture of the tattoo right after the artist finished, and hence it is still quite raw. The swelling has mostly gone now and it is much less red.