Here's a fun fact. Over the last five years, tattoos have become so popular that almost half of America's population has one. Isn't that wild? When I was growing up they were considered weird or out of the ordinary. Now (as someone who is in her mid-twenties) Almost every person I know has at least one. It's so popular that most people don't bat an eye and I remember when I was sixteen how badly I wanted them. My dad always told me that if I got one it never came off and I needed to choose wisely where to put them if I wanted to work for some companies in the future. 

Well as some may know that didn't go well when it came to placement choices. I have tattoos on top of both my hands and I love them so much. I'm even planning to get another finger tattoo in the next few months. I just think are so cool and even though the chance of them fading or being distorted over time is higher than anywhere else on the body, I think that's totally ok. After all, eventually, all of my tattoos will look funny and faded but I will tell you what, I will look badass because I will own my ink. 

Every piece of ink on my body is a representation of who I am. It's a part of my story and I love every single one. I won the fact that I made those choices and I know that for a while it made my grandmother upset (when she was alive) but changed her mind a few months before she passed. She told me how beautiful they are and that she loved them. That honestly made me feel so happy. Nobody else's opinion (except mine of course) matters to me and that included my grandmother. I know she wasn't a fan but to have her compliment me and tell me how beautiful they are made me just feel so happy and accepted by her.

The thing about where we are now, as a country is that we are changing and that includes our ideals about piercings and tattoos. It's pretty normal now to have them and if you are one that doesn't have them that is 100% ok. If you do have them then good for you for sitting in the chair, putting up with the pain, and deciding to have that on your skin. It takes a lot to sit in that chair and just soak it in as you wait for that artist to finish up. 

For those that still think it's wrong to have ink and tell people shame on them or that they are in the wrong maybe you need to reconsider that idea. The numbers are increasing and it's just not cool to tell people they are wrong for something that they decide. If they regret it later then they regret it later and that's all there is to it. But to shove it in someones face just is rude and uncalled for. Times are changing and unfortunately were just going to have to accept it. 

On Wednesday I finally got my half sleeve complete. For months I have been staring at the empty space wondering what to get. I went back and forth trying to decide what to do and once I Had it figured out I knew that I was ready to go in and sit in that chair. Unfortunately though I couldn't go back in right away. My family started to have some issues and when they started up I got caught in this whirlwind of sadness, tragedy, and events that I wish didn't happen. I knew they were coming but I still wish they could have been avoided. The sadness mixed with dating someone made things a little difficult to find time. 

After the switch to a new job I finally found the time to go in and do this tattoo. I knew that it wouldn't take long and I knew that it wouldn't be difficult to do it. I just wanted to go and finish this masterpiece that is on my arm. I wanted to feel completed and I wanted to world to see it in its glory. Not only is a representation of my childhood but it also is a representation of the pinball world. 

This is something that has always been apart of my childhood and from the moment that I was introduced to them I fell in love with them. They really are a dying art and that makes me sad to think about. I think that pinball machines are something to be cherished and I think its amazing that I got so lucky to be able to play them my entire life and yet also sad that others didn't get that opportunity. 

Life is truly amazing and I am so happy to be able to represent these amazing machines on my arm. I feel complete and I am happy with how it feels to finally be able to say that the piece is whole. This is one journey that I am glad I took. 

Today is the day. Im going in this afternoon to go get the next part of my tattoo done. Once this session is over my half sleeve will be completed and I am so so excited. This half sleeve has been amazing to have and I love every part of it. I love the color, the design, and even the look it adds to my body. Personally it is is a work of art that I am very proud of. I know I didnt put it on my own skin but I do have a large amount of pride for it. 

When it is completed and healed I will let you guys see it in its full glory but for now you will just have to take a look at all the photos of the process and how it came to be. 

I'm nervous, excited, but also very happy to finally have a chance to get this last piece completed. 

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In the meantime I ask that you guys take a look at my art gallery and see if any of the pieces peak your interest. All purchases are appreciated. I have two pieces in particular that I would love to sell before my next video comes out (on Friday) so if you guys would take a look at them and see if they are of any interest to you then that would be super awesome. One is from Christmas and the other is inspired from Fantasia 2000. 

Almost a year ago I got my half sleeve done. It took six sessions over the span of two months to get 95% of it done. The only piece that was left behind was the wrist and back of the hand. The reason for that was because I wasn't sure what I wanted for the wrist area. It was going to be apart of the safe cracker pinball machine and my artist wanted to just put bags of money there. To me that seemed to be to plain so I decided to hold off on it and go see what other options there were. Not only that but things started to get a little crazy with my family so it seemed that a much needed break was in store for me. 

Sadly that break has continued into 2019 and now we are a few months in with a 95% completed tattoo. The good news is that I finally found out what I wanted to do for the last portion of the tattoo and I honestly am so ready and pumped to finish it. I also know that I will be consuming a large amount of alcohol after I finish this session. The wishbone and back of the hand suck when it comes to levels of pain. They are two very sensitive areas and I am so not looking forward to it. 

I hope though that it goes over well because I really would love to have this half sleeve completely finished. By Wednesday evening I will be in pain but done with my mission. I hope you guys are ready to see the completed version of this glorious half sleeve that so many people compliment me on. I am so proud of this piece and I am so happy that I decided to go for it. It was a piece that I wasn't sure about and I was a little bit nervous to do but in the end it became a beautiful piece of work. 

Having a half sleeve has its up and downs. Especially when you have a half sleeve that is super bright. See my artist used a new kind of ink that lets the colors stay vibrant for a longer period of time. I also am out in the sun quite a bit so usually the color fades after running around in the uv rays for long periods of time. So far though the colors have stayed vibrant and I am so in love with the way it turned out. Of course though there are some interesting things that happen when you have a half sleeve and you serve customers at an ice cream shop. 

You get a lot of people that want to grab your arm and look at your artwork. you get a lot of people who ask you where you get it done and lots of people who want to physically touch it. Yesterday was one of those days. I had a lot of people asking me where i get my work done and a lot of people who wanted to touch my arm and turn it to see all the details. 

But my favorite experience was this couple who came into our store an hour and a half before we closed. They were cracking me up and just making my night so amazing. I had been working all day and I was having a blast with my team but with a few hours to go it really was difficult to keep myself cheery. For one I was tired and I also was struggling with the fact that I was starving a little bit. 

Once this couple got their ice cream the guy looked at me and goes "Ok so I have one more request" and I smiled and replied "what else can I do for you?"

He looks at me, smiles, and holds out his hands. "Can I see your arm?". I smiled and responded with "Well I can't really disconnect my arm and just hand it to you" and his wife cracked up at my attempt at joking with them. 

I went up to the ice cream bar and held up my arm for him to look at. He started turning it, looking at the lines and color. Once he was done he then asked me what my art represents. I told him about the whole half sleeve and what it meant to me. I explained each part of the half sleeve and which machine they came from. He was into the whole thing and once I was done he smiled at me and nodded while looking at the artwork. 

"Very very cool. Thank you so much" and I told him

"No thank you. I really appreciate you guys." 

It always feels good to have my artwork be appreciated. My artist deserves all the recognition and I am so happy I decided to get this half sleeve. It’s a beautiful thing and I feel so completed with it.