The first tattoo I ever did was on myself— a cute pink bow right above my right knee. Because I did not apprentice in a traditional street shop, finding my first few clients was more difficult that I anticipated, so I ended up practicing on myself a lot.
Fast forward 3 years, and I have completely covered both of my thighs, as well as a large portion of my lower leg. I have always had an ‘if I can reach it, I will tattoo it’ attitude which has turned a few random tattoos here and there on my leg into solid, complete work. My right leg is almost sleeved, and my left leg is close behind.
A lot of people ask me “How is it tattooing to yourself?!” and my answer for that is it’s a lot easier than you might imagine. In a lot of ways I think it’s easier than working on someone else because I am in total control. If it hurts too much, I can stop and take a break, and I can brace myself better. I know what I need, and I know what I want it to look like, so it’s (almost) a pleasure to work on myself because I always cooperate. The focus it requires to tattoo tends to dull the pain as well, at least for me it does.
