Group Forums >> Bad to the Bone >> Welcome to the Wild Side!
Welcome to the Wild Side!
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Posted 3 months ago For those of you who are visiting this group, my name is Lane and I'm a new nurse graduate (May 2008) now working as an RN in a busy 30-bed ICU unit in NC. I love it, but I'll never abandon my first love, tattooing. Yes, I've been a professional tattoo artist since 2001, working in over a half a dozen tattoo shops between here and Florida. Although, I'm full steam ahead now in my nursing career, I'll never stop dreaming that I'll own my own private shop one day...a one-woman show, creating artful masterpieces again in living flesh in my free time! Ahhh, the smell of fresh tattoo ink and the mesmerising hum of my machine in my hands! I personally have 3 tattoos. I recieved my first tattoo only weeks after I'd begun learning to tattoo. It covers about 75% of my lower back and depicts the album cover of Journey's Evolution. Yes, Journey....laugh and I'll hunt you down and curse you the fleas of a thousand camels. (snickering.....just kidding!) My second tattoo is a whimsical dragonfly in the center of my back about the size of my palm. It hurt the worst, like someone was holding a lighter to my back! It only took about an hour to do, but I'd rather sit through the 9 hours of my Journey tattoo again than sit through that one! My third tattoo is a demon fairy, a design from the renowned tattoo artist, David Bollt. My maiden name is Zeman, and my dad has a sailboat named the Zeman Demon.....hence my tattoo....she's MY Zeman Demon! She's on my right thigh and is about the length of my forearm. So that's it. Yep, for a tattoo artist, that's not very many, but I did receive them all within the first few months of my tattooing career, and decided that if I kept the current trend, I'd be covered from head to toe in a few short years.....so, I've decided that my next tattoo will be done by someone really famous....not sure who just yet, but I wanted to save alot of skin, plus, I knew I was going into nursing and that my artwork would need to remain hidden from public view! So, that should get you all started, right? So, tell me about your tattoos and/or piercings, stories behind your tattoos, your experiences while being tattooed or pierced.....anything interesting for the group to "ooooh" and "Ahhhh" over! OK? If anyone can figure out how to add pics to your posts, will you fill me in, please??? It would make for a much more interesting discussion! |
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| Posted 3 months ago Hi lane...thanks for the invite! I myself am one of the most needle-phobic people to walk the face of the earth, but I love tats! I have two right now (got my first from a classmates uncle at the tender age of 16), and would love to have a couple more...I have been thinking about one for the past few years, but really need to find a highly qualified artist, as it has to be completely original! It's all very symbolic to me... Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used up, worn out and screaming "Woo-hoo"!!! |
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| Posted 3 months ago I appreciate the art, but no ink on me. But I have seen some beautifully done tattoos. I think I will just observe. |
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| Posted 3 months ago Tattoos are also very symbolic for me. I have 3 so far but I have already commented to Lane that I could possibly like to have her design angel wings for me. Ok, so here goes. My very first tattoo was one pulled out of a book in a little tattoo shop in Downingtown, PA with my parents sitting in the waiting area when I was 19. (12 years ago |
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| Posted 3 months ago One of my friend's husbands is a tatoo artist, I love viewing the art form and hearing the stories behind the tatoos. |
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| Posted 3 months ago Hello Lane. I too thank you for the invite. Viewing the pic of you with a tattoo gun/needle/????? I thought was sooo cool. Totally unrelated, I was looking at ALL groups, found this one, and YOU. Was all a bit eerie since I got my first long-awaited tattoo only a month ago. I had been planning my tattoo for years; it would somehow be moon and stars symbolic of my grandchildren and me. A while back I saw a "man in the moon" that I had feminized with lips and eyelashes. An artist friend helped to add wispy clouds and several star versions. My tattoo art was complete. All I needed was the courage. Just last month I moved. My husband had to go to the storage unit and he took the dog for a ride along with himin the truck. My dog is a MinPin named Harley. He got lost that day, crawling under an opening in the fence of the property. I was devastated. That was Sunday. On Tuesday while posting flyers that littered the front seat of my car, I don't even recall driving into a tattoo shop, Harley's picture in hand. I was incredibly lucky to have stumbled upon Homer. Harley's tattooed likeness high on my left thigh is a perfect image of him, right down to his whiskers and his own tiny little tat in his ear! I do have a happy ending. I rec'd a call from an angel; a vet's asst. who saw him in the woods behind their office. He was hiding, but came flying out of the woods to me as soon as I called his name. I now have my beloved Harley back, AND I'm keeping the tattoo. My next will be a small one my daughter and I dreamt up years ago. Lips (think of a lipstick blot on a tissue) on the cheek of my GLUTEUS! I'd love to be able to slap my butt, thinking "Kiss my A..." to whomever deserves it! (Such as the Dr's who's butts we save despite all their incivility.) |
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| Posted 3 months ago I believe that all you have to do to publish a photo on the reply is go to a photo hosting site such as photobucket.com or imageshack.com All you need to do is upload the photo and then copy the url that it will give you. |
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| Posted 3 months ago I have to go with Vickylee on this one. I'm just not one to want a tatoo, but if anyone else likes them, more power to you. I used to work in derm, and I used to see alot of people come to get old tats lasered off that they regretted getting when they were younger. I guess that where I decided I didn't want to get something I may regret later. I'm a wuss. Claire Kruszka |
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| Posted 3 months ago I have a heart, which I am going to add an anchor to, to symbolize my love for my husband and my scarifice as a Military wife....he is in the Navy, I got the heart when he and I first started dating. I have tribal art on my lower back, my husband has the same piece on his upper back between is shoulder blades, it symbolizes strength and unity....I have a belly piercing....and cartilage piercing... so total piercings I have 8. (that includes 3 in each ear....) I love tattoo's, they are art, just in a different form. I think though after I add my anchor I will be done. However, it is true what they say they are addicting! Taylor's Wife, Navy Wife Proud and Strong!
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| Posted 3 months ago I have an Hawaiian band around my ankle and biceps- it symbolizes wind/fire/waves and came off an old piece of scrimshaw- I had it done to symbolize the Hawaiian vacations I spent with my family. |
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| Posted 3 months ago Okay...just testing this URL thing out.....this is the very first tattoo I've done, back in November of 2001 after learning on several honeydew melons! |
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| Posted 3 months ago Whoohooo! Thanks StephanieSmiles!! You rock! Okay guys, this is really easy, although I guess I could have chosen a smaller size, right? lol...I regularly use Flickr to download my photos and it was easy to get the URL and paste it in...will need to work a bit on how it looks with the text though....so go for it, guys....Show me your stuff! |
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| Posted 3 months ago I love tattoos. I have 3 now. I just got the outline of my 3rd one on this past Tuesday. I cant wait to get it filled in. The outline took 2hrs. Wanda |
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| Posted 3 months ago sorry I don't have any tatoos. I think our skin is so beautiful untouched. I would never consider ever having a tatoo, but hey to each his own. I hope my kids don't ever get them though. A good man loves God and lives well....but
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| Posted 3 months ago Oooooh and Ahhhhhhhh! I'm sad to disappoint all of you bad-to-the-boners(!), but I'm not really taking a "Walk on the Wild Side." It's rather boring, though I think others may tell you differently. I had to grow up and be responsible pretty quickly, so my WILD years were non-existent. Though that doesn't seem to 'jive' with what I've been told by friends who "knew me when."
I did take a "Walk on the Wild Side" when i moved to Chicago after years of being too responsible for stuff. Man, did I make up for lost time, or what. Lots of athletic stuff, partying, triathlons, shopping, swimming in the lake; and did I mention partying? Since then, I've lead a pretty boring life; but i have done stuff that not a ton of people have gotten to do. I've gotten to do freelance writing since I stopped nursing. Even though it's not famous material, it's a good time.
I look forward to hearing what the WILD BUNCH says! Wait a minute; no I didn't just remember tatoos, but my skin has been marred, no longer silky smooth. Had 3rd degree burns, 40% BSA when I was 16, so; yep! I have my tatoos that'll never go away; they didn't have jobst garments then. |
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| Posted 3 months ago I would like to get my 1st tattoo. On one hand Im a wuss and afraid of the pain. My cousin got one similar to what I want, in the same place I want. She said it hurt real bad. But sometimes I sit back and think if I can have 3 kids without pain meds (until afterwards) than I can handle a tat. Or am I wrong?? I also dont want to pay too much for it. The guy that did my cousins told me $75 on the phone. But when I went in there he told me 100. Whats up with that? Did he see I was a newbie and try to take advantage of it? If there is anyone from Northern Indiana on her that would do it please let me know. I have a pic of a similar tat on my profile. As for piercings, I have my belly, 3 in each ear, and am wanting my nipples done. But again the pain is stopping me. Christy |
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| Posted 3 months ago The amount of pain will vary depending on the location of the tat. The one I have on top of my foot hurt worse than the one on my back. It also depends on the amount of muscle you have in that area. Wanda |
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| Posted 3 months ago I got my first tattoo 4 years ago on my daughter's 18th birthday. We went together and got the same tattoo, a beautiful angel on our shoulders. We had them done at the same time but by different artists. I just got my 2nd one last month. It was an anniversary gift to my husband....LOL. My daughter helped me design it. It's an infinity symbol with our initials. Underneath that is our wedding date and then below that is our "theme song"- Still the One" by Orleans. I'm not even sure how many tattoos my husband has....he's covered.He has them on his arms, wrists, legs, ankles, neck, and back. Funny, he doesn't have any on his chest though. He has all different themes- Grateful Dead, skeletons, hearts and roses, names, a Tigger tail, Pepe Le Pew, elephants, infinity symbol, Where the Wild Ones Are.... It's funny to see people's reactions to his tattoos, especially in the summer time when he has shorts and short sleeves on. Youngsters and teenagers are most interested in checking the tattoos out. Little old ladies at the deli shy away from him. To most people, they probably think he's some bad-ass biker. In reality, he's just a big teddy bear (don't tell him I said that!) His mother, who is in her 80's, hates tattoos. Knowing this, he'd try to hide each new one. In the early stages, it was easy to do. I still laugh when I think about a 4th of July cookout we had at our house several years ago. The women were in and out of the house grabbing salad stuff, paperplates, condiments, etc. My husband was outside manning the grill. While I'm still in the house, I hear my mother in law say "What the heck is that?" Since he was getting hot standing over the grill, he took off his shirt exposing his 2 foot Tigger tail that comes out of the back of his pants! I thought his mother was going to blow a gasket! She was soooo mad at him. |
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| Posted 3 months ago You're very welcome lane. I too have a couple of tattoos. I'll post them up here when i have a chance which should be soon enough. Although i did have a quick question: Are nurses allowed to have tattoos? And do we have to cover them up at work? |
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| Posted 3 months ago WOOO HOOO, i love this forum and group. I have always been on the "wild " side i guess.I got my first tattoo when i was 18, a home tattoo my best friend gave me.lolWe did sterilize the sewing needle over fire first!!!!Anywayz, i have since gotten 3 others and plan to get a couple more.I like being a little over the top.Dont get me wrong, i know alot of people who are alot more over the top than me, that makes me conservative.I think its great we can be a little more"out there" that what most consider the traditional nurse looks ar acts like.All i wanna do is be me..!!!! |
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| Posted 3 months ago Stephanie, it completely depends on where you work as to the policy on tattoos being visible. If you are in a very conservative environment then you may want to cover despite the rules so as to not irritate your patients. I feel that the best thing to do is to get tattoos where they will only be seen when you want them too. For instance, on your back or legs. I wouldn't recommend getting dice tattooed on your hands or a dollar sign on the palm of your hand but that also is your choice. I don't have any pictures of my tattoos but I think I will have to remedy that this weekend. Thanks for the idea. |
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| Posted 3 months ago when I was young I refused to get a tattoo. well i broke down 3 years ago and lst my son do a red rose with a vine on my right ankle and a small rose on my 2nd toe. I am glad I did it. However one day at work I was discussing tatttoo with one of the CNA's and a resident over heard I had one. opps I quote "why would a NURSE get one!" being elderly she would not even listen to my explanation.. oh well I like it. |
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| Posted 3 months ago Got my 1st at 43. It is the actual footprints from my daughter's birth certificate. The tattoo artist's name is John Quinn from West Coast Tattoos in ...get this... Florence, AL. But he is great. My daughter had severe hypoglycemia and had to have frequent blood sugar sticks to the heels of her feet. John even captured the sites from the footprints. I had her nickname "Livi" placed above the actual sized footprints and her date of birth below. I will post a photo as soon as I learn how to on this site. My next tattoo will be my son's d.o.b. in roman numerals as a band around my bicep. The third that I want to get is my wife's lips (think lipstick) on the back of my shoulder near my neck (but as stated by someone earlier "out of sight"). This is where she kisses me each night after getting to bed before sleep as we are both leftsided sleepers. When I told her of the plan to have her lips tattooed on me she asked "Where on your a** ?" (lol) The whole process is addictive as the tattoo itself feels weird at first then the endophines take over and the sentiment of my personal tattoos "tell their own stories". I considered and wanted a tattoo since the age of 22 when my son was born but could never convince my ex to give her blessing on the subject. Sixteen years after her departure and with the blessing of my soulmate of 15 years (mother of my daughter) I finally decided on a design and went to the tattoo salons to check it out from an Infection Control view. The shop that I used is very clean and after I told them I was a nurse , they showed my the autoclave and all the guidelines inforced at their shop. I was at ease then. |
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| Posted 3 months ago I find it so ironic that I just got invited to this group! I just got my first tattoo last Saturday for my birthday! I got a pair of angel wings on my back that goes from the top of my shoulders to just above the top of my bra line. Every one says thats kinda large for my first tattoo, but I wanted it even bigger! (I'm glad I didn't get it bigger though this one took 3.5 hours and hurt like crazy!) This tattoo means alot to me, it reminds me of my sister(who died when she was only a few weeks old) and one of my friends who just passed away while I was in nursing school. It also reminds me of my mother who has always loved angels and always supported me through everything. It also reminds me of my husband who started calling me his guardian angel before we started dating... (to me that seems like too much symbolism in one tattoo but thats what it means to me!) I have three sets of piercings on both ears but I only wear earrings in the first set of holes, and on the day of my pinning ceremony for nursing school I decided I wanted my Tragus pierced (it's that little flap of cartilge on the inside of your ear.) Even though I hate needles poking me. (By the way if anyone has any tips on how to take out those hoops with the ball in the middle I would love to hear them I can't figure it out!) |
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| Posted 3 months ago NursePucky says ...
When I got my wings they hurt really bad, the tattoo artest did bloodlines to do mine so they would appear more realistic, it hurt the most around my spine, but since you already have your angel tattoo along your spine you probably won't have too much of a problem with that!
here is a picture of my tattoo: ...maybe not, Lane how did you get yours to post? my IMG code isn't working and neither is the HTML heres the link to it on photobucket http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/ff231/AngelsBlade31/IMG00020.jpg |
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| Posted 3 months ago P.S., i think it is AWESOME you do tattoos.All except 1 of my tattoos were done by women!!! You should do my next one!! Do you make housecalls??:) |
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| Posted 3 months ago Why, yes, Pezzy! I've been known to drive all the way to Florida to work on clients, and would somehow make the trip into a vacation! And to answer StephanieSmiles earlier question about nurses having tats.....of course they can! Most facilities require that they not be seen, though, so choose your spots carefully. And your angel wings, Amberwave, are just gorgeous! The link ended up working just fine in a pinch! I'll have to do more research on the different ways to get pics on here. I've only practiced with just the one photo so far from my Flickr account, and even at that, it could use some fine tweaking. I'm so freaked out by the response of this group, guys! I can hardly keep up with reading all the great, personal stories posted each day! Keep 'em coming! |
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| Posted 3 months ago Alrighty then lane, i am going to Florida in October.You have to hook me up girl!!!! |
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| Posted 3 months ago NursePucky says ...
I only have one tattoo on my hands thats visible. It's on my wrist and it's a bookworm. I don't think that's too outlandish and thank you for helping me with my question. I really appreciate it. |
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| Posted 3 months ago love those wings!!! beth |
) I got a red rose about as long as my index finger on my left shoulder. This was to comemerate graduating from high school in inner city Philadelphia. Then early in my relationship with my fiance (probably 9 years ago or so) we had been sitting in a biker bar and this big, scary biker sitting next to me starts talking to me and telling me that he is a pediatric nurse. It took some convincing on my behalf because I was just not believing but Woody and his wife, Big C were awesome. I acquired a nickname that night. I was a CNA at the time and Woody said that I was an angel for being able to do that. So angel was the name now I just had to come up with an appropriate tat. It took 2 years but I found that I like the way chinese characters looked. So graceful and artistic. I found an english/chinese translator online and found the characters that make up angel (direct translation is heavenly messenger) and went to my tattoo guy and said what can you do for me. He stacked them one on top of each other and colored them in red and outlined in black and are mid spine. Yes, Lane that hurt like I never thought it would. That was the longest 45 minutes of my life. Then when my mother turned 50, I think 5 years ago, she wanted a tattoo and wanted someone to go with her. Since, at the time, my father was still a minister, he couldn't get one, I was "elected". I picked out a monarch butterfly for on the outside of my left ankle. Stupid me. That hurt worse than my back and I couldn't control the twitching. 30 minutes of torture and now I want to do it again. In discussing this with my fiance, he says that A.) it is his turn and B.) if I want to compete in bodybuilding too many tattoos could possibly negatively effect my scores. That does not change the fact that I want to change the color of my butterfly and make it into an anklet or the fact that I want angel wings to go on either side of my chinese characters. (Michael teases me that they mean beef and broccoli 
) It may take some convincing to get him to agree to letting me get my wings since I have accomplished another goal but I am still trying.
