@No-Show 144327 wrote:

Hey there, first post.
This may seem stupid, and I feel like a nimrod for asking, but it has been bugging me…so here goes.

So for 20 years or more I have had plan to get quite a bit of work done. I have a concept and have had that concept in mind the whole time, in fact every year or two I sketch it out and pin it it to my fridge or tape it to the wall. It would take up most of my right arm.
On my left upper arm I have a small symbol, 1 x 1.5″ . I got it 1993; there was more to do, it was to be framed by a horseshoe and crown, etc. That never happened, the guy that was doing it ended up in prison and died there.

Anyway, time went on and I never got any more done, mostly due to lack of money. I’d have bucks saved up time and again, and sure as shit some emergency like fixing my car or dental work would come up and it could’t happen. Every year I would say “this will be the year I’ll do this…” and I have been saying this for two decades now.

Now, to be clear, I am no closer to doing this. I don’t make much money…I have a mason jar with 70 bucks in it so far, I’m gonna need a LOT more obviously. I figure if no dumb emergencies happen, I might have enough in a couple years or so…but of course, it’s on my mind.

Getting to the point — I have had the wonderful good of fortune of recently meeting and dating and now being in a relationship with an amazing woman. And she is heavily tattoo’d…arms, back etc. absolutely beautiful work, and I have to say…I am envious. Damn envious.
And the mental thing that I am dealing with (on top of body art envy) is now I feel if I finally do get to getting my work done, I’ll be some sort of copycat. I don’t care what other people think, but I worry she will think I’m just copying her. This is stupid, yeah? I feel childish thinking this way, but I can’t help it.

Tl;dr – waited 20 years to get at it, pissed that I didn’t earlier, still can’t afford to, envious of hers (& others) extensive body art, and feeling kinda like a fraud…thoughts?

ya,IMO that’s a pretty fuckin’ stupid thought.

Firstly, if you know that you’re crap at saving but this is something you really want, find an artist that can do the work and book mini sessions and do it in pieces, every time you get say $100 ask the artist how much of the tattoo he/she would be able to complete (I dont know what the going rate is in the US these days but I have some incredibly talented local artists that only charge £250 for a whole day sitting (8 hours including breaks) which still baffles me!

Secondly, yes it is a silly thing to think but I can see why you thought it and ignore the people who take the piss, the banter-saurus sometimes gets a little carried away. I am yet to meet a tattoo enthusiast who isnt thrilled to meet another tattoo enthusiast, in fact I met a girl who liked my thigh piece so much she asked me about my artist, went to her herself and got a similar (design but completely different) tattoo from her. I wasn’t at all put out, it’s flattering that someone liked my art so much they wanted their own! I would have had far less of a sense of humour if she went and got the exact same thing, but this is exactly why I go to artists that dont do flash work off a wall. I know that every one of my tattoos is unique and was designed and created especially for me so i have no problem with that!

Tell your girlfriend about how enthusiastic you are and what you have been planning and for how long, who knows, maybe she will donate to your funds on birthdays and at christmas to help you along a little. Good luck with your saving!