I’ve been tattooing for a while now and I’ve seen it all, people falling asleep, people passing out, and everything in between. But every time I sit in the chair as the client, my stomach still doing backflips and I get those “first tattoo” jitters. I know exactly what the needle feels like, I know the process, and I know I’m going to love the result, yet I still find myself overthinking the pain or the long session ahead. Is this a common thing for pros, or am I just a bit of a wuss when the roles are reversed? [Image Context]: These are my legs so far! Lots of heavy blackwork and botanical details. I love the art, but man, those sessions near the ankles had me questioning everything. Would love to hear from other artists or heavily tattooed people, does the “pre-session anxiety” ever actually go away, or do you just get better at hiding it?
That ‘urge to burn’ feeling is so real! It’s definitely harder to ‘burn the canvas’ when it’s someone’s actual leg, though😅. I think that’s where my nerves come from, knowing there’s no ‘undo’ button or fresh canvas if I’m not feeling it immediately. It’s comforting to know even someone sketching for pro athletes still gets that start-of-project jitters!