So, I’ve been getting a bunch of questions about my tarot card tattoo, the one on my forearm. Figured I’d just lay out how that whole thing happened, from start to finish. It wasn’t some spur-of-the-moment deal, let me tell ya.
Deciding on the Idea
First off, I’d been kicking around the idea of a tarot tattoo for ages. I’m not, like, a professional reader or anything, but I’ve always found the imagery and the stories in the cards super interesting. It’s like having a bit of ancient wisdom inked on you, you know? For a while, I just thought, “Yeah, that’d be cool,” but didn’t act on it. Life gets busy, other stuff comes up.
Picking the Card – That Was a Process!
Then, things got a bit… hectic in my life. A lot of changes, some good, some a real pain. And I found myself drawn to one particular card more and more. For me, it was The Star. I know, a bit on the nose maybe, looking for hope and all that. But honestly, every time I’d shuffle or just think about what I needed, that card just seemed to pop into my head. It wasn’t just about liking the picture; it felt like something I needed to remember, a little beacon.
I thought about other cards, of course. Considered The Hermit for a bit, because sometimes you just want to be left alone, right? Or even Strength. But The Star just stuck. It felt right for where I was at.
Finding the Right Artist
Okay, so I had the card. Next up: finding someone to actually tattoo it. This part, man, this took some doing. I didn’t want just any tattoo artist. I needed someone who got the vibe of tarot, someone who could do justice to the classic artwork. I wasn’t looking for some abstract, modern take on it. I wanted it to look like it was pulled straight from a well-loved deck.
- I spent hours, and I mean hours, scrolling through Instagram.
- Asked friends who had good ink if they knew anyone who specialized in that kind of detailed, symbolic work.
- Looked at portfolios until my eyes blurred. Some artists are great at, say, big bold traditional stuff, others do amazing portraits, but finding that sweet spot for tarot art was tricky.
Eventually, I found this artist whose lines were super clean and who had a few pieces in their portfolio that had that kind of mystical, detailed feel. Their books were open, which felt like a miracle in itself.
The Design and Consultation
I booked a consultation. Went in with a printout of The Star card from a classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck. I told them, “This. This is what I want. Not a reinterpretation, just this.” We talked about size, placement. I wanted it on my forearm, easy for me to see. The artist was cool, understood I wasn’t looking for them to reinvent the wheel. We tweaked the size a tiny bit so it would fit the flow of my arm, but the design itself stayed true to the original card. That was important to me.
Getting Inked
Then came the day. Ngl, I was a bit nervous. It’s a permanent thing, obviously. The process itself? Well, it’s a tattoo. It hurts. Anyone who says different is either a superhero or fibbing. The outline wasn’t too bad, but the shading, especially on certain spots, definitely made me grit my teeth. The artist was good though, steady hand, checked in with me. Took a couple of hours, maybe a bit more. I just tried to breathe and think about why I was getting it.
Living With It
Healing was the usual itchy, peely business. But once it settled? I absolutely love it. It’s not just a cool design; it’s a reminder. When I’m having a rough day or feeling a bit lost, I look at it. It’s The Star, a little piece of hope I carry with me. It’s personal. It’s my story, etched right there. And yeah, people ask about it, which is fine. It’s a good conversation starter sometimes. But mostly, I got it for me.