KBeee

Perseverance: Japanese Tattoo Tradition in a Modern World | Japanese American National Museum Store

Love both of them, One of my favourite artists for sure!

Nothing against either of them, but Chris Trevino is the man in Austin for Japanese.

Aww, this got me right in the heart. So sweet. Great read, @Pugilist.

I stumbled across this article this morning, about a photojournalist documenting a dying tattoo tradition in Syria. The photos are beautiful and I love learning about traditional tattoo practices in different cultures (I had no idea that there was a Kurdish tattoo culture!). I thought some of you nerds might find it interesting too!
The Last Tattooed Women of Kobane | PROOF

One of the more pleasant surprises was how gentle Josh Arment is. I think I finally know what you all mean when you say someone's got a light hand...before I'd just assumed everyone on here was crazy.

Thanks everyone!
I'll post once it's fully healed...
:)

@KBeee Once upon a time, many moons ago, I decided I wanted a back piece in the Japanese style.
I found an artist who I thought I wanted to work with here in Seattle - he drew some beautiful stuff for me, but (in my opinion) dicked me around quite a bit, and I eventually felt so uncomfortable with this guy that I forfeited my considerable deposit and decided to start from scratch.
One thing he said that stuck with me was that Japanese tattoos could be layered on piece by piece, and that I could start with just my arm and not a full body outline. I didn't understand how things were put together then - not that I claim to understand it now, but I have a better idea of what I'm looking at. I knew I wanted an orange peony on one of my flanks no matter what though. (why that was so clear i will never know lol)
I was regularly visiting a friend in Oakland at the time, so I figured I'd just make my trips that much more fun by getting tattooed! And then I started learning about San Francisco tattoo culture and whoa. WHOA. All the reading and researching I'd done over the years sorta clicked and I recognized names and work and styles and it was awesome. Through all that, Diamond Club Tattoo kept showing up.
Purely because the name kept blinking in my memory lights and showing up in my reading material, I decided to look at Diamond Club a little more closely. I liked what I was reading, and then I somehow found an article - I mean, I was digging DEEP through the internet, all sorts of sideways searches and whatnot, so I really am not sure how I got there - but I found an article in galley pages on the author's personal tumblr page about Diamond Club, and the content of the article basically sealed the deal. (It was for the Nov 2012 Skin and Ink mag I believe). (This was Sept! The mag wasn't even out yet!)
In the article, Bill and Junii discuss their passion for the craft, how they are just beginning to build their legacy, how they like to stick to positive images and motifs, and how their shop is like a family. I really like this vibe, so this stuck out in particular to me.
They discuss their history and how they met, and I was struck by this woman who had a full fucking bodysuit in Japan in the 80s!!! Who was brave enough to move to a new country! Who had so much passion for tattooing that she kept trying even after she was repeatedly told that women do not tattoo! I wanted to be tattooed by this badass.
And THEN - in the years I had spent researching back pieces and saving images to an inspiration file, one in particular kept coming up. And in this article, there was the same picture! IT WAS JUNII!! When I found out that the image I had so long admired actually belonged on a living BADASS who could, in fact, also tattoo me, I sort of lost it.
I called the next day and made an appointment to get a peony on my left flank. I hadn't been tattooed in too long, and I just wanted to get started, and this crazy thing had just happened (crazy for me anyway - it was like years of pieces of a puzzle finally falling into a sudden, jarring, crystal clear place) and so that's how I found Diamond Club. (IT JUST FELT RIGHT ;P.) I kept going back, and we kept adding pieces, and that's pretty much it!
I found LST right after that, actually. So it sort of worked out in ALL ways for me :)))).
Like you said, the more time spent seeing everyone's work and how lovely they are eventually sucks you in and ruins you for most anyone else! (MOST anyone, but certainly not everyone!). DC was just a super good fit for me. Right place, right time!

I'm sorry. Did someone ask a question? I was in @OutOfIdeas happy place ;)
But seriously...meditation will only get you so far if:
1) You have a heavy handed/inexperienced artist
2) You do not have a lifestyle/physiology conducive to happyfying neuroendocrine response under the physical duress of getting tattooed
3) You are one of those few people who inexplicably experiences A LOT of discomfort getting tattooed even though you are NOT a crybaby wussy pants (meaning most of the people crying vociferously about getting tattooed are usually also a crybaby wussy pants in every other area of their lives.)
I have a good friend. He is very together, tough, cool, healthy, laid back and fun but no matter where the tattoo is or who is doing it, it is very painful. He is NOT a crybaby wussy pants.
And in reference to 2...everyone is different. I found tattoos to be more unpleasant after I have been sick and get more unpleasant as my blood sugar drops (longer sessions). Hubbs avoids caffeine before and during.
@xcom You could try exploring new habits the two weeks leading up to and day of a tattoo and see if it helps with your tattoo experience.

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

Thank you @beez! I got a little rambley there :eek:
It was my husband who took us there for Theo flash. He happened to luck into a cancellation with Paul that day. I really liked Matt Howse's stuff online so was considering seeing him at some point but I was immediately consumed with jealousy about him getting in with Paul. That is when I knew.
The more time you spend there seeing everyone's work and how lovely they all are...you are just ruined and doomed after that. ;) Beeeeware!
How did you get started with Diamond Club? You have A LOT of (really amazing) work from them (that I love).

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

@KBeee that was an awesome post. Thanks for sharing! Also drooling over your "line-up", so to speak. I definitely want to be tattooed by Paul and Theo! How did you end up @ spider murphy's? I'm curious about The rest of your tale, as well!

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

In the beginning....
I really thought that I would only receive tattoos from one person for the rest of my life. It was the early 90's. I wanted all my tattoos to be Korean. I was in TX. There weren't tons of local people doing that kind of thing back then. Chris Trevino (Perfection Austin) UNDERSTOOD the difference between Asian styles and the quality of his work blew me away. I felt very committed to him as my tattooer.
I moved to CA. Years later I tried to "branch out" and get a little, traditional, floral tattoo and HAAATTEDDDD the placement of it. It was traumatizing. There was such a difference between Chris' sense of design/approach and, well...everyone else's. He had been the only person with whom I had worked. It was so easy and the end result was perfect. I probably learned more about tattoo and tattooers from those two experiences than anything ever since.
After Chris started working with Horiyoshi and favoring Japanese traditional, I assumed that I was never going to get tattooed again (out of respect for my Korean family who wouldn't understand why I was covered in Japanese art. They were greatly affected by the Occupation). No tattoos for almost ten years (with absolutely no desire to get tattooed...weird, right? I felt fully, totally committed to Chris especially after the flower incident).
The floral tattoo didn't age well. I was over it. I was going to have to get it re-worked and fill up almost my whole arm to balance it out. Hubbs had just started catching the tattoo bug and turned me onto the amazing world of tattooers on social media. THAT completely blew my mind. Things were soo different from when I had gotten my first one! There was creative and technical, tattoo INSANITY happening EVERYWHERE. The next couple of years I saw a lot of different people and went through a stage where traveling for tattoos was what I wanted to do.
Then we settled down and started going to Spider Murphy's a lot. I love that shop and everyone in it. It's just a great crew. I've gotten tattooed by Theo, Paul, Bryan, Heather (pre-Blackheart, of course :o ) and I carry Laurant's first official paid-for-on-the-books-tattoo from his first official day on the shop floor. There is a definite tendency to "keep it in the family". More and more, I just book with Paul Dobleman. I love him. A session with him is like Christmas. I can see myself getting many, many more tattoos from just him and being really happy about it...
...except for that Stewart Robson character :mad: ...he is so NOT close but so good and I loove my tattoos from him...he's a real pea in my mattress that one. :mad:
I guess, @metalmancpa, I could have just answered your question "Yes" but thanks for hanging in there if you have read this whole thing. :o

Yeah, it's crazy what a difference it can make...Scott Sylvia and Paul Dobleman are the guys who do this for me. I have very little recollection of any "gettin' tattooed" sensation with either of them because they keep such good company.
- - - Updated - - -
YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!! Lotsssaaaa tattoooooos!!!

Hello and welcome @guacamole!
An eagle is a solid choice for a first tattoo. Your tattooer should have some good recommendations for the placement of whatever design he comes up with. Upper arms are always a good place to start. It's pretty easy to heal, not a super painful place to get tattooed, won't destroy any future employment options and you get to look at it.
My first one was on my back. While I wouldn't trade it for anything:
1) It made it complicated to design a full backpiece which is something I am now interested in pursuing
2) I NEVER get to see it. When I got my second one (on my arm years after) it was like having a tattoo for the first time. It sounds silly but I highly recommend getting your first one someplace you can see it. It's just more fun to see it and obsess on how freaking cool it is! :D
Also, for the sake of detail and having an impactful tattoo, don't be afraid to go a little larger than you think, maybe.
Be sure to post some pics! Good luck, have fun and again, welcome!

It also doesn't hurt that Scott is fast as hell. Haha. But yeah, getting tattooed by him was a blast.
I can't do headphones either, like some people have said. Like @CABS said, I just kinda chat and zone out as best I can with that. The shops I get tattooed at most often are pretty open, so I usually have people in and out, flash/art to look at, and other tattoos to see. Plus, the artists tattooing me the most lately are great guys who are easy to talk to. I did four hours the other day without batting an eye. Lots of hilarious conversations with Grez, my buddy, and tons of other people in the shop.
Like @Graeme said, the more you get tattooed, the easier it'll be to find your"happy place."
Or just look at butts on the internet.

I'm sorry. Did someone ask a question? I was in @OutOfIdeas happy place ;)
But seriously...meditation will only get you so far if:
1) You have a heavy handed/inexperienced artist
2) You do not have a lifestyle/physiology conducive to happyfying neuroendocrine response under the physical duress of getting tattooed
3) You are one of those few people who inexplicably experiences A LOT of discomfort getting tattooed even though you are NOT a crybaby wussy pants (meaning most of the people crying vociferously about getting tattooed are usually also a crybaby wussy pants in every other area of their lives.)
I have a good friend. He is very together, tough, cool, healthy, laid back and fun but no matter where the tattoo is or who is doing it, it is very painful. He is NOT a crybaby wussy pants.
And in reference to 2...everyone is different. I found tattoos to be more unpleasant after I have been sick and get more unpleasant as my blood sugar drops (longer sessions). Hubbs avoids caffeine before and during.
@xcom You could try exploring new habits the two weeks leading up to and day of a tattoo and see if it helps with your tattoo experience.

Yeah, it's crazy what a difference it can make...Scott Sylvia and Paul Dobleman are the guys who do this for me. I have very little recollection of any "gettin' tattooed" sensation with either of them because they keep such good company.
- - - Updated - - -
YEEEEESSSSSSSS!!! Lotsssaaaa tattoooooos!!!

Dennis at @ProvidenceTattoo