One day my girlfriend wanted to get a tattoo. Naturally, I wanted to give her my input on the design.
Fellow tattoo enthusiasts, we all know the gold standard for boyfriend/girlfriend tattoos is a cursive, italicized name in heavy print.

Something like “Jesse” around the breast or buttocks area. But I knew instantly this would not do. I felt my girlfriend and I needed something a bit stronger.

We immediately set out to conjure up that image in an intense brainstorming session.
My first instinct was to get a portrait of myself giving Conan the Barbarian a very bad charley horse. This image sent out the proper vibe, in my mind, about where she and I were coming from.

But ultimately it was too risky. Given a bit of time, the tattoo could come out looking like me giving a female body builder a thigh massage. Which would not be the proper vibe at all.

My second impulse was a sweet sleeve of circuits, culminating in a picture on her shoulder of me making a robot cry. “It’s about the technology,” I told her. She said she didn’t think her arm was the proper place for that kind of statement.

“I couldn’t agree less,” I told her. But it didn’t matter, that one was a no go.
After all was said and done, we settled on her nickname, “Coconut Throat” on her left ankle.

I said, “Why not just get a coconut on your throat?” But she felt that a coconut on her neck would look too much like an injury from far away. We aren’t together anymore.

Making the big decision to go ahead and get a new tattoo requires a considerable quantity of due thought. The main consideration is the kind of tattoo design that you would like and the second consideration is where on your body you are going to have it done.
A tattoo can be an indicator of the kind of person you are in terms of what style you like and can even give others clues about your personality so it pays to take your time and plan out the tattoo you want.

Check out different tattoo artists and parlours before making your decision. Also try and choose one based on a recommendation from somebody you know that has had a tattoo done that you admire. Whatever you do, don\'t check in at the first tattoo parlor you see and get a tattoo done.

Only the other day, one of my friends had a tattoo done rather hastily and I could tell he wasn\'t overly enamoured with the overall result. Too late now though, he\'s got to live with it unless he wants to go through expensive procedures to get it removed.
When you find the tattoo artist that you want to do your tattoo, have a meeting with them first to talk about the tattoo designs that are available, along with how much each tattoo is going to cost.

Also view the artists designs and work whilst you are there.
Be sure to also choose a tattoo parlor that is licensed, as your health is a primary concern, along with hygienic conditions. It is also of value to consider if there are any implications on your life that this new tattoo will have.

For instance, a tattoo on your forearm is probably not going to go down too well in a job that involves working with the public when you want to wear a short sleeved shirt in the summer. You get the idea.
Also think about whether you really want to live with this tattoo design for the rest of your mortal days.

Sure, you make think it\'s the best thing since sliced bread when you initially look at the design, but are you going to feel that way in 5 years from now when you wake up to look in the mirror at it each morning.
You may also want to take along some pictures of tattoo designs that interest you to the tattoo artist so that they have a good idea of the kind of tattoo you would like. Small tattoos are simple enough to do, but large tattoos require more thought, time and consideration.