My first tattoo experience somewhat shied me away for awhile. My second wasn't the greatest experience either. I did something I would never do now and got a tattoo by a non professional....a mechanic in fact. I think it was his 7th tattoo. Mid way through I had sweat the stencil off and he had to reapply it. All in all he didn't do the worst job and I was happy to have it after carrying around the design for several years, but now I strive for perfection-not just simply getting the design. I wanted more ink, but felt like a great experience was out of my reach. We had a tattoo studio in town, in fact I had gotten my tongue pierced there about a year after the studio opened. We live in a small town though and I kept hearing rumors. I heard the studio was over priced, they did bad work, they used cheap supplies, the ink would fall out, etc etc. All things I know now are totally false.
Then a day came when I was in pain. Things had fallen apart with a dear friend and I wanted something to hurt more than the emotional hurt I was feeling. We had talked about getting matching tattoos, two tiny stars in our favorite colors-pink & purple. So that day with an aching heart and tired of crying, I decided to go get the star tattoos. I called and they were close to leaving the studio for the day, but said they would wait on me and just to knock on the door when I got there. I literally ran to the studio. It's only half a mile (& I was in better shape! lol) Getting the two stars was a good experience and lead to me making a friend I know I will have for a lifetime. Mark was really calm and patient and put the nervousness I felt when I got there at ease. The tattoo didn't hurt the way I thought it would, but I felt such a sense of relief afterwards. I told him after the tattoo why I had got the design and he was so sweet, he hugged me three times before I left and patted my back on the way out the door.
In the time since that first experience with Mark I have had probably 35 hours worth of work done by him. I've learned a lot from time I have spent around Mark's studio. He gives great attention to detail and is very much a perfectionist with a higher standard. Being around Mark has influenced me to expect a higher quality of work, to dream big, and push the limits. Every time I go to him with an idea for a custom piece he not only brings it to life, he surpasses my expectations. Many of the things that impressed me when I first met him wouldn't amaze me in the same way today. And with his help I am becoming the walking work of art I see in my mind's eye, expressing on the outside what I feel on the inside in the most artistic way possible.
Photos by Dawn Marie Elliott
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