10/10, would recommend. Don’t worry, Mom, I had money saved up for it.
Due to my general personality and, more specifically, my particular mental illness, I have a tendency to be very impulsive. It’s not very predictable, but it can range from bland, benign “let’s text my ex-boyfriend I haven’t talked to in two years” impulses, to more scary, self-destructive things. Luckily, I have incredible friends who listen to my whims and tell me when I’m being dumb, as well as a trusted therapist who is always a great voice of caution.
Impulsivity worked out for me about 50 percent of the time. It’s how I’ve gotten some amazing dates. I adopted my cat on impulse after a long time of wishing for my own cat. I got my last tattoo on impulse when in town and emotional at my cousin’s wedding. So, when I had the impulse to get another tattoo, I knew it was one of the less crazy things I could do.
Tattoo shops commonly have events for Friday the Thirteenth where you can get a super cheap tat from a pre-selected flash sheet. They’re usually first come, first serve. The flash tats can be pretty kitschy or niche, so I was never sure if I would want one. Sometimes they’re spooky themed, with spiders or daggers, and a lot have the number 13 incorporated into the design, which is not always my thing.
Apprentices at tattoo shops will often do Friday the 13th event tattoos, as it’s good practice and also a good way for new tattooers to start getting clients. Due to high demand, too, you don’t really get to make any changes to the design even in size or style. If you want to be impulsive and get a tattoo, Friday the 13th can be a great time to do it, because there are just preset designs to choose from and errors are very unlikely. If you’re picky, though, you might not find a design in a flash sheet that works for your sensibility. And since I’ve always been picky, I never really thought a flash tat would be for me.
Spoiler alert, it worked out fine. But I’m getting to that.
I follow a couple of tattoo shops in Dallas and I’ve kept my eye out for local tattoo artists on Instagram. I’ve followed Little Linda (@littlebabylinda on Insta) for a while, in particular because her work was featured in this video by Kimberryberry about her tattoos. Linda is Dallas-based and really talented. She owns Koneko Studio, which I also follow on social media.
Koneko has a really modern, cool vibe. It’s also a not as intimidating as other tattoo shops, and I think it’s a great place for beginners, like me, to start. Koneko is lovely and pleasant, and they also have beauty services, too, like little baby tattoos, eyebrow styling, lashes, piercings, and they can even do the little freckle tats. It’s even completely vegan.
On Friday, March 13, Koneko posted this flash sheet of possible tattoos on their Instagram.
Cat lover as I am, I definitely thought that these were particularly simple and cute. A few incorporated the 13 symbolism for die-hard fans of the tradition, but none of them felt tacky or silly looking (Not that there is any problem with a silly tattoo, they are just not my vibe). I thought it was cute. I texted my older sister. I decided I was going to do it. I had squirrelled away a bit of cash for an instance like this (don’t worry, Mom), and these ones were only $36 each (not including tip, and you always should tip).
For background, it’s important to mention that my mental health was in a pretty weird place. I’ve been in the process lately of tweaking my medications with my psychiatrist, and I’d been having intense mood swings. For most people, I will say do not get permanent body art when you are in an elevated emotional place (earlier that week, for instance, I decided my next tattoo should be on my wrist and it should be the epigraph from T.S. Eliot’s The Wasteland… which is… very poetic, but also… yikes. So at least I ignore some of the crazier impulses). But I love to ignore my own advice. And these ones were cute.
I’ve wanted a cat tattoo to honor Nemo, my childhood cat who passed away in 2016, and Pepper, my current cat who is about to have her fourth birthday. Personalized pet portraits can be expensive in terms of time and money, so this simple line drawing turned out to be the perfect medium.
A side note: I was cautioned by my aforementioned logical best friends that it might not be best to get a tattoo during a virus. But 1) tattoo shops are always very clean and regularly sanitized by law, and 2) it was very unlikely the shop would be crowded or a hotbed of viral activity, and 3) due to my mental health hiatus from life, I was not likely to be exposed to anyone who was particularly vulnerable to the virus. I did call Koneko to make sure that they were still open, and they assured me over the phone that they were following necessary protocol to the letter. They made a note to be cautious of the virus on their original post, as well. I made sure I was not putting myself at risk of viral plague, do not worry.
Anna Westby (@awestbird on Instagram) is a current Koneko Studio apprentice, and she did such a great job on my new ink. She wore beaded owl earrings and chatted with me about her pets. A nice tattoo artist can make a possibly scary experience feel much better. I definitely recommend choosing an artist around whom you can be comfortable, for both yours and their sake.
It was first come, first serve, and I did have to wait about an hour and a half as there were two people ahead of me. Koneko has a really nice sitting area for patrons to wait, with snacks and drinks and an immaculate restroom. They had a lot of cute little items to shop over while you waited, from incense to T-Shirts.
Anna was really nice, and she was really fun to chat with during the process. She made sure my stencil was positioned perfectly and had me check it in multiple mirrors to make sure I liked the placement. She made sure it was centered below the crook of my elbow, and warned me against putting it any higher, as it would hurt more.
Anyone who tells you tattoos don’t hurt is a moron, but I don’t think I’ve ever found them unbearable. It’s kind of like prolonging the pain of an ear piercing, or like getting a cat scratch on a sunburn. Some areas hurt more, depending on how much flesh you have: my rib tattoo was a lot more painful just because of the amount of bones there. This one hurt more toward the top, near the kitty’s ears, but it also was super quick.
This cat tattoo, or cat-too, if you will, came out really crisp and beautiful. I think it is simple and perfect for my style. And should I ever apply for a very strict job ever again, it’s also easily hidden with ¾ length sleeves. I am glad to have a really cute tattoo that makes me happy. Not everything has to be shrouded in 17 layers of symbolism, and sometimes it is okay to do something just because it makes you feel good.
So, do I recommend getting a tattoo at the tail end of an emotional breakdown? Maybe not for everyone. But I highly recommend getting a Friday the Thirteenth tattoo, as long as you are financially and emotionally ready for something that permanent. I will also say that Koneko Studio was the nicest and most fun time I’ve had at a tattoo place, and that Anna did an awesome job. I’m so happy with this decision.
And don’t worry Mom, I mostly thought it through. I had cash in my nightstand!!!
(I really wanted a photo of Pepper next to my cat tattoo by luring her in with cat treats, but as expected, she did not cooperate.)
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