The buzzing sound of needles rings through the shop while the smell of antiseptic fills your nostrils. The dream of getting a tattoo becomes a reality. Senior Sierra Brumme is a canvas for not one, but two tattoos. After losing her dad, her initial decision was made. 

“My first is a memorial piece to remember and honor [my dad]  after losing him. It has his birthday, the day he passed, and his favorite flowers,” Brumme said. “The other one is two lily flowers…honestly, I just got it for fun. There isn’t any significant meaning. I just love the art behind it.”

Many people believe tattoos bring an unbearable pain, for Brumme it was anything but.

“No…obviously it’s an uncomfortable kind of spot to be in but it isn’t unbearable at all,” Brumme said. “The worst part was definitely the healing process. It’s super itchy but you can’t scratch it, you can’t touch it, and you have to lotion it like 15 times a day.”

While Brumme spent her time in the chair for her father and fun, junior Quinn Robinette dedicated his time to his mental health.

“It’s mostly a mental health thing for me, to keep going and to take the mask off of my mental illness,” Robinette said. “I went through a really rough time and was like hey, you made it through that, you can make it through a lot.”

Like Brumme, Robinette explains the pain was not like what was expected.

“It felt like a cat grabbing you with it’s claws,” Robinette said. “It hurt more when I was outside and the wind was hitting it.”

Unlike Robinette and Brumme, some get their tattoos on a whim. Senior Sydney Anderson decided to get hers as she entered the shop.

“It was really an impulse thing,” Anderson said. ”I wanted a tattoo and my mom said I could get one so I asked if we could go that day. She said yeah and we went.”

Even though the decision was spur of the moment, it is still meaningful for Anderson.

“It’s on my arm, it’s 444, angel numbers,” Anderson said. “444 is for protection, so with it tattooed on my body it feels like I’m always protected no matter what.”

Deciding to get a tattoo is no small thing. You are the canvas to someone’s art, a walking painting. 

“I would say make sure you really want it,” Robinette said. “Maybe go to Inkbox and get a temporary one, of whatever you think you want, that lasts a while so you can make sure it’s what you want to have forever.”