Who wants to sit in a chair for an hour and get a needle stabbed into their back over and over again? And why? Christina can answer both of those questions.
Christina's Story
"Getting a tattoo is like trying to express an emotion."
Somehow through colors or pictures, you can trigger something in someone's mind that leads them to an emotion, and then they may see where you are coming from. I got tattoos at a very complicated time in my life. I feel like the best way to preserve that time in someone's life or the memories of that or how that affects you now is through tattoos.
"I've got a devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other."
I came up with the devil and the angel because I feel like everything happens for a reason. Whether someone realizes it or not, decisions that you make are always affected by something else, maybe what someone has gone through in the past. The devil and the angel represent that decision making -- good decisions and bad decisions and how that all works together. Maybe bad decisions lead you to good things and you didn't expect that or the other way around. I think the way that works together is beautiful. It's a balance of good and evil.
"The pain is part of the experience."
When you are getting the outline done, that is the most painful part. The shading is a breeze compared to the outline. But you never really know what it is going to be like, since different parts of your body are more sensitive than other and since it varies with the tattoo artist. People consider a tattoo artist mean or harsh if they cause a lot of pain. For me, that is what is ideal about it -- that you go through a period of turmoil to get something that you want, something that will last and be a part of you forever. You don't ever forget getting it, and it is connected to you forever.
"Getting a tattoo was much more of an emotional thing than a physical one."
It is not as glorious as you might expect it to be, like a young kid who thinks, "I am going to be cool if I have a tattoo." That's not it at all. It is more of a feeling. For me, it is being at peace with that time in my life and really accepting it and bringing it into my heart. The tattoo let me show other people that this is a part of me, this is something that I care deeply about. There is also something so powerful about knowing that this is going to be with you forever. It is not a diamond, it is not a relationship, it is you.
