Rib Tattoos Will Kick. Your. Ass.

My mother gave me a lot of good advice over the years. Maybe not the normal kind, but very useful and realistic for modern life. One of them was simple

 "Tequila will kick. your. ass."

... and she was right, however, she never got a tattoo on the ribs. (Had she not passed away early I wouldn't have put it past her though)

Back in 2008 someone very dear to me passed away of cancer. I was shattered. I, to this day, have never felt that kind of pain and I hope to never again. My way of grieving has always been getting a tattoo in their memory and this was no different.

I went to the local tattoo artist in the town I lived in at the time. He was considered a rock star probably cause he was the only artist in town and we didn't have much to compare. I gave him the option of doing a picture of my lost beloved or doing a solid black motorcycle. He picked, in complete confidence, the portrait. He said he'd nail it.... he didn't. It even won "Worst Tattoo" at the Miami Tattoo Convention
this year.

After years with this disaster that was basically an insult to Tommy (the one who passed), Me, our life together, and the art of tattooing in general, I decided to finally cover it up. My boyfriend is an AMAZING artist and created a beautiful design and yesterday we started it with the line work.

... that's when things got out of control.

Now let me just say I have a full sleeve that I sat 5-6 hour sessions for. I have a one on my foot, and inside my upper thigh. I sat like a champ for all these, my artist's wife believed I wasn't human.

Needless to say... I ain't no punk bitch. :-P

When I had gotten my side tattoo back in 2008 I didn't understand what the big hub-bub was about. It hurt sure, but nothing I couldn't handle. Little did I know...

Where I got it barely kissed the rib cage, that was then, this was now.

We laid on the stencil and hit it perfect the first time, then it was go time. We decided to hit the most sensitive area first to get it out of the way. The minute he put needle to skin, I knew I was fucked.

People, I can't explain the pain. It was... bad. I panicked. I was terrified this was the pain I was going to be enduring for hours and I.. Casey Brandon.. tattoo artist and enthusiast... the artist with "Yes it hurts man up" written in my station.... cried.

 I didn't just cry. I WEEPED. Full on tears and the whole show. My poor boyfriend, who thankfully, does not take joy in giving me pain, stopped and asked if he should keep going. I snapped at him like
the exorcist screaming "Yes! Just keep going and get it over with!"

You could see the upset in his own face making his girlfriend cry in pain he was inflicting but he ignored my whimpers and 3.5 hours later we had a beautiful lined layout.

So I warn you, I don't care what you've had. Listen to the warnings, listen to the people...

 Rib Tattoos. Will. Kick. Your. Ass.

Be Safe. Be Smart. Be Free.

-Casey