Getting a Tattoo: A Personal Guide to Making the Right Choice

Getting a tattoo is a big decision. You’re making a permanent change to your appearance and possibly investing a significant amount of money. So how do you make the right choice—the right choice for you?

Hopefully, this blog helps you do just that.

Before I became a tattooer, I was a tattoo collector for many years. My early experiences weren’t always great. The industry was different back then, and I was young. Tattooers could be pretty intimidating.

For my first tattoo, I walked into a studio with outlaw motorcycle club affiliations. The artist pointed at the wall and said, “Pick one.” I pointed to a rose flash design, and 45 minutes later I had it on my chest. I was stoked—until about six months later, when I realized it didn’t fit the space well. It was a long, thin tattoo, better suited to a forearm, and it just didn’t work on my chest.

Later, I added some tribal to try and improve the look. It helped a little, but it still wasn’t ideal for the placement. The tattooers weren’t to blame—they did what I asked and did it well—but they didn’t guide me, and that guidance could’ve made all the difference.

My third tattoo was a Celtic band around my wrist. It was technically difficult to stencil and align properly, but the artist did a solid job. A few months later, he added flames up my forearm. I was thrilled—this was the early 2000s, and having visible tattoos still set you apart.

Eventually, I met a tattooer who was genuinely passionate about the craft. He worked upward from the flames, turning the whole thing into a sleeve. While working, he talked to me about tattoo styles, placement, flow—all things no other artist had ever mentioned. That experience changed everything.

From then on, I approached tattoos differently. I had input, I understood the process, and I got better tattoos.

What I Learned—and What You Can Take from It

Many tattoo artists are great at the technical side of their craft, but not all of them embrace the broader responsibility: educating their clients. In my view, part of our job is to inform and guide. Of course, we’re still walking a fine line—it’s your body and your decision—but we can offer advice based on experience.

I often say, “I’m giving you the best advice I can from my experience as a tattooer. At the end of the day, it’s your tattoo. As long as what you want doesn’t reflect negatively on the studio or me, we’ll do our best to make you happy.”

1. Do Your Research

Explore the different tattoo styles and figure out what speaks to you. Your chosen subject can usually be adapted to your preferred style.

2. Be Clear About Style

If you say you want “a lion’s head,” we don’t yet know how to proceed. But if you say “I’d like a Western Traditional lion’s head,” we’ve got direction and can work with it.

3. Placement Matters

Where you want the tattoo affects how we draw it. If it’s going on the sternum, we might suggest something symmetrical. For the side of your leg, something more side-facing might be better.

4. Size Counts

Larger tattoos tend to age better and look more balanced. Try to fill the space available—don’t leave a tiny design floating in a large area unless that’s the look you want.

5. Upside Down or Right Side Up?

Some clients say, “It’s for me,” and want the tattoo facing them. I get that, but I’ll also explain that after the initial healing period, you’ll rarely look at it—while everyone else will see it upside down forever. Again, it’s your call, but we aim to provide the best advice.

Clients Come in All Types

I once had a respected tattooer describe three kinds of clients:

• Type 1: Gives full freedom and gets a great tattoo—but it’s the artist’s tattoo, not theirs.

• Type 2: Extremely rigid, requests constant changes, and ends up with work that the artist isn’t proud of—and often doesn’t return.

• Type 3: Comes with solid references, shares ideas, trusts the process, and allows for creativity. These clients get the best results and often build long-term relationships with their artist.

Bring References—but Be Open

A photo of a tattoo you like is great. Four to ten references in the same style? Even better. Just make sure they’re not completely different styles, or we’ll struggle to pin down what you actually want. Most quality artists aren’t comfortable copying someone else’s tattoo exactly—and honestly, why would you want that? Get something uniquely designed for you.

Final Thoughts

Spend time on research—it really shows in the final result. Learn about styles, find the right artist for your vision, and work with a professional in a reputable studio. If someone’s working from their living room, ask yourself why, and consider what you might be sacrificing to save a few dollars.

Getting a tattoo should be exciting, not stressful. With the right planning and the right artist, it will be something you’ll be proud of for life.

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