Tag: tattoo

New Tattoo

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

Well, I did it. On August 23, 2011 at 4:00 pm, I got another tattoo. I like it but I don’t love it. Let me explain:

I went to the shop on August 22, 2011, fully intending to make an appointment with Gabe for sometime in the future. Then, Natasha, the shop girl, suggested someone else. I meet and talked to Vince Yue about the tattoo. He seemed to know what he was talking about. I looked at his book and it was solid work. But, something just didn’t feel right, but I ignored it and made an appointment for the next day.

Same night, I am looking through some random magazine and there was this story about the image I wanted for my tattoo.

“Since the unification of China by the first Emperor Qinshihuang in 221 BC, chinese coins have used the square-in-the-circle design. The circle represents heaven and the square represents earth. When these coins are used by man, the three represent the perfect cosmic trinity of “Heavan-Earth-Man”.

Good sign that I was getting the right tattoo. With my addition of the chinese characters for Faith-Happiness-Passion-Love. It is a brilliant and inspirational tattoo. Right? Right! Great concept.

But, still a little hesitation. So, I turned to expert advice. I sent out a little question to the two people I thought would answer my tattoo questions and Luke Wessman answered on Twitter. Very cool.

Tweet Convo:

Michelle – How do I know if a tattoo artist is good? Is it enough that he is part of shop that is owned by a great artist?

Luke – research to a point of recognizing quality and skill. No it doesn’t matter how good the owner is each artist has own talent level

Luke – generally a good owner/tattooer will only hire other good tattooers or tattoers better then themselves.

Michelle – that’s what I am counting on. His book was solid. But how much can you trust that. He screws up, will you fix it? Smile!

Luke – trust you intuition. Or You can send me a link of his work somewhere and I can give u my opinion.

**So cool of him to answer my questions. I should have listened to his advice.

I got my tattoo and through out the whole thing, I just didn’t love it. I like it now, after three days, but I don’t love it and I wanted to love it. It’s not like CJ. It isn’t perfect. CJ is perfect.

I saw Gabe before I was getting started with Vince and he seemed a little disappointed that I wasn’t getting tattooed by him. I am disappointed that I didn’t wait for him either. But, I did think that if he hired someone to work in his shop, that they would be quality.

Lesson learned. What I like about:

The concept, the small spot of shading underneath (just love that), the location, the shape, the size. All great.

What I don’t like:

I hate the characters. He didn’t do what I said regarding the characters and that is what I am pissed about. And, I didn’t stop him even though I knew it wasn’t going to look correct. He messed up on the love character then tried to cover it up with shading and tell me it made it look better.

So, we are going to let it heal and then go back and see if Gabe will fix it. If he won’t, then maybe I will have to track down my new tattoo guru, Luke Wessman to fix it when I leave this God forsaken region of the world.

Bottom line is that I was looking for something to distract me and allow me to be into my self for a bit. It accomplished that. I don’t regret getting it and I do think it can be fixed. I will show before and after photos as soon as it heals. But, I need to be patient and listen to my intuition. It was screaming at me those two days and I didn’t listen.

Passion!!

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

“When you’re good at something it create a confidence, when your insecure about something it creates an arrogance.”  Gordan Ramsey

Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” Ludacris

These two quotes really struck me.  I see so many people around me who are so arrogant about what they do and when Gordon said that about this kid on Master Chef, it became all so clear.  When you are insecure about something, then you come off arrogant because you don’t want to be found out as a fraud.  But, confidence comes out of being good at something.

And, Ludacris is my new philosopher.  He is absolutely correct on this one.  Passion is energy.  I love that.  If you are passionate about something, you will get up early for it.  You will stay up late for it.  You will do it for free. Passion fuels energy and you are energetic about what you are passionate about.  Maybe that is why I am tired.  I am not passionate about what I do.  I get no energy from what I do.

What am I passionate about?

Tattoos – eat, breath and sleep information about tattoos.  I will stay up late and get up early for something related to tattoo.  I look up information on tattoos instead of working.

Food – i am down right obsessive about food.  I will stay up late, wake up early and think about it for days.  Right now, I am thinking about what I am going to eat on Sunday (Breakfast at Flying Pan and Dinner at Ruth Chris). I watch cooking competition shows because of the food porn.  Top Chef, Top Chef Masters, Master Chef, Rocco’s Dinner Party.  All brilliant television.  Megan’s fried chicken and creamed greens looked so good on the finale of MasterChef. I make a list of restaurants I have to eat at when I go back home to America and mark them off once of have eaten there. I spend a lot a time on food and it gives me energy, literally and theoretically.

So, here is my dilemma.  I can’t get a tattoo every time I want to.  I can’t work in a tattoo shop and I don’t think I will have the opportunity to meet, date, fall in love and marry Ami James.  And food, I can’t eat it all the time. I can’t eat what I want everyday all day.  I can’t eat Flying pan for breakfast, pizza hut for lunch and ruth chris for dinner every day.

I need to find my passion and make it my profession.

I tend to gravitate towards wanting to learn more about people who have a talent and get to do that talent for a job; e.g., chefs, tattoo artist, dancers, singers.  Not actors so much because I think that is a learned skill.  But, the others are talents.  You have to be born with the gift and then with opportunity and study you become good at it.  It is those things that people do and then it makes them smile and feel good after.  Like the way a singer feels after singing a song.

I watched “Never, Say Never” – Justin Beiber Movie.  You can tell he loves to sing and entertain.  At the end of singing that song with just himself and his guitar player her had that look on this face.  That pure bliss look.  That is what happens when people are passion about something.  It physically feels good to get to do that task.

It is the same satisfaction I imagine a dancer feels after a number or an artist feels after he finishes a piece.

Does writing give me that high? I don’t know.  I like doing this.  I like spending time on putting my thoughts in written form.  I like that they are there now forever.  Although not for every one to consume just yet.  Maybe someday.  But, they are there and it makes me happy.  Do I do it every day? No.  Do I stay up late to do it or wake up early to do it?  No.  I could, but I don’t.  I am not passionate about it.

How do I find what I am passionate about because where I am at and what I am doing right now is not my passion?

I am going to dedicate the next 18 months to finding what my passion is and pursuing it with all my heart.

What did I learn today?

Published on by Sydney Aaliyah MichelleLeave a comment

So, what did I learn today?

I learned that the people in this country are just as crazy as people in America.

I learned that saying I am going to do it, blogging that I am going to do it, preparing to do it and dressing to do it and not doing it, is not anywhere close to doing it.

(Did not workout today. Maybe tomorrow. HAHA!)

I learned that these people have the stupidest excuses that I have every heard. Two of my favorites:

“I have to quit because I have to get up too early in the morning it and it disturbs my husbands sleep.  He has a very important job.”
“I have to quit because although I was hired to be outside operations, I don’t like being outside.”

I learned that people who are given the opportunity to fight for themselves and don’t have a lot bigger problems then trying to figure out how to sell a lesson.

I learned that firing people is not hard.  Especially when the person you fired, just didn’t give a shit about being here in the first place.

I learned that I just love music. If all else fails, play me a tune and I can find my bliss again.

I learned that in order to break your addictions you must remain conscious, focused and alert at all times.

I learned that I just love Ami James. I learned that I love tattoos, therefore, I learned that I would love a tattoo from Ami James.  Now!

Yep, that is what I learned, today.