Tattoo Tuesday V.99
Name and blog name: Jayme (aka Baby J) http://snowxpea.blogspot.com/ (I admittedly do not update as often as i should) also http://babyxj.tumblr.com/
Age: 31
Occupation: Makeup Artist
Age of first tattoo: 18
Favorite tattoo: This is a hard one! At the moment my favorites are my knee and my American Nightmare tattoo. Both done my Mr. Lindsey Carmichael
Featured tattoo/location: "We are the fortunate ones" script on my thigh
Artist/shop/location of feature tattoo: Mr. Lindsey Carmichael at Gold Rush Tattoo in Costa Mesa, CA
1) Tell us about your featured tattoo- is there a background story about why you chose it, or maybe a special meaning?
I was going through a hard time recently and someone I've adored for years made me a sweet little mix to get me through it. The first song that played was a cover of American Nightmare's song Farewell. The lyrics struck a chord like never before. I called Lindsey and scheduled the appointment almost immediately. I didn't tell my friend that i was getting the words tattooed on me. It filled my heart to carry the words with me everyday. My friend was really surprised and loved it!
2) Do you have any other tattoos? If so, what do you have and where?
I have so many! Adorable on my knuckles, don't cry with a little tear drop on my lower knuckles. Inside my fingers I have the lyrics "hold on to my hand and go, this time it lasts forever" on my left hand I have a heart locket with a rope tying a key to it. On my right hand I have a blue and gold rose with an eye shooting bolts from the center of the rose. On my left arm I have: a rose and candle with my grandmothers name in a banner, portraits of Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, Damien from the Omen and Karen Cooper the little girl character from the Night of the Living Dead. I also have a TCB bolt on my left wrist. And "Kissyface" in script on my shoulder with my friends birthdate under it. I got it when he passed away. On my right arm i have: a love letter that reads "Kick Rocks," a sinking ship, a rose and dagger that has a banner that reads "Bless the Dead," Misfits lyrics in my ditch "Some kinda love". I have a decapitated girls head that says "Pretty girls make graves". On the back of my right arm I have a Bad Brains PMA tattoo. Just above it I recently got a matching tattoo with a close friend that says "Bigger than the sky" as in I love him that much. I have an old nautical star with a MOM banner and an anchor just below that. Can't forget a tattoo for my friend Jayce. His name in a banner over a cowboy hat inside my right arm. I also have my best girls name tattooed on the top of my right shoulder.
On my chest I have a shitty cover up haha. A butterfly of sorts covering some old stars. I have skull roses on the front of both shoulders. And "Pray For Me" script across my collarbone. On my neck I have two roses, an X on my throat and on OM on the back of my neck. I also have bats behind both ears.
On my lower stomach I have a large Danzig skull. On my left rib area i have script that reads "When we are together, we are untouchable". On my left leg I have the Joy Division: Unknown Pleasures album cover, a portrait of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and a scythe that says "reap what you sow". On my right leg I have quite a bit more! A bright green panther, a gold tooth, two hearts that are locked together, a nurse with a red cross and blue roses, a gurty special (if you know, you know) a suitcase with hearts that says 'Meet me at the Flo!" (my favorite floridian diner) a beautiful Tudor rose on my knee, "We are the fortunate ones" script on my thigh, bright orange pumpkins on my thigh with a haunted house on my thigh, a tea pot that reads "elevenses" on it. (LOTR nerds know). Under the kettle I also have an Alkaline Trio heart and skull. On my feet I have a pig and a rooster. as well as some cherry blossoms.
And two baby anchors on the sides of my face :)
3) Do you plan on getting more?
ABSOLUTELY. Why stop now??
4) How do your family and friends feel about your tattoo(s)? Have you run into any adversity or negativity because of them? Do you have a significant other? Does he/she have tattoos?
My mom always says she will love me as long as I don't tattoo my face.. WELL.. I did that too and she still loves me. My brother loves me no matter what and honestly as long as I have those two, thats what matters most.
I run into negativity about my tattoos almost daily. 99% of the time its from people I've never met. I find that people seem to think that since I'm heavily tattooed that they can talk to me as harshly or as rudely as they want. So there is never a shortage of shit comments coming my way. Often times I just make the situation into a joke about them or I laugh with my friends about how ignorant they were. I'm overly nice so the situation occasionally lasts way longer than it would ever last for someone else.
I recently moved across country and while I do not have a current significant other, I do have someone that brightens my days. He has tattoos of course.
5) What's the most interesting experience you've ever had in regards to your tattoos? This can be something someone said to you, a weird tattooing experience, whatever.
I have had all sorts of things said to me but there are two that stand out..
When I lived in Florida, a woman who worked at Publix (a grocery store in Florida) was giving me a really hard time while i was buying a money order. She went on and on about how she couldn't believe anyone would hire me and that she herself would never consider hiring me based on my appearance alone. The funny part about this very rude altercation was that the woman herself had her hands tattooed!
My first day at my new job a young man and his friends approached me while I was stuffing my face on a bench outside my work. He complimented my "Obama" tattoo several times.. I just kept saying "what Obama tattoo?" Then his friends started laughing and pointed to it and said, "that's not OBAMA! thats a monster!!" It was Frankenstein.
6) Any advice for those interested in getting tattooed but haven't gotten one yet?
Definitely do your research. From experience I can say that I could have gotten some way better tattoos earlier on if I had paid more attention and sought out better artists. Right now social media is making it SO easy to search out great artists and they are ALL over!! A lot of them are doing guest spots and traveling the globe! It makes it way easier to get work from artists you may not have been able to get in with otherwise. Also, as much as you might want to let your friends practice on you, in the long run you will likely regret it. I have a lot of work from artists who were just starting out. And it shows.
PS. don't go to your homie's cousin's friend that tattoos in his bedroom. PLEASE...