So, I finally did it. Got that “Always” tattoo I’d been mulling over for, well, ages. It wasn’t one of those spur-of-the-moment things, not for me, not with something permanent. I really had to sit with the idea, let it brew, you know?
It all started, I guess, like it does for many of us, with the books. Then the movies. That whole world just… stuck. And the “Always” line, man, that hit different. It wasn’t just about Snape and Lily, you know? For me, it became a sort of personal mantra. About loyalty, about things that endure. Cheesy? Maybe, but it’s my skin, my cheese.
Finding the Right Person
First hurdle: finding an artist. You don’t just walk into any old shop for something like this, especially with specific lettering in mind. I swear, I spent weeks, maybe even a couple of months, just looking at portfolios online. Scrolling, scrolling, scrolling. Some artists were amazing, sure, their big color pieces were mind-blowing, but they didn’t quite get the vibe I was after for this. Or their lettering work was a bit… wobbly. You know how it is, you want that clean, perfect script, especially for a single word that carries so much weight.
I remember this one consultation I went to. The fella was super talented with these huge, intricate pieces – dragons, skulls, the whole nine yards. Proper art. But when I showed him the simple “Always” script I was leaning towards, he almost looked… well, bored, I guess? Or maybe just not his thing. That was a clear sign. Nah, I needed someone who appreciated the subtlety, someone who wouldn’t just rush through it because it was “small.”
The Design and Placement Saga
Then came the design itself. I knew I wanted “Always.” But what font? Where on my body? This took even longer than finding the artist, if you can believe it. It became a bit of an obsession for a while there.
- I must have printed out “Always” in about twenty, maybe thirty different fonts. Seriously. I taped them to my bathroom mirror, my fridge, my laptop screen. Lived with them for a good week or two. Drove my family a bit nuts, I think, seeing “Always” everywhere.
- Considered a few different spots on my body. The inner wrist was a top contender for a long time. Then I thought about my forearm, maybe near the ribs. That ribs idea got vetoed by my own (admittedly low) pain tolerance pretty quick. Just thinking about it made me wince.
- Finally, after much deliberation, I settled on my inner forearm. It just felt right. Visible enough for me to see it, but not screaming for attention from everyone else.
The artist I eventually picked, bless her, was so patient. We tweaked the font a tiny bit, played around with the size using a stencil. She must have re-stenciled it on my arm three, maybe four times, until I was like, “Yep, that’s the one. Stop. Perfect.” No eye-rolling, no sighs, just calm professionalism. That’s when you know you’re in good hands, when they care as much as you do, even for a “simple” word.
Getting Inked
The day itself. Was I nervous? You bet I was. Even though it’s a small tattoo, it’s still needles, it’s still permanent. The buzz of the tattoo gun is a sound you don’t quite forget, is it? It wasn’t unbearable, the pain. Not like I imagined. More like a persistent, annoying scratch, over and over. The artist was great, though. Chatted a bit, kept my mind off it. It was over surprisingly quick, actually. Faster than all the months of planning, that’s for sure.
The Reveal and Living With It
Then she wiped it down, put that soothing stuff on, and there it was. My “Always.” Clean, sharp. Exactly how I’d pictured it in my head for so long. It’s a weird feeling, looking down and seeing something on your skin that was just an idea, just a printout, moments before. Good weird, though. The healing process was straightforward, just followed all the aftercare instructions to the letter. It got a bit itchy for a while, but that’s pretty standard, part of the deal.
Now? I absolutely love it. It’s a little reminder, just for me, most of the time. Sometimes people ask, “Is that a Harry Potter thing?” And yeah, it is, that’s where it started. But it’s also more than that now. It’s my little piece of something constant, something meaningful to me personally. It’s funny, you think getting a tattoo is this huge, life-altering decision – and it is, in a way, you’re changing your body – but once it’s there, and it’s healed, it just becomes a part of you. Like it was always meant to be there. See what I did there? A little pun for you.
It’s kind of like that old comfy chair you might have in your house. Took you ages to pick out, maybe you fretted over the fabric, the color, the cost. But once it’s in your living room, and you’ve sunk into it a thousand times with a good book or a cup of tea, you can’t imagine the room without it. It just fits. That’s my “Always” tattoo for me. It just fits.
