I was walking down the street of OSU campus with my mother and I noticed a bunch of colorful bits of paper or something on the ground in front of me. Despite all that I had been taught about not picking random things of the ground, I bent down and picked one up. It looked like a post card advertising a tattoo and piercing studio. Intrigued, I turned the card over and my eyes were immediately drawn one of the four pictures. It was a picture of a female with a nape piercing. I showed the card to my mom and told her that I wanted on of my own. She just shook her head and dismissed the subject.
At A Glance Author Erica Contact chemcocktail@aol.com When Six months ago Artist Kyle, if I remember correctly Studio Evolved Location Columbus, Ohio Over the course of the next year I would occasionally bring up the piercing and my mother would dismiss the subject as she did the first time. Finally, she said she didn't mind the idea of me getting such a piercing. I was thrilled; she told me that she would give time to decide whether or not I really wanted it. I didn't need anytime at all; I think she just wanted time to decide if she was really going to let me do it. It was all I could think about for weeks. Eventually my mother came to me and said the we could go to get it done that week. My job was to find a suitable place and find out what type of procedures needed to take place because I was underage. So I opened the phone book and found the name of the place that the post card was advertising. I was told that both my mother and I needed identification and my birth certificate. We gathered all that we needed and headed down town.
When we got to Evolved it was crowded and we were told that we would have to wait a while. I didn't mind waiting at all, I was excited. Finally we were taken back to a room painted green with various photographs and artworks on the wall. I was instructed to sit in what looked like dentist's chair. As I sat, Kyle explained the process to my mother, who kept trying to slip away to the front of the establishment because she did not want to witness such an event. Kyle told her to be patient and he insisted that she stay just for the set-up, so that she could see that everything that was being used was completely sterile and safe. When the set-up was done my mother was able to leave. I had anticipated my mother leaving, so I brought a friend along, her name is Anna. Anna stood on the opposite end of the room watching. We waited for Kyle to adjust the jewelry for the particular piercing. He bent the very tips of the bar so that there would be less stress on the area when the pierc ing was complete.
Before the he performed the procedure he made markings on my neck with a purple ink to make sure that the piercing was centered and even. After he made the markings I was able to look into a mirror and see if I thought they were even. I didn't have and problem with where the dots where positioned, so I told him that I was ready to continue. I was sitting on the chair, with my back facing him. I bent my head down and prepared myself for what I call "the clamps." Later I decided that the clamps where more uncomfortable than the actual piercing. The clamps were in position and I struggled to keep my mind blank. I was beginning to feel the dull thud of my pulse in the back of my neck where the clamps where. He explained the breathing process to me, which I messed up because I was nervous.
He counted, I think he counted, I don't remember, but either way there was no doubt in my mind exactly when the needle broke my skin. It went in one side and out the other pretty easily. The feeling strange, it was almost as if my brain didn't know what it should be telling me. I can't really remember exactly what it felt like. I know it hurt because I was afraid that the jewelry was going to be even more painful. I kept thinking "I hope the jewelry is already in...I hope it's in...I hope it's in." Luckily, he had put the jewelry in and I didn't even realize it. Before I knew it, it was over. I was ridiculously happy. I was a little light-headed, because I got myself so worked up about it. I know now that I just should have stayed calm.
Taking care if it was really difficult. I was forced to abandon a necklace that I wore every day. I could no longer wear certain shirts. Washing my hair was awkward; I have longish curly hair that had the tendency to get wrapped around it, so I had to wear it up all the time. When I wore it up people started noticing it and, for some reason that is still beyond me, reaching out and poking at it. It was all worth it though, I love my piercing. I would go through it all again.