My first tattoo.
Been mulling one over, on and off, for about 10 years. But I could never decide what I wanted to do. Which was a fantastic reason not to get one. Then, earlier this spring, as I was training for a 1/2 marathon, I realized that finishing the 1/2 was the milestone I wanted to mark. And I also realized that this was the design I wanted.
This says a lot about my running style. At 44, I am not fast. Nor am I particularly inspiring to watch insofar as my form is concerned. But “Go, Dog. Go!” is a driving mantra for me when my ass is dragging. My intention is to add a dog for each significant race or goal I make … sub 2:30 half, 1st trail half, etc.
The dog is a combination of three different dogs from the P.D. Eastman classic of the same name. And the lettering picks up the typeface of the cover art. I write for a living, so the fact that the punctuation is correct is also meaningful to me.
If you’re in Nashville, or through Nashville, or ever heard of Nashville, you owe it to yourself to check out Black 13. My artist Jon was super-cool, and had hands like a surgeon.
None of the descriptions online of the actual sensation of getting the work done really applied to me. The feeling, especially as he started in with the outlining, was somewhere between a low-voltage AC current and a scratch. What was most unexpected is that it sort of took my breath away, similar to the feeling of walking into really cold water.
It was my first. It won’t be my last.
Artist: Jon Ragoe, Black 13, Nashville, Tennessee
