- I remember when I first started getting
the top of my head tattooed,
I remember the nerve endings on the top of my skull
were so exposed like, and my legs starting moving by itself.
I was just in pain man, I was like,
it was the summertime, and I was like cold,
and that wasn't fun.
- If I can get tattoos without the pain, absolutely.
- I don't really think it's that crazy painful
after a certain point.
- So the way I guess I can compare it is,
I love spicy food.
Wasabi fucking burns right here,
it stings 'til my eyes water and tear,
but I like it .
- Oh God the buzz is infectious, man .
- Probably the most painful part
is paying him a lot of money.
You know, dishing out hundreds of dollars in cash,
that's pretty painful.
- I like it, yeah it's weird,
basically, with these tattoos that I've gotten,
you know the first 10 minutes,
you're kind of like sneaking into it,
and it definitely hurts.
But then after that,
it just sort of like kinda numbs itself out.
And there's just something about
you feel badass getting it done and committing to it.
I wonder what that is.
Maybe something is being kind of released in your brain
that you're excited about.
Maybe, oh, maybe because you're sort of transforming.
There's like a little bit of a physical transformation
taking place, and it's permanent, right?
And that's what scares you,
but also that's what gets you so excited, right?
- I mean, honestly, I'm able to take my mind off of it,
and I don't think about needle piercing my skin.
So, I'm just like, okay, it's getting done,
and I'm not focusing on the pain at all.
- Pain-wise, I do pretty well,
'cause I also do Martial Arts,
and I get my ass kicked all the time.
But I handle it.
It's kinda like you go through it,
and then you get back up after.
It's like, despite physical pain,
it's just a I think an overall reminder
of the strength that one has to endure things.
- Any time I get a tattoo,
I feel like it's symbolizing some sort of,
all this stuff has been going on,
this is some type of interval in my life
that I want to mark.
And after this, you know, I'll be able to keep on going,
you know what I mean?
So I just look at the pain as like a,
kind of like a notch on my belt.
It's weird to explain in an abstract way, but, yeah.
- Whenever I go into schedule the tattoo appointment,
I start to conjure up all kind of the negative emotions
that I've been dealing with.
And then when I go to get the tattoo,
I pull all that up.
So while I'm experiencing that physical pain,
then I'm also conjuring and bringing forth
all that mental and emotional anguish.
And so, when I'm done, I'm actually relieved
about the physical pain and the mental and emotional pain.
It's really kind of an interesting and therapeutic process
that I didn't really know existed
until I started to really tap into it.
- Some people see tattoos as like a release for pain,
and that kind of bond with it.
And I can respect that,
but I've never experienced that myself.
It just hurts, and I want it to be done with
as soon as it can be done.
- A lot of my tattoos happen when I'm at a point of,
either like anxiety.
Because I found that getting tattoos,
the actual act of it,
makes me feel really grounded.
- So similar to when you actually meditate,
you're supposed to kind of pay attention to
the breathing of your nose, and the tip of your nose,
I think it's just, you kind of hear that sound,
and so you concentrate on that.
- You almost kind of get that ethereal high,
and in that sense that's why I think it's meditative
because you kind of just let go,
and your body experiences this
really nice pleasant rush.
- Well when I was getting one on my neck,
the guy told me
he said, "Oh my God, you're like a real OG,
"do you feel this pain?"
I'm like, "It's a state of mind."
Because when you're determined with something,
pain is a part of the process.
- No growth ever happened without discomfort.
That's as simple as it is, you know?
This is a microcosmic version of
going through growing pains.
I want something, I have to work for it,
there's gonna be pain that comes along with it inevitably.
And if I stay with it, on the other side of that,
is what I want, and what I need,
and what I ask for, however you want to put it.
I don't know.