People deal with stress and anxiety in a multitude of ways.
Some write, some smoke, and some go for a run. For me, my stress reliever is in the form of a needle, multiple colors of ink, and a tattoo artist I didn’t expect to build a lifelong friendship with. Well, Cin isn’t a friend, he’s family.
When I first stepped into the world of tattoos, my experience was far from enjoyable. It was in a dusty, dimly lit west-side kitchen with an outdated tattoo machine and a not-so-nice “artist”. My initial two tattoos, a half sleeve of roses and the quote from “American Horror Story“--“Normal People Scare Me”--were far from a pair of tattoos I was proud to show off. I would live with the pitiful-looking tattoos until my mom was in the market for a tattoo artist who could do a cover-up. Thus, we were introduced to Anthony Fears, Jr.
Anthony, better known as his artist-name “Cin City,” is one of the reasons that I took getting tattoos seriously. Anthony has been interested in art since he was a kid. With a push from his mom, about eight years ago, his art blossomed into a noteworthy career in tattooing. Aside from Anthony’s rather impressive execution of tattoos, he can bring any vision of a tattoo to life without blinking twice. Take, for example, the tattoo I have on my right arm as a dedication to my late sister Angel. Without giving him many details, Anthony was able to create a tattoo that to this day shocks me.
Most importantly, Anthony acts as a therapist during the duration of the tattoo. Anthony has seen me laugh, cry, have an attitude, and be knocked out cold during the tattoo, when he then is tasked with waking me up. It’s never just getting a tattoo; it’s like going to see your favorite uncle that you like to update on every waking detail of your life. Four years and ten tattoos later, one of the safest places I can be if I’ve had a crappy week or want to vent about a crush who paid me no mind is Better Days Tattoo, to see Cin, get tatted, and talk his ear off.
Anthony had one rule: “If I start tattooing you and you go to another artist, I’ll never tattoo you again.” Though I knew Cin meant it in both a serious and playful manner, I took it to heart; so much so that I had Cin fix the weirdly drawn roses and cover my symbol of teenage rebellion.
Getting tattooed goes far beyond permanent ink in your skin for all eternity. It’s not even the tattoo itself that makes the experience. The quality of the experience mostly relies on the quality of the artist. The right tattoo artist will make you forget about the pain of the needle and the pain of the outside world.
Do yourself a favor: When you find a good artist, cherish them. You never know when that artist will become your therapist and your friend.