Many people connect tattoos with "rebellion" and consider tattooed people to be "non-mainstream." Tattoos are popular in all parts of the world in today's more open-minded culture. A tattoo can be an experience, a keepsake, or simply an artistic masterpiece in their eyes. As a tattoo aficionado studying in Malaysia, it's difficult not to be enthralled by all the different tattoo styles. Please follow the camera and words into my first tattooing experience in Malaysia, and get a sense of the world behind the tattoos.
The First Tattoo Experience in Malaysia - 3cm Space.
This is the first tattoo I've gotten outside of China, and the design was inspired by my pet puppy. I looked for like-minded tattoo artists on social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and Red. I got attracted to the concept of 3cm Space Tattoo Shop after doing a lot of research, and the owner, Huan, is a tattoo artist who specializes in charming cartoon patterns. I scheduled a week in advance with Huan to discuss tattoo designs. Huan, a quiet man, admires and encourages his clients to express their own ideas. Huan offered a great design based on my requirements two days before the tattoo after receiving the deposit.
3cm space is a tattoo studio in KL run by tattoo artist Huan. With a beige interior design, drum equipment, and posters of music and movies, 3cm space offers me a clean and artistic image. Unlike most typical tattoo places in China, which are painted in dark colours like black and grey, the 3cm space is more like a minimalist coffee shop, providing clients with a quiet and relaxing mood.
Likewise, the tattoo artist Huan, is a bit of an introvert, unlike most of the tattoo artists I've met in China. His personality mirrors his studio's approach; introverted and quiet, he focuses on the entire tattooing procedure except for kind welcomes. Many tattoo artists I've encountered in China tend to talk with their clients during tattooing to distract them from the pain. Working with Huan took little communication other than asking a few times if the pain was affordable, allowing him to complete his task - my new skin - more efficiently.
To be honest, Huan is a tattoo artist who dresses nicely and has incredible looks. Watching him work like he was appreciating a work of art also relieved my pain. It took me 30 minutes in all, and I have a lovely tattoo that I love.
For the price, this 5cm*5cm line tattoo cost me MYR400; however, tattoo prices vary widely based on area, tattoo artist, and difficulty degree of the tattoo. In Beijing, China, a 5cm*5cm color tattoo cost me 1000 yuan (about MYR640). It's about the same as the cost of this tattoo.
Of course, tattoos cannot be chosen just on the basis of price. Because tattooing is irreversible, we must choose a qualified tattoo artist who provides nice tattoo design and safe operation techniques.
The Story Behind the Tattoo.
It often takes a very powerful emotional experience for many people to decide to get a meaningful and relevant design tattooed permanently on their skin. Miss Green was a shining example of this in my interview. Her first tattoo told a story of a "crush”: "One day, four years ago, I was having dinner with someone I liked, and he gave me a vegetable soybean, which I didn't eat, but took home secretly, and have treasured it to this day." The dried-out vegetable soybean is displayed, and Miss Green states, "This crush that lacked courage has always been in my heart. Four years have passed since I got this vegetable soybean tattooed on my skin—my first tattoo." A tattoo of a vegetable soybean pattern hides a girl's sincere feelings, which is one of the charms of tattoos that attract people.
After interviewing Huan, a five-year experienced tattoo artist, I discovered that many customers, including Miss Green, use tattoos to record their emotional experiences. In the world of tattoos, for instance, getting your partner's name inked is considered a sort of breakup charm. Huan has observed clients who, in the throes of passionate love, had their partner's name tattooed on their skin, only to request that the name be covered up later. Thus, many tattoo artists will ask, "Have you really decided?" one more time when they encounter a customer who wants to have their spouse's name inked on their skin.
Huan claims to be the owner of 3cm space, a tattoo studio with a focus on cute and carton designs. Most of his clients select their designs from his social media accounts before coming to him in person to have them inked. He feels that it is his duty to sketch in his best style for clients who share his taste because it can help him avoid potential communication issues. He still runs into a few cases of clients skipping orders, though. "That's life," Huan says calmly. It was also at that moment that I realized he appeared to have a stereotype of persons with tattoos.
Everyone is colorful, and so are tattoos. Tattoos should not be associated with stereotypes such as rebellion or bad behaviour, and the tattoo designs you see may be hiding a really interesting story, couldn't they? What would you do if you had an ink mark on your skin right now?
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