I'm trying to keep positive, but I can't help but see this as a setback of sorts. Due to a herniated disc and several pinched nerves, I've had to take a break from everything. I tried just being careful, tried to not "over do it", but it just kept getting worse and worse, until finally I had to try complete rest for a little while, or consider surgical options. Despite my love of tattoos and piercings, surgery has always made me uncomfortable, so I tried taking a little time off, but my boss wouldn't hear of it, so I ended up just quitting all together.
Officially, it's been about 7 weeks. I've recovered around 80-85% of the way, and just started looking for a new job this week. Since we moved out of Ulster county, I can't go back to anywhere I've worked before. I've been working on my resume, since it seems unlikely I'll find work in a tattoo shop around here before spring. I'm going back to school in January, online. If nothing else, this hiatus has made me really examine where I am and where I want to be in terms of a career.
I've invested so much into tattooing, I can't give it up. But it really bothers me that I never finished my BA. So in the meantime, since winter is the slowest season for tattoos around here anyway, I'm going to find some menial job (in all likelihood). School starts in January, but it's all online, so between school and some job, I'm going to squeeze in as much sideline work out of my studio space at home as I can. It's a room completely separate from the rest of the apartment, and I can work off of disposable tubes, and I already have almost everything I need. Once I'm back up and running again, I'll post some pics of what I'm doing.
Not so much to look at, I know! So, obviously the carpet was not going to work. When we pulled it up, we were excited to find a pretty decent wood floor, though desperately in need of re-finishing.
We've already painted the walls here, though the trim still needs a fresh coat of paint. Looks like someone dragged a body through it, doesn't it? Here's another angle:
The floor has been sanded since this picture, and I just spent a bunch of time today sweeping, vacuuming, and washing the sawdust off the floor. We'll be painting the trim and sealing the floor over the next few days (hopefully!) and I'll post some more pics.
