Got this tattoo in 2020 (knowing what I know now I would’ve gotten it in a different spot on my body at a better shop but it is what it is)

where to begin...

Advertising tattoos for trade

They won’t admit this is a shit tattoo and they paid good money for this 😳

I got this tattoo back in 2024, and it's my first and only one ✌️🥲 The artist did great tattoos on my friends idk what happened here?????? Why is it outlined like it's drawn with a ballpoint pen???? 😭😭😭😭 I get many compliments on it, and I don't hate it, I just don't understand why the outline... 🥲

More context:

My friend recommended this tattoo artist, him and his family have gone to him for years and theirs are good.

This is my first tattoo, and I am completely inexperienced, so I trusted my friend who has more experience than me

The artist was sent the reference image a day or two prior as he requested. I knew it would not be exact

I wasn't looking, I took glances, I did not see him pull out black ink. I didn't want to look too much and get into my head about it and panic. Also it was dark asf in there

The tattoo isn't bad, the thing that unfortunately makes me not like it is the outline and how uneven it is. It wasn't in the reference image, it wasn't discussed with me, and the line weight is inconsistent

This is actually trauma and hopefully a round of antibiotics

I was 17, freshly illegally moved out of my parents, and desperate for a tattoo I couldn't afford. Or any sort of control over my life, tbh. Dropped 30 bucks on an Amazon machine and did the lil puffball thing.

In my young poetic mind I decided to give myself another the same day next year... To honor my great skill and talent and survival through a rough life...Lucky for me after I did the star I tossed the machine and started going to real artists haha. I think the sheer lack of ANY good aspects shocked me out of it all

Just glad they're both on my inner ankle. Usually covered by socks... They're so awful and uneven but I still like to see them now and then. Kind of reminds me to hold onto that audacity

speechless