Most people pick a tattoo artist the way they pick a restaurant on a Tuesday night, whoever’s available and has decent reviews. After six tattoos and one more going on today, I can tell you that approach is how you end up with permanent regret.

Most people think about their next tattoo. I’ve started thinking about the whole wall — and that shift changes everything about how you choose what goes on your skin permanently.

Getting tattooed for the first time at 52 wasn’t about rebellion or a midlife crisis. It was about realizing the person I’d been protecting my reputation from never existed.