#mediocrity unaccepted

Mike had always been a huge fan of tattoos. From his early days in childhood he used to draw on his arms in sharpie much to his mother's annoyance, wanting to mark his skin with the things he felt important to him. In college he faked ID to get his first, a small wolf silhouette on his forearm which became the first of many to follow as the years passed. Here he was now, a man in his early 30s with a rather impressive tattoo collection if he did say so himself. But he wasn't done yet. He'd been saving his best for last. He'd been leaving his back for a particularly special mural, something he wanted to illustrate with some of the most important things he'd learnt through life.

But Mike was no artist. He had tried to draw a picture of it but to no avail. It had been a long time in the waiting and a lot of frustration but he finally did find the perfect artist for the job. He'd been browsing websites for months of tattoo artists from nearby and far away cities hoping that at least one of them would stand out as special enough to pull off the vision in his mind. 

Then he saw him. Well at first he didn't know who it was. A few photos of sleeve tattoos of intricately detailed patterns and drawings. All so vastly different pieces and yet something warm and familiar in all their styles. Mike knew immediately that this was the artist he wanted.

He looked up the designer and could only find one word. Levi. No surname. Nothing else except an address and phone number of a local tattoo parlour he'd seen once or twice passing by during work and a small handful of photos which made up the artist's portfolio. He found himself lost staring at every picture for what seemed like hours, every line and brush of ink so stylized and perfect. Mike wanted, no needed this person's work on his skin. Immediately he called the shop and arranged a booking. He couldn't wait.

Eventually time passed and finally it was the day he was due for his first visit. He had explained to the woman on the phone that he wanted a back piece and knew it would take several sessions to get it completed. That along with the time of course for Levi to complete the artwork itself if Mike were unsatisfied with the sketches made from the details he provided in great detail to the poor receptionist. She at least seemed very enthusiastic about his ideas, for which Mike was thankful.