Is it normal for tattoo artists to reuse custom designs?
Ok so I got this tattoo (first pic) in October for my cat who passed away. The artist wanted to do her either on the back of my calf or the top of my arm. I came up with the idea of her curling around my knee. I wanted her to be reaching for a moth because she loved chasing them in her youth, and because when we left the vet having put her down, a moth flew over to me, and as a spiritual person it felt like my cat saying goodbye. Anyway, I go onto instagram today and see that the artist has posted the second pic. I’m kind of upset about it, considering how much meaning went into the design process for it. It feels like my tattoo with a different cat. If the artist had made a lot of the design choices i think id feel different, but because i chose the position, the pose, etc it feels a bit weird. Especially because the pose is based on a picture of my cat stretching out. But i’m not a tattoo artist and i don’t know how normal it is to do stuff like this? It just feels a bit annoying that I went for a custom just for someone to have such a similar tattoo. I would really appreciate everyone’s opinions and please let me know if i’m being overdramatic!