Earlier than the pandemic, you possibly can nearly all the time stroll right into a New York Metropolis tattoo store to get work performed, make an appointment, or discuss to an artist. Now? Not a lot. Previous to my appointment at Magic Cobra, all correspondence with artist Tessa Benson-Xu was performed through electronic mail moderately than an in-person seek the advice of. I shared photographs of my current artwork and we mentioned the inspiration for a cover-up main as much as my reservation. On the day of my appointment, I used to be instructed to reach not more than ten minutes earlier than my scheduled time. Beforehand, early-comers might occupy ready areas or linger exterior earlier than their appointment. Magic Cobra nonetheless had couches of their ready space, however they had been empty upon my arrival.