Body Art Learners Guide
This book presents the essential elements for anyone who wants to become a body art practitioner. It is not aimed at people who want to get body art—though the two interests may overlap. I use the phrase "body art" throughout this book to refer to all the topics covered, as they all involve aesthetic modifications.
This synthesizes information gathered over five years of experience in multiple tattoo parlors, piercing studios, and conventions. The opinions expressed represent my knowledge and input from many other artists. You'll find that some views contradict others. This is intentional and reflects the diversity at any body art establishment. As the saying goes, "Different strokes for different folks." You'll find your niche.
You'll also see me repeat stuff. I don't do this to fill the pages—it's all part of the learning process. One of the purposes of this book is to further the goals of artists whose ambitions are similar to mine. If you're unwilling to immerse yourself wholeheartedly in the world of body art, not seeking a life of freedom and mobility, and most importantly, if you're not interested in becoming an instrument for change, this book is not for you.
A successful independent entrepreneur has easy access to time and mobility. Even operating your shop(s) can enable you to customize your schedule and travel at will, provided a general manager—or at the very least, a "senior artist"—is on staff.
But what should be especially emphasized is that body art— both having it and creating it—makes a person a powerful instrument for social change. Tattooing is a radical form of nonviolent activism and an effective one at that. Just walking past people at the grocery store can be enough to calibrate what
They stand for based on the way they have adorned themselves. When you go so far as to pay for a painful and permanent mark on yourself, there must be something to it. The ink tells a story. Thanks to free will, you can leave whatever description you'd like for all you come in contact with, or only a few, to see. Then, once you have their attention, you don't have to say anything to get your point across.
The artist is at the top of the food chain concerning social change. Body artists are frequently associated with shrinks, revolutionaries, and local public figures. Think about the trust given to these people daily. It's beyond the result. And with the massive push in popular culture, the work of this profession is no longer reserved for one specific group or group.
The process of producing body art brings about the most change. The exchange of ideas between artist and client can tremendously impact the recipient for eternity. Something about the mixture of symbolism, pain, and physical contact opens up what I can best describe as a portal. How you steer the conversation during this process dictates what will come in or dip out. Ink responsibly.
Listen up, kids. Body art is the sixth-fastest-growing retail business in the United States today. This country has approximately 25,000 tattoo parlors, and that number is increasing. This is why investors came to me to ask if they could jump on board and put tens of thousands of dollars into funding our movement. The work of tattooing, piercing, and body modification is now officially recognized as an art form and a profession. Athletes, people in business, and even law enforcement personnel increasingly choose body art as a means of self-expression. It's big business.
A great perk of learning this craft is getting involved with conventions. A designated role at these events usually includes concessions and hotel and airfare sponsors. If you trust the Internet to show how big this business is, go to one of these mega search engines and type in "body art." Can you spell hits?
Conventions are the hubs of our culture. They're held worldwide in hopes that more and more of us will network with each other. But they serve as so much more.
For starters, you can make a fuckton of money in a relatively short period- by inking, piercing, and selling products. Now I know the f word is shocking for some people. It must be deployed with caution in a work that purports to be instructional. There might be readers who, lacking the atmosphere of the tattoo parlor that could put this type of language into perspective, could take the f word as a mark of disrespect; please don't take it as such. Perhaps I can get the same effect with a less obscene replacement like "big pile" or maybe "crapload": )
Second, it's a fantastic platform for marketing and PR. It's not uncommon for well-heeled clients to fund the whole convention trip—hotel, airfare, and all—for a slice of the pie. Even if you're not the next big thing, you'll stack bundles if you're proactive at the convention. Talk about a growth industry! Body art has officially crossed over into the mainstream. No longer is it a brutal, ego inflating practice—it's an art form.
A word to those who are already established or hoping to get established: if you're "nice," it's not uncommon to have clients on a waiting list for weeks, months, or even years in advance. So if you know you're good, set hundred-dollar minimums and limitations on what kind of stuff you'll do.
The ideal situation for the aspiring body artist is to find a noble artist, "noble," meaning willing to take on an apprentice in exchange for free work around the shop. Apprenticeship should last no less than three months and no more than a year. (If it's full-time, the time consumption should be cut in half, say a couple of months.) We're talking, eight hours a day, six days a week. Remember that most shops charge between $2,500 and $5,000 for apprenticeships, so express gratitude when you land one.
Also, know that some douchebags will milk apprentices for their time and teach them little to nothing about body art. You need to learn and not just hang out. Unfortunately, now that body art is jolting the mainstream, there's a surplus of cheap apprentice labor, and many shops are exploiting these young adults by keeping them around to sterilize and clean the shop. Some shop owners go so far as to humiliate their "maintenance man" in front of clients. Ultimately these people get what's coming to them, but don't be the dumbass who buys into the scam.
This book is a primer that will prepare you. But even though it serves as the site's gateway, you cannot thoroughly learn how to tattoo or pierce over the Internet or from any text alone. This book will get students started, and the Dynamic Body Art Institute will bring our online viewers as close as possible via computer. But please don't think this book requires an Internet connection to be effectively used. It's also a stand-alone that points readers to online and other resources. Neither of these alone can ultimately teach you how to do it, but that doesn't mean I can't save you thousands of dollars and hours by acquainting you with the ins and outs before picking up your needles.
You risk a lot by performing Body Art if you are unqualified. Equipment failure is the least of your worries. I've heard that having to fix lousy work on angry customers or, even worse, being sued by one can bring an artist to financial ruin. However, it seems that most body art-related disputes get resolved out of court. Luckily, most people in this culture don't subscribe to the judicial system. If you're starting, do yourself a big favor and learn all of the basics colds.
More than likely, you will be experimenting in your kitchen or room. While I don't promote this, I understand that working at home is sometimes the only way to begin. We are naturally most comfortable in our private domains. If you have a shop, you must pay all kinds of bills, so another perk of working at home is the low overhead. In many countries and states, it's illegal to do this kind of work somewhere other than a shop. Always check local regulations.
On the downside, not many people can see your work when you don't have your shop. In the beginning, this makes working in your home ideal, but as you improve, you'll want your work to be more accessible to potential customers. Travel is a great outlet. When moving out of the home workplace, you should invest in a portable kit with all the necessary supplies; you don't want anything too stationary. This will be discussed more in the next chapter.
Our planet's most influential minds agree the best way to protest something is by becoming the personification of that change. In other words, turn yourself into a walking message for the corrections you seek. What better way to do that than through the culture of body art? Displaying who you are through artwork on the skin can inspire and motivate others who share your beliefs. Just try to leave some space, as more often than not, our beliefs change throughout the years. If humans mostly communicate their real feelings through nonverbal communication, as studies have shown, then it seems that one's body art speaks volumes about a person.