Tattoo Shop Loyalty: A Shop Owners Perspective

Tattoo Shops and the employees that work at the studio have a relationship that is unmatched in other industries. I can only think of a few industries where the people who work at the establishment are running their own business. Real Estate Sale People are Independent Contractors running their own business, but after working briefly in that industry I found the work environment more cut throat then even the tattoo business. Most of the time you were lucky to see those who worked in the office because they mostly were on the road or worked from home mostly. An office environment was mostly a place where people were more cut-throat to their peers. It was often encouraged by the broker.

The Tattoo Environment is more often then not a very fun place to work. Of course it has a competitive atmosphere but the owners of the shop should ensure fair play. Some times it can be taking turns on walk-ins or if one artist needs to fix another artist work within the shop- the artist who made the mistake needs to pay the one artist fixing the work the money for his time. An owner of a shop should never allow one artist to still another artist clients. An owner should ensure that if someone is advertising their business out of their own money- that artist receives the request from the customers.

In turn for a good owners loyalty to the artist. The artist should in return respect the things that the shop has provided them. If the shop is a fun place as well as a place where money is being made then some loyalty should be shown in reverse. Shop jumpers are an example of an artist with an attitude problem or a god complex. Shop Jumpers are those who like moving shop to shop after only a few months and when something doesn't go their way they up and leave. It's funny in the end how most the time they are often left without a shop to tattoo in. Word spreads very quick among the shops and usually those shop jumpers are black balled.

It is amazing how artist take for granted the opportunity to work in a shop environment. Many people spend years and thousands of dollars to get the chance for a studio job. It should be a lesson to those already working in a shop that they should keep hungry and loyal not only to the shop but also their clients. Ever since opening the tattoo school at Aberration Pro Custom Tattoo I've seen alot of people who are dedicated to the profession and co-workers they are with. I've got the best staff an owner could wish for. They are always willing to learn and eager to work. They do not have the God complex and treat the customers how they should be treated. When they graduate the program and choose to go off on their own I'm hopeful I taught them to be respectful to clients, perform your best work, and be loyal to the shops they work at. That loyalty if you have a good shop owner will always be paid back double and triple. After all most of the studios I've worked for everyone was like a second family. 

Image of a Tattoo Artist

When you think of a tattoo artist what do you envision? In this business the artist is more diverse then the work that is performed on the clients. When you think about the many types of backgrounds artist come from it's mind boggling. For instance I'm considered by most to be a Biker. I ride choppers and like the Biker scene more then say going to a progressive art show. Some other artist come from the "Hood" where they started on graffiti then moved onto doing house parties and finally into a shop. Both types in this example started their careers on the rebel side of society as I like to call it.

Then you have artist that done nothing but draw all their life because it was a passion. The passion drove them to explore different mediums to practice the craft until they were led to tattooing. Some of these artist came from middle class and higher income neighborhoods. Then of course the one type of artist that doesn't fit the bill of any of the above. "The Punk Rocker" This is an artist that takes the freedom of the craft to a whole different level. They take everything to the extreme and it shows in their artwork as well as their piercings.

I believe with all these different personalities, this is the reason why our industry is one of the best to work in. The art that is produced is just out of this world. The best place to see all of these types of artist mix is on the convention circuit. It's always a trip seeing everyone who is a different kind of artist sling their type of art on someone. I love watching the suspension shows that are put on. Thats when they put hooks in someones back and suspend them in mid air. 

So what type of artist do you consider yourself? Depending on what type you think you are is how your work will be classified. I'm proud to be considered in the Biker category. You could even say I'm in the Hood category also. I like being at the street level of things. I grew up in Melrose Park right outside of Chicago's North Side. I was around gangbangers and bikers all my life. My artwork shows that style and passion. I love seeing all the people come in that really match my style. The names tattoo and paw prints, the traditional sparrows and more. Of course I've really taking a liking to Traditional Japanese and look forward to really diving into this art form.

Customer Service in the Tattoo Industry

The tattoo industry is the same as all industries. You have to have exceptional customer service in order to build a client base. After all this industry is becoming more and more competitive by the day. Studios are popping up all over these days and the old mentality of shops fixing prices are a thing of the past. What do I mean by fixing prices? Shop Minimums point blank are the wrong business model in these times. Customers are now coming from the mainstream population. Those customers are now educated enough to know that when they walk into a store ore studio they expect to be treated like they are number one.

Who can blame them? When I walk into a small shop or small retail establishment I expect to get greeted at the door and offered assistance. At Aberration Pro Custom Tattoo this is a mandatory practice. As artist and business people this should be second nature to all of us. Just because we practice a craft we need to put our attitudes and attitudes to the side. People who visit our establishments are the reason we make the money we do. Without those individuals coming into the door we don't make any money and I believe this is the number one reason why shops go under. Yea bad artwork is a reason why many don't make it in the industry. But poor attitudes will lead many to tell their friends in which will tell more people that the studio is not a place to be, next thing you know you have no customers.

The place we are at now is a great example. We've heard the horror stories about the previous owner never showing up to his appointments, talking just plain stupid when he did have customers. He also would have posted hours and never keep them. So now he wonders why he went out of business and puts the blame on everyone but himself. You cannot sit there and talk about how big your dick is or keep a shop in bad condition. When you have posted hours you have to keep them, yea it sucks sitting around all day and no one come in. Well thats the industry! You have to have a good marketing plan in order to obtain the business. When you do get the business you have to do everything in your power to keep the business and have a good return rate.

Regardless of the marketing plan "Word of Mouth" will continue to be the biggest way any studio gets it's business. Spending $50,000 a year on radio commercials like one shop does in our area isn't going to keep the customers coming in. The shop in question has poor customer relations skills, customers come into our shop all the time talking about the bad experiences they had with this particular shop. I'm all to willing to provide them with the best experience because I know I want to turn them into a regular customer. I take customer complaints very seriously. When I get them I address the issue with the staff involved and get it fixed right away. My staff knows or should know that the fastest thing that can get you dismissed from the job is being unprofessional with clients. Since all my employees are independent contractors they should know that the very first thing on their agendas should be to treat every customer as they want to be treated.

Custom Tattoo Shop vs Street Tattoo Shop

It was interesting to have a conversation with one of the artist at Aberration Pro Custom Tattoo about the difference between a so called Custom Tattoo shops and So called regular Street Tattoo Shops. What is the definition of a Custom only shop? This is a shop that is more like a private studio only that sets a large amount of money as its shops minimum. Some of these custom shops have $100 minimums up to $250 Minimums. It sounds like a great place to work as an artist doesn't it? You would figure the artist is making a whole lot of money wouldn't you? If you said yes I would have to disagree. Just because a shop has a high minimum that doesn't mean that the artist will make the money. For one to be charging that high of a price you better be a national known artist. Or you have to have a strong following of clients that will be able to afford the prices in the first place. Artist who wish to work in to these types of shops have to have a strong business plan because regular walk-in clients will 99% of the time will refuse to pay those inflated prices. If an artist does nothing but work the convention circuit I believe it is totally possible to bring in those types of figures. A booth at a convention circuit usually averages $6,000 on a weekend. So yes being a custom only artist would be beneficial in that area. You will get to do the traveling and partying that comes along with the circuit.

A street level shop makes most of the industry up. Even street level shops have minimums of usually $40 bucks which on my eyes is still really stupid. The street level shop may get the business but do you really think a disappointed customer will really come back because some artist charged $40 for a name tattoo? Aberration Pro Custom Tattoo starts at only $10 bucks. We don't believe in charging the stupid prices most other shops do. We believe in a solid business model of "Putting our Customers First". That means when you walk into our shop you will be greeted and treated like part of the family. It's funny walking into the shop on a weekend and seeing the staff dancing or just having a hell of a time. We strive not only to make it a great work environment but also one customers will like coming into. We are proud to be a street shop if thats the category we are put into. Yes we have flash on the walls and books to look through. But we also have a staff of professional artist ready to draw up that custom piece. We have the best of both worlds here at Aberration. 

So the morale of the story is customers is what dictates the type of shops that are in business. Artist might think they have total control on prices and what kind of work is being put out but in reality they might be sitting out on the street wishing they would've left the Rock Star attitude at the door. Street shops will be where you start your career and more then likely finish it. Remember Rock Stars like Kat Von D is few and far in between. An artist has a real short chance in making it on TV or being a world famous tattoo artist. It will take dedication and marketing to make it to that level. Dreams are good to have but don't over reach where the dreams cannot be achieved.

Japanese Style Tattooing and the Back Piece

A client came into the shop and wanted to do Aberration Pro Custom Tattoo $350 all you can take special. The client wants a traditional Japanese style back piece. In the piece he wants a yin yang with fire and ice, two koi fish circling the yin yang, dragons circling the opposite direction of the koi fish. That was the main center piece that the other quarters were going to be built around. So now as artist it was left to us to come up with the rest of the piece and put in the other scenes. Japanese art has always been an interest of mine. It conveys not only tradition but beauty as an art form. 

The Japanese have long been a traditional and ancient people. The island is rich in tradition and still has lots of customs it's people follow even today. It has been a goal of mine to visit the country to see it's beauty that I portray in my tattooing. Many times I wonder why people are so drawn to this art form. Is it because of the color flow? Is it because individuals want to have a tradition that is almost never found in the United States? Personally I think people get the tattoos because they feel the power of the images and what they represent. It bothers me when people come into the shop and pick something off the wall. They put no thought into the piece, it is so much of an impersonal process that will be left on someones body the rest of their lives. 

The Japanese culture still looks at tattooing as Americans did in the 50's all the way up to the mid 90's. They feel it is still the criminal majority that gets tattoos. Hopefully one day that will change there because they have some of the greatest artist in the world on that tiny island. They are such a rich culture and have beauty that is out of this world. 

So how do we convey this traditional artwork into a back piece? The first thing we did at the shop was to take the clients back measurements. We had to find the center of the back to place the center of the whole piece where everything else would flow around. After we found center and measured the quadrants off we had to come up with scenes that would flow together when placed together with everything else. Once we had the idea of what was going to go into the piece we then took poster board and started drawing the back piece up how it would look on paper. Once the client approves the poster board we will start the stenciling process and start tattooing. Check back from time to time to see our progress on this fun piece.

Steps in the tattoo process

So how does the tattooist go from just a stencil to a wonderful bright and vibrant tattoo?Look at the picture above. What do you see as far as line work? How about shading and color blending work? A lot of new tattoo apprentices neglect the basic steps of the tattoo process and because of that their pieces turn out blan. Time and commitment to the piece needs to be the most important to the artist. First the choice in needles is the most important of decisions the artist must look at when doing a tattoo. Most of the time I prefer the 5 Round Shader to any of the tight liners such as the 5,7 or 8. 5 round shaders give a nice crisp line and is one of the most forgiving needles when it comes to lining. It rarely ever  shows shaky lines. So as a beginner and even some of the most advance artist will use this choice every time they can when outlining. 

After the needle has been chose and the outline has been done the next important most over looked step is your power line. An artist has to put the most time in the outline. Without a crisp good looking outline the tattoo will not have a good look regardless of how much someone shades. People like when the tattoo comes alive on the skin. Showing your definition through power lines is one way to do it. An artist does not power line the entire piece. You power line your piece according to your light source. 

After your power lining then comes your shading part. It is also important to remember that black in itself does not give good shade. I always use the color that I'm going to be making the piece up with the black. So if I'm using blue I'm mixing it with the black to start my shade off. It is also called muddying it up with black. When I go into my color blend this helps with a natural transition. When I start the color blend I never dip in water to change colors. leaving the needle muddy lets all those previous colors used create a natural progression of color instead of a person seeing where you started one color and moved to the next. Really the only time dipping is needed is when you change out to frost a piece with white. Other then that stay away from dipping unless you want to lighten one of your colors.

Next time you tattoo remember the steps involved with tattooing. Remember that each and every customer depends on you knowing what you are doing. Take your time on the outline and everything else will follow.

Getting over your fears as a piercer or tattooist

As a Professional Body Piercer or even a tattoo artist there will be some point in your career where one has to make the decision on whether they will be a professional or choose to limit their income possibilities. The main reason we got into this business was because of the love or art. With art comes all sorts of different viewpoints regarding ones perception about what art is and what it is not. If your going to be a professional piercer you have to come to the realization that people will want to have genital piercings. Both male and female. Above is a video of the Prince Albert piercing by Elayne Angel one of the top piercers in the industry. She was actually there when the West Coast started at the forefront of the piercing industry. Elayne Angel actually particpates in medical studies in regards to piercings. She is a very professional piercer and we are lucky to get the information that we do from leaders like her. She is the author of the Body Piercing Bible a must have for all piercers. Taking a lead from Elayne you can see just how professional she is with clients and how friendly she can be. When someone comes walking into the shop asking for say a hood or Prince Albert an artist has to remember that this is the career they chose. It has nothing to do about being gay or how uncomfortable this type of piercing will make you. You are paid for a service and that being said if your timid or shy maybe this isn't the career path for you. Take a professional attitude and disregard what society has to say and you'll find not only will you make good money but you will also be seen amongst the great artist and your customers as a professional.

Piercers are not the only ones that need to get over the fears of doing a genital procedure. Many times an Artist will also be required to perform a procedure that involves tattooing a private genital area. Again just like a piercing you have to educate the customer about the procedure and do the job. Oh yea no one says you can't charge for your services. For genital piercings Aberration Pro Custom Tattoo charges $20 for all female hood piercings and $50 for all male genital piercings. Your career as an artist will get off to a great start by getting your fears in check and realize that it is a service your offering and nothing more then just that.