Road Map to the Artist of your Dreams… and no I’m not Implying it’s Me.

It’s the age old question, “which comes first, the chicken or the egg?” Reframed, which comes first the artist or the concept? In short, it depends!

Tattooing is such a varied craft with many different windows of exploration, pending whether you are the artist or the client. The practice can be an outlet for individual expression, a form of cathartic therapy, a moment of complete brain silence, or a moment of really intimate conversation. No matter the size, style or meaning of a piece, there is an experience to be had and the success of such experience completely depends on narrowing down what the most important parts of a tattoo experience are to you, the canvas. To make this a little easier to digest, lets break the process down.

1: I’ve got this idea for a piece!

Were you scrolling Pinterest, talking to a buddy, under the influence, or really thinking hard when you found what you wanted for your first tattoo? If this is your first tattoo, is this an idea that you’ve held onto for years? What is it about the idea you’ve had that really sparks interest in getting the piece applied: style, color, subject matter, idea, placement?

A lot of these questions may seem redundant, but I am getting to the point… trust me.

Scenario 1:

Let’s say you were scrolling Pinterest or Instagram and you saw this really cool American Traditional butterfly and you really don’t care that it’s a butterfly. The bold lines, simple shading and easy to read shapes are really pulling you towards booking an appointment… maybe for a similar tattoo in the same place as the one you saw, but you’re open to concepts. You may have a different set of priorities than the canvas in Scenario 2.

Scenario 2:

Now imagine, you’ve just turned 18 and you grew up in a pro-tattoo household so you’ve been thinking for a long time about what you’d want to ink first and maybe even where you’d want it placed and a specific image picked out. The most important thing to you is that the design is well executed to portray a vulnerable message. Do you see where I am going with this?

Over the last 10 to 15 years, I think it would be fair to say that tattoo culture has expanded beyond the shadows of society and into many more common areas that we notice. Employers are looking less at tattoos and more at skill sets; grandmas are caring more about emotional intelligence in connection, rather than having “perfect” grandchildren. The world, in many ways, has become a lot more accepting. When new clientele emerges, new markets open. When new markets open, new providers emerge. You need to pair your project with the right practitioner.

2: Finding your needle in a haystack.

To take the phrase “finding a needle in a haystack” when referring to humans implies there are needles and there are hay straws… which I truly believe is the reason for the shady attitude in the industry and the unfortunate lack of camaraderie between artists. If you turn the phrase and look at it from the clients perspective… it kaleidoscopes into a different image. As a canvas you are looking for your needle in a haystack.

Let’s take Scenario 1 for example:

The canvas wanted a piece, preferably muted tone, American Traditional, but they are open to concept.

In my artists’ opinion, I would recommend the canvas researches American Traditional studios in their area. Search for artists with clean and bold linework, clean saturation and plenty of work similar to the piece you liked online. I would go further to recommend a shop that specializes in flash designs if the canvas is open to subject. A lot of artists are dying to do their flash designs. I can almost guarantee the artist will be running a special and perform with excitement to do a bad*ss tattoo they can use toward their Instagram content. Look for an artist hungry to execute the style that appeals to you. I.E. Don’t ask a realism artist, or a fineline artist to execute the style that requires bold and intense linework.

Now for Scenario 2:

The canvas has a specific idea that needs to be drawn custom, let’s say they are open to style, but the placement has to be exact and the design needs to be clear. The design is very sentimental, the client may be very vulnerable during their session.

As an artist, it is apparent to me on a regular basis, whether a client falls into one category or the other. These scenarios don’t encompass the totality of clients, but it does cover a heavy amount of client archetypes and in my eyes it is the most important distinction. Does your concept require a heavier focus on specific style execution or does it need a heavier focus on the ritual itself?

Scenario 2 is requesting a heavy involvement in the ritual from start to finish. In my artists’ opinion, I think this person would prefer an appointment only type of studio, with an artist who is patient and meticulous with vulnerable subject matter. I would suggest they research private studios, appointment-only independent shops, and artists who specialize in creating safe and low-key environments for their clientele.

3: Artists’ honest feedback at point of consultation.

This last bit may get me some heated feedback from the exact kinds of artists I will refer to, but I believe there is an elephant in the room when it comes to the client and artist relationship.

There are 8.1 billion people on this planet, there are enough fish. There are enough fishermen for the amount of fish in the world’s bodies of water. Stop gatekeeping your fellow artists and refer clients to artists who will execute the project they want in the best possible way. Yes… if you aren’t the best fit… send it to the best fit.

You are the only one who knows your creative and skill limitations. If more artists took the prompt they were given from perspective clients and really evaluated whether or not they were the best artist for the job, we wouldn’t be fixing as many f*cked up tattoos. That’s fact and I will admit… in hindsight I have also fallen victim to the overconfident “I got this” mentality. There is a difference between taking an educated risk… and being cocky. We’ve all done it and if you say you haven’t you’re lying.

If artists quit gatekeeping the honest knowledge we have about our own skillsets with our clients, we would have a lot more positive client stories than we currently have. I am not sure how many people I have had in my booth tell me that my chair is the first where they really felt like the artist cared to be passionate about what they were doing. This is not me tooting my own horn, this is simply raising a red flag to the move makers in this industry… the clientele want us to get along and they want us to be as excited about their tattoos as they are. They want us to work together to grow. We will only become a better service providing industry that is taken more seriously if we start to take ourselves seriously.

There is nothing wrong with stating, “I love your concept, after further evaluation I would really feel best if I referred you to my friend and colleague insert name here. I trust them and I feel their style and execution would better fit this concept.” Not only will the client respect your honesty, a lot of times they will thank you immensely for not putting them at risk for work you may not be proud of. That’s not to say you suck, or can’t perform a good tattoo… you just may not be the absolute best for that particular project. Let your comrades eat too. To further the point, a client may respect the opinion so much they may ask you how you would rework the piece to make it something you’re excited or confident in doing. At that point your relationship wasn’t even started based on skill, it’s based on mutual honesty and respect. That’s all a canvas wants, to feel respected and to feel you have their best interest in mind.

Tattoos are the only permanent procedure performed on the human body that is not executed by a medical professional. The people rely on us to be honest with ourselves so we can be honest with them. Help each-other learn, eat and grow. If we rise together we can stop the heavy flow of sh*tty cover-ups coming through our doors. I will admit I love a good cover-up challenge.

4: The truest compatibility indicator - the budget.

So you’ve narrowed down your idea, you’ve found the perfect artist and now it’s the time of consultation where you ask, “what am I looking at for price to get something like this done, confidently?”

Before the artist search, it would be best to know how much you are willing to spend. The price of living has increased exponentially over the last few years… leading to rises in supply costs, rent, general business costs and pretty much anything…. Tattoos are a luxury service, but the industry itself is responsible for providing quality lives to thousands of artists and shop staff. Artists need to charge what allows them to provide you the best service possible, while also being able to provide the best lives for their families. Practitioners need to make sure appointments booked are appointments fulfilled to the final payment… if you receive a quote that isn’t attainable at the moment, speak to your artist about breaking sessions up into smaller payments, reframing the idea to fit closer to your budget… or simply let us know you need to save. Sometimes all it takes is shrinking the scale, simplifying the design or moving placement.

If worst comes to worst and the dream artists’ prices are simply too high for what works… it is okay to let them know you may need to go another direction. We are all human trying to survive in this ever changing and crazy world. If we treat each other with respect, honesty, and humility… we can work together to reach everyone’s goals. The artist will not be offended with your honesty, they will be glad that you honor their talents enough to say you cannot afford what you believe they should be compensated.

Tattoers - quit shaming clients for having budgets, but also quit cutting yourself short and charge what you need to, to allow yourself a life worth living. If a client doesn’t tip, you should be okay because you charged what you needed to make. Tips aren’t expected, but always appreciated… and should be EARNED.

Clients - Quit shaming artists for charging what is necessary to keep their lives operating the way yours need to. You do not shame your hairdresser, nail tech, wax lady, cleaning lady, or massage therapist for their rates… be understanding that we are not charging you an arm and a leg if we have to by choice. If we don’t work we don’t eat. This industry has a lot of overhead and if you cannot afford the billboard tattoo artist, that’s okay. There are plenty of amazing and talented tattooists across this earth that are more than capable of working with budgets. It’s okay to have to shop around for what you can afford, just always keep in mind the rule of thumb:

“Good tattoos aren’t cheap, cheap tattoos aren’t good.” Choose an artist that is going to respect your body and fit your budget. The key is honesty and asking the right questions.

In Conclusion:

An open line of communication between artists and clients is really the only way we can consistently ensure positive outcomes to all of our interactions in this industry. Being honest, kind, flexible and direct with your expectations as both artist or client will only improve your bond and contribute to more high caliber art. Start with what exactly it is that you want, identify what is most important about your tattoo experience, and speed date with artists who fall in line with your taste, values, and budget. Artists should only be honest with what they can provide and they should refer any work they can be seen done better by someone else, to someone else they trust. Lastly, be honest with ourself and the artists with what you are willing to pay, don’t wait to haggle a price you can’t afford right away, if it’s high be honest from the jump, if you’re open and it’s expensive, ask how you can break it up. Any good artist will work with you.

Tattooers wanting to be better for their clients will always come out on top, and clients who want to work alongside their artists for the common goal will always have the best tattoos.