As a tattoo artist in NYC or Nome Alaska, walking the line between meeting the demands of day to day responsibilities and protecting the health & well being of my clients can be a challenge, to say the least. I have bills to pay, deadlines to meet, dogs to walk, kids to feed, and spontaneous hurtles to jump…Just like everyone else. You might think that as a tattoo artist, my life is free of coventional responsibilities, or that I spend my days drawing awesome pictures on the bodies of rock stars & celebrities. While this is true to some degree, don’t let that image fool you into thinking that it’s easy in any way. Yes, it’s true that I support myself by drawing custom art, which is a lifelong dream come true. And yes, I set my own schedule, meet some very interesting people and get to be a part of some very interesting meeting of minds in the creation of unique designs, without the typical influences of corporate structure. However, the part no one wants to talk about is the responsibility factor, and the burden of perminently altering the appearance of a human being.
As a tattoo artist in todays world, I am not only responsible for the health & safety of my clients, but also to make sure that they fully understand the risks associated with the practice of tattooing ones skin. I am not just talking about the risk of infection, transmission of disease or injury. I am refering to the responsibility of the tattoo artist to be absolutely sure that the client is aware of the social implications that may be confronting them as a result of getting the tattoo. For instance…Let’s say I am trying to earn some extra cash because my car broke down. I am looking for some more clients and working some extra hours to make the money, right? So, lets say I am just about to close my shop for the day when a young lady comes in and wants to pay me extra to give her a tattoo of a black rose on the side of her neck. She tells me that it’s her 18th birthday, she has all the proper identification, she is physically healthy and she has the cash in hand. She says she saw a girl in a magazine with a tattoo just like this and thinks that it looks wonderful, so she is absolutely sure that that is what she wants. That’s great right? She’s of legal age, is physically healthy & has the money I need. I am a tattoo artist and she came to me, so I will give her what she wants, right? That’s my job, right? Well, sure!…Right after we talk for a few minutes about consequences.
Does this girl plan on working with the public in the future? Many corporations, public schools, hospitals and the military will not allow any visible tattoos. She may very well regret having such a visible image in a very short time. I have seen people turned away from fast food, childcare, customer service or any employment that works with the public based solely on the choice to wear visible ink. I have seen sterotypes, judgement & snobbery towards people with visible ink. It may seem silly, judgemental or downright unfair, but it is a reality that cannot be denied. It is my responsibility to discuss this with my client & make sure that she is aware that tattoos on the face, neck & hands are potential “job-killers”. Does my client think that they can just run down to the lazer clinic & have a tattoo removed? Not so fast…It doesn’t really work, it’s incredibly painful and very expensive. If you can’t get a job because of the tattoo, how will you be able to afford to have it removed?
So what’s the solution? I reccomend to my clients a temporary tattoo be worn for a period of time to “test’ it out & see how it feels before making the commitment. I did it myself before I got my first tattoo…What’s to lose? I charge a small fee for doing it and I have earned my clients trust and respect, as well as feeling great about myself & my profession! In the end, the decision is the clients, but they will not walk away from my studio uninformed, and hopefully not from yours either. Don’t just do a job, be a friend.
Priscilla Crockett, Artistic Tattoo…She’s got you Covered!
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