What a week it has been. Work has been in and around, back and forth. Believe me making a tattoo is no joke; it’s like a permanent canvas where you know that you can’t afford to make any mistakes. One single mistake on your client’s body will result in a permanent scar on your resume as the client will be displaying your mistake to the rest of the world.
I still remember that when I started tattooing six years ago, unlike other tattoo artists who were trying to find out what they could specialize in, I was trying to find the technical aspects of tattooing. For e.g. which is the best needle that could be used for a certain design, or what color works better on a certain client. Some colors cause allergies for some, some may result in unusual reactions but some artists among us fail to do these kinds of important studies which is heartbreaking. Tattoos and especially the ones in color were created by the western world cause their skin one is so fair, even the yellows get highlighted. The skin of us brown people usually may or may not accept the yellow color as it may not give the desired shade that we expect it will turn out to be. Your future artist must discuss such kind of intrinsic details with you. For the ones who are planning to get one of their own, a tattoo studio should be more hygienic than a doctor’s clinic and the artist must make you realize that. Still we the people are so paranoid about the hygiene issues that many of us think that it’s still been done in dingy shops where the same needle is being used for every tattoo. Relax, times have changed. Some of the hospitals I have seen don’t keep the hygiene standards that we keep. We try to give the best of everything possible and it is up to a tattoo artist to make sure this kind of a myth is broken every time a newcomer or even an experienced client comes to his shop.
I have been writing this article especially to the younger artists who are justentering the field. I want you to be united in your approach, in your feelings and in your thoughts. I might not be the best guy or the most inspirational guy in this business but I want you to understand that our industry is still riddled with differences, with a bit of our own egos and hence we may have been getting our own individual success but when it comes to India as a global success in the field of tattooing, we still have a long way to rock and roll, and we must change that…and I wish it will……..
(This article is dedicated to my best friend Jerry who has been a brother to me in this tattoo world. he is a person who is something more than just an artist. He is a jovial guy who just enjoys spending time with his friends as much as his clients. He will criticize you when something is wrong and congratulate you when it’s right. He is a person who is a sea of knowledge and it’s been an absolute pleasure knowing him for so many years. From the bottom of my heart…..thank you)