How can we explain that our work as a tattoo artist, a job that seems very simple at first and not too demanding, can be exhausting, energy demanding, thankless and even sometimes traumatizing. According to some people, tattoo artists just draw on people all day long while listening to their favourite music. How could it be any easier?
So how do you explain that our work can be exhausting, immensely complex as well as, sometimes, a source of emotional distress? Here are the key factors I identified to explain this situation:
For the tattoo artist
- Going through a long technical apprenticeship which can last for years in a precarious financial state. Tattooing is like drawing on a sheet placed on a water balloon with a vibrating 250 gram pencil.
- Provide an ongoing attention, a good presence of mind, sometimes during long hours of work during which the customer has the feeling of “doing nothing”.
- Experience different type of physical pain because of postures and tools. Back, neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist and hands pains, often chronic.
- Working in conditions that don’t correspond to our expectations and ideal. See details below.
- Managing, physically and emotionally, the pain we make, by our own will, to another human being.
Regarding the relationship with peers
- At different degrees, living a hostile relationship with one’s competitor, sometimes in an unfair manner.
- Getting slighting feedback (often by means of other customers) from individuals who believe, wrongly, they know what we ought to do and that they can do it without proper experience or training.
- Receiving critiques from other tattoo artists who have different theoretical orientations.
- Having daily interactions with people whose values differ from ours.
At the governmental level
- No acknowledgement as an artist or worker by the government.
- Difficulty or impossibility to obtain grants from the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ).
- Difficulty or impossibility to obtain help to start a business.
- No social benefits (CSST, RRQ, employment insurance, sick leaves, parental leaves, etc.)
- Unlike in France, no professional order or association to standardize job protocols. For example, Order of Acupuncturists of Quebec, Association des électrolystes et esthéticiennes du Québec (Association of electrologists and estheticians of Quebec).
- Because of the above mentioned factor, impossibility to contract professional insurance to protect ourselves in case of mistake. Insurance companies offering this type of insurance do it at a prohibitive price that most of us can’t afford.
- Absence of government control over sanitary installations, unlike France, United States of America or other provinces (one might also criticize the quality of control exercised in those provinces). Here, I have to say that because of this lack of control, 100% of the security aspect rests with body modifications stakeholders and that the customer has the important responsibility to get the right information.
- Long unpaid working hours. Custom drawings, maintenance of tools, sanitary procedures, etc. Several people will agree that a passionate tattoo artist never really stops working, often working more than 12 hours a day, on week-ends and even during his or her sleep.
- No stable income and income subject to market fluctuations.
Regarding customers
- Absolutely no place for mistake. Pressure, anyone?
- Perpetually going against the flow, constantly explaining facts about tattoos to customers with prejudices and preconceived ideas.
- Always justifying our price. “My neighbour can do it for half the price!”
- Deceiving customers’ unrealistic expectations. Size and level of details of a tattoo, placement, price, time required, etc.
- Dealing with expectations created by reality shows. Despite their name, reality shows are far from being realistic and do embellish a lot life as a tattoo artist, which encourages young artists to enter into a complex activity, to which are inherent a lot of responsibilities, without proper training thus putting at risk health of their friends and relatives.
- Answering the same fooling questions over and over. No, we aren’t all contortionists and ambidextrous so we can tattoo ourselves.
- Little appreciation as an artist from customers.
- Dealing with fashion and getting asked to tattoo the same designs day after day. Here, I would like to explain what I think is the difference between a tattooist and a tattoo artist. A tattooist is a worker who frequently reproduces preconceived designs with no modifications (usually without the permission of the original artist). A tattoo artist almost always works with the customer’s ideas in order to create unique designs, in their own style, like a painter or an illustrator. A unique design by a gifted artist has a price, which usually explain the different between prices asked by two artists. Seeing the same design three times a week with no open-mindedness or display of confidence from customers can get frustrating and downgrading.
- Being very close to a great number of people, sometimes during long periods of time. Sometimes, those people make us uncomfortable, stink, are sick, carry a heavy emotional history, etc.
- Constantly dealing with prejudices regarding our ethics and even on our value as a person.
Examples:
- Parents who take their children away from us (tattooed people are dangerous).
- Aggressive comments by suspicious parents. “You reuse your needles, don’t you?” (tattoo artists have no ethics).
- Being asked to produce a receipt before the deposit is given (tattoo artists are crooks).
- People looking high on us while talking about general matters (tattoo artists have no education).
- When we look tired: “So, big party yesterday?” (tattoo artists spend their time partying).
- And so on.
Several tattoo artists will recognize facts from this list that do affect their mental and physical health and that can even lead to a distress state. Even if working as a tattoo artist is rewarding, the artist has to deal with guilt inherent to a mistake, has to find time to relax in addition to coping with his or her frustration upon customers who also provide their income.
Is it possible to choose to become a tattoo artist based on realistic consideration? Can we admit that we aim for healthy rewards, like the pleasure to create beautiful and unique artwork that shows who we are in order to blossom out as a marginal artist, the close contact with a wide diversity of people with different lifestyles, the fun of giving back to the community, sharing artistic knowledge and promoting artistic values that we cherish? What makes us a good tattoo artist? Here’s a partial list of qualities also inspired by Le Bloc Notes’ article:
Personal qualities
- Inner calm
- Ability to manage emergencies
- Ability to manage stress
- Ability to manage time
- Ability to speak for his or herself
- Ability to question his or herself
- Creativity
- Dynamism
- Good mental and physical condition
- Open-mindedness
- Honesty
- Intuition
- Sense of organization
- Control of his or herself
- Motivation to train and improve his or herself
- Realistic
- Good sense of humour
- Ethics
- Being sober
- Punctuality
- Know his or herself and be conscious of his or her limits
- Flexibility to adapt in a growing industry
Interpersonal qualities
- Demonstrate sensibility while interacting with customers
- Ability to communicate effectively with people
- Being a good listener
- Availability
- Being able to offer a flawless customer service
- Team spirit
- Being able to communicate with members of a multidisciplinary team (Managers versus artists, ouch!)
- Empathy
Technical qualities
- Outstanding artist
- Articulated
- Bilingual (French and English)
- Knowledge of first aid techniques
- Being able to use modern technology (computers, printers, photography, etc.)
- Relevant artistic experience or training
- Experience with handling and maintaining his or her equipment
- Occupational health and safety training (including blood transmitted pathogens)
- Be aware of new tendencies and technologies
I haven’t met any tattoo artist who fully corresponds to this portrait. Therefore, tattoos will continue to be made by non perfect human beings who aim for what’s accessible instead of an ideal while taking in account their customer’s expectations, the respect of their personal ethics and the context in which they exercise their art.
Karine “Ruby” P. LeBlanc
Gatineau, December 10th 2010
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I will add here relevant questions and comments I get about this article and my answers to them.Comment from JosephB
(TattooRama Forum)
December 11th 2010
I think it would be appropriate to make the opposite and talk about the positive aspects of the job because it now looks like you’re the new modern martyrs, and even if I understand everything you wrote, this description could also fit my job perfectly.
You also raise another point that has been appealing me for a while: the “tattoo artist” concept.
Personally, that name disgusts me. Explanation:
For me, self-proclamation has no value at all. For example, scratchers will pompously call themselves “tattoo artist” [note from translation: “artiste tatoueur” in French], probably because it is so common across the Atlantic.
To me, you are a “tattooist” and it rests with customers to decide if you are artists or not by getting tattooed by you.
It feels like an inferiority complex and I’ve always felt kind of sorry for those who proclaim themselves “artists” when they’re not good at it, which happens often (and it’s not your case, of course).
I hope you won’t be frustrated by my comment and that it will lead to a reflection, perhaps even an interesting “debate”.
Ruby’s answer
I really like your question. I will answer it here but, if you agree, I would like you to post it directly on my blog so others can also see it.
In Quebec (I don’t know for other places), the Conseil des Arts et Lettres du Québec (CALQ) has very clear rules to define what is a professional artists:
What is a professional artist?
A professional artist:
* Proclaims his or herself as a professional artist;
* Creates pieces of art by his or herself or offers services, against compensation, as a creator or an interpreter, specifically in the areas under the responsibility of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec;
* Is recognized by his or her peers; and
* Broadcasts or interprets publicly his or her artwork in a place or a context recognized by his or her peers.
So, a tattooist that describes his or herself as an artist, who tattoos his or her own creations on demand against compensation, who is recognized as an artist by other tattoo artists and whose artwork is seen by the public can legally claim an professional artist status from the government. It is obvious that several tattoo artists are also painters and/or illustrators and that several of them regularly expose their artwork in art galleries. Therefore, there is nothing pretentious about claiming to be a professional artist.
