Jump to content

shops owned by non tattooers


Shannon Shirley
 Share

Recommended Posts

Maybe this is already been discussed, if so , sorry. I recently tried to work for a shop owned by someone that does not tattoo, I also considered going to work at another, same deal. Not having any experience in this venture and obviously not able to take the expriences of others to learn from, I had to learn on my own. I guess I never really got how important pride in a craft really is. These people that do not practice the craft have only the''all mighty dollar'' in mind, and it seems to me nothing else. I realized that only people involved in this business care about how,why and what goes down in a tattoo shop. I was insulted via Email, by a potential ''employer'' telling me that he was a ''business man with goals''. This in itself made me realize, this cannot work for me. His interests only lie in money. It also made me realize again what I want in and out of this biz. Only to grow as an artist, as a practitioner, and if I can make a living,great. life lessons are hard to learn , I think I just learned one. I'm interested in the expriences of others in this, because to me it seems impossible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Previous thread or no, I feel that the "non tattooer shop owner" would be a chapter of many found in a well researched study documenting "The exploitation of the tattoo culture during times of it's renaissance and rise into pop culture" as it would have to contain many different aspects of the rape of it's (tattoo culture) origins from aspects of psychology, media, internet, clothing fashion, influences in marketing, and the list could go on forever.

Marketing for instance would have to illustrate, not to exclude the tattooed but to outline exactly how any one entity could achieve and extract monetary figures from organizing a host of popular designs and images produced by foreign labor and targeting an area of people who may not afford, obtain or desire a tattoo but will spring for a shirt, hat, purse, poster, etc.. A time I was leaving a truck stop comes to mind when I passed a couple who were seriously wearing the "imitation tattoo sleeves" pulled up their arms like nylon hosiery, they were victims of that targeted area and out of their personal desire to emulate an image that money minded moguls and investors discovered that they could cash in on no different than a purse with a peace symbol targeted for the 12 year old Beeber Fever target area that may have no idea or concern what the origins of the symbol may be other than the declaration of it's fashion.

Ultimately, the fad will fade for Beeber but tattooing will always survive and evolve just as it has through its previous peaks in its history in time.

It is a sad thing to witness when something so dear and personal to us gets taken away and used/abused and then thrown out when it's no longer profitable to some hollow/shallow agency/entity that's only concern and goal was for profit gain BUT actual tattoos will not be found on a yard sale table or thrift shop and the merch of the era of orange county choppers, LA ink, and "nylon tattoo sleeves" will be had for a nickel.

Our photos of kinship, stories and literature will survive to some day take its place in history like the generations we researched before our times and our biggest hopes can be that we can honor the past by preserving and representing our culture as best we can for future generations.

Just my 2 cents :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it was Dringenberg that said "Once you become a pickle, you can never go back to a cucomber"

it was tim hendricks

and i think sometimes you don't know that you've stepped in shit until you smell it and the next time you walk through the yard, you are more aware and trying to avoid stepping in it. lesson learned, and youre never to old to learn and usually the best way to learn is from a mistake.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Previous thread or no, I feel that the "non tattooer shop owner" would be a chapter of many found in a well researched study documenting "The exploitation of the tattoo culture during times of it's renaissance and rise into pop culture" as it would have to contain many different aspects of the rape of it's (tattoo culture) origins from aspects of psychology, media, internet, clothing fashion, influences in marketing, and the list could go on forever.

Marketing for instance would have to illustrate, not to exclude the tattooed but to outline exactly how any one entity could achieve and extract monetary figures from organizing a host of popular designs and images produced by foreign labor and targeting an area of people who may not afford, obtain or desire a tattoo but will spring for a shirt, hat, purse, poster, etc.. A time I was leaving a truck stop comes to mind when I passed a couple who were seriously wearing the "imitation tattoo sleeves" pulled up their arms like nylon hosiery, they were victims of that targeted area and out of their personal desire to emulate an image that money minded moguls and investors discovered that they could cash in on no different than a purse with a peace symbol targeted for the 12 year old Beeber Fever target area that may have no idea or concern what the origins of the symbol may be other than the declaration of it's fashion.

Ultimately, the fad will fade for Beeber but tattooing will always survive and evolve just as it has through its previous peaks in its history in time.

It is a sad thing to witness when something so dear and personal to us gets taken away and used/abused and then thrown out when it's no longer profitable to some hollow/shallow agency/entity that's only concern and goal was for profit gain BUT actual tattoos will not be found on a yard sale table or thrift shop and the merch of the era of orange county choppers, LA ink, and "nylon tattoo sleeves" will be had for a nickel.

Our photos of kinship, stories and literature will survive to some day take its place in history like the generations we researched before our times and our biggest hopes can be that we can honor the past by preserving and representing our culture as best we can for future generations.

Just my 2 cents :)

Dude. You spelt BIEBER'S name wrong.

COME ON MAN.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...