Gia Dobson

OK, so the article is about the tattoo biz being recession proof, but as a side note: It REALLY fucking bugs me when tattooers talk about how much money they make to the media. What a douche bag.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39641413/ns/business-us_business/

A few years ago a friend got a tattoo on her shoulder blade that was supposed to say "remember".... well it says "rember". She claims she looked at the stencil and they showed it to everyone in the shop and all said it was spelled correctly, looked fine, etc. They did the tattoo, she still didn't notice, and went home. Next day her artist called her super early in the morning. Something had been bugging him all night and he couldn't figure it out so he drove to the shop and looked at the stencil and that's when he realized the misspelling. HE called HER! I know they sort of fixed it somehow. But dang!

Finally starting a back piece by Scott Sylvia... It's just the outline but I'm already totally in love with it!

Did I mention he lined this in just over 2 hours?

I was 16, at a party, got tattooed sitting at the kitchen table by some random that carried around all his shit in an old doctors bag. God only knows that last time any of it was cleaned and where the needles came from or how many times they had been used. I don't recall anything about gloves or any kind of sanitation. Let's just say this was in the top 5 most stupid things Ive ever done in my life and I am thankful every day that I do not have Hep C or HIV. Oh the tattoo... a small black widow spider on my chest... which has long since been covered up with a hibiscus flower. Feels like I dodged a bullet.

Wishing you much success with this project! <3

I wash my new tattoo several hours later with mild soap then let it air dry and depending on size will sometimes put a small amount of antibiotic ointment on it for the first day. After that I use Lubriderm (unscented) to keep it from getting too dry but try and keep all lotions and potions to a minimum and let my body do it's thing.

I've always thought tattoos shouldn't matter and a person's work should be the only focus at any job, but alas, we all know that is not how it is most of the time. I think being heavily tattooed is even more of an issue for women in the work place, so I always cover up completely when interviewing. For me that means long sleeves and pants and I may even go a bit "over dressed" when making the first impression. My background is in the software industry (SF Bay Area) and I was always the token "alternative" chick at work. In the late 90's I went back to school to study web design and thought when I started working in that field my tattoos would not be a big deal because web design was artistic and creative and well... I had a whole fantasy going in my head. The reality was I was still working in corporate America with programmers and managers and still ended up the token tattooed chick. After being hired I generally just tried to follow the dress code of the place I worked, whether it was business casual or jeans and t-shirts, and I've always found that once people get to know me and my work, they stop focusing on the tattoos and get over it. Now I'm a stay at home mom and under scrutiny at the playground instead of the water cooler. The experience is the same... a little judgment and apprehension at first, until people realize I am not what they judged me to be. I will say that I have yet to tattoo the tops of my hands, fingers or neck with the idea of returning to work someday. I live in a small town now and in this economy I don't want to give anyone a reason not to hire me. Don't get me wrong, I love tattoos on the neck and hands (when done well), and when I win the lottery that will be the first thing I do!