Benjamin Karner

No matter how dumb a tattoo may appear as long as I'm not the one wearing it I couldn't care less what people ask me to put on them. The money all spends the same.

Anyone can pick apart any tattoo if they spend enough time staring at it. Just get more work so you have more to look at, and have less to worry about what is already done.

One day at the shop this chick was telling us we should pay to tattoo her. We said the only way it would happen was if the artist got to put his signature one her. She said she would do it if we gave her twenty bucks. We said that for twenty bucks we would have to sign her and her friend. They both did it... Not the worst tattoos I have ever seen - just the worst decision.

No matter how dumb a tattoo may appear as long as I'm not the one wearing it I couldn't care less what people ask me to put on them. The money all spends the same.

One day at the shop this chick was telling us we should pay to tattoo her. We said the only way it would happen was if the artist got to put his signature one her. She said she would do it if we gave her twenty bucks. We said that for twenty bucks we would have to sign her and her friend. They both did it... Not the worst tattoos I have ever seen - just the worst decision.

One day at the shop this chick was telling us we should pay to tattoo her. We said the only way it would happen was if the artist got to put his signature one her. She said she would do it if we gave her twenty bucks. We said that for twenty bucks we would have to sign her and her friend. They both did it... Not the worst tattoos I have ever seen - just the worst decision.

maybe this dude could get a job as a motivational speaker telling all the kids what not to do.

The strong will survive by simply staying in the game. Keep your head down and keep working, and you have nothing to worry about. All of the people who got into tattooing for money and recognition and nothing else will soon give up and go back to the rat race.

There are a ton of fantastic artists and operators out there these days, overwhelming.
30 years ago the general public didn't want to know and for the most part shunned the cultures/lifestyles of tattoos, bike builders, dumpster divers, bug exterminators, hog hunters, truckers, pawn brokers, storage container buyers, bounty hunters,and most of what "reality TV" and their marketing expertize has generated into "good TV consumer ratings" that generates BIG BUCKS logically or they wouldn't have pursued such.
These things all come from evolution and these things will evolve to a degree that overpopulates these areas, because now a person who searched storage containers can't show up without being outbid buy dozens whom figured they could do the same and profit, same goes for truckers, more people taking CDL tests now than ever before, the home grown bike builders are everywhere, much of these areas have grown to insane proportions like everybody and their step nephew being "professional tattoo artists".
It is much more complicated now with todays technology, the "Tattoo Directory" went the way of the phone book and if ya can't find it on the net it doesn't exist attitude is overwhelming. As to the "niche shop" from yer designated area of your home? Why not? Coney Island Freddy Grossman did better after they banned NYC tattooing and going into his gated community tattooing underground, was it legitimate? not so, did he get away with it for many years? Yep, but Freddy really didn't have a choice in his location and we do. Also in some ways with the shops popping up everywhere you can expect that tattooing's rep may get burnt by the shortcomings of the "fly by night" shops and drag us back to 1975. But the parallel I want to draw to the question posed is this;
The consuming public knows that McDonalds food is garbage but there are many more Mickey D's around than the Mom & Pop restaurants that buy select cut meat and farm fresh vegetables yet the public will continue to feed on the trash while the smart seek the better meal. Both business's come and go but the truly good eateries build a more lasting clientele and reputation for good cuisine. Now to think you can sit in the front yard and attract drive by patrons for a slab of ribs off the smoke from your grill or set up a more eloquent dinning area in a large home will not lend much for any lasting legitimate business reputation. The point being is this;
We have come a very long way in becoming "recognized" as an art form, "legitimized" by all forms of media and to expect that going "underground" might lend to the area that has come to be considered part of that which will burn the rep., operating costs today in tattooing is greatly increased from 30 years ago and it's difficult to compete in the consumer market against all the people who settle for lesser for cheaper but I say hang in there, keep the lights on, give the public a place to drop into and keep your work to the best of your abilities and the highest standards and you will survive. When times are at their worst you can pick up work in other ways in the way of art or a second job, I know that sounds difficult but it's what it may take and others did it before us. Take Walter Cleveland for example, went to work at a lumber yard to keep his doors open and cut cost's by sharing the same location of a surplus shop and non the less he is today still revered as "Walter Cleveland, Master Tattoo Artist, innovator and Legend" and he's been dead since the 60's, check it;
The Cleveland's
Whatever direction ya choose, just keep a good rep and do the rep and public justice. If ya have to take it home and State and local regulations are met and that is what it takes for you to survive then do it and have no shame in it as it's been done before in the history of the tough times in tattooing. As for myself, I am on third generations of Families that are devout and maintain steady work enough to keep me evolving as a business of over 32+ years on paper and legit and I will be there till I drop out of my chair chucking up a tube and needle.
Don't mean to sound so serious but when I started I knew that I NEEDED to get legit with a shop and a shingle to start changing up the rep of tattooing as it was then, now it has come so far that a chump with a 50 dollah tattoo kit has come between me and feeding my family and I don't want to give up on the image/rep that I helped build by allowing myself to be compared in my home to the guy scratching "live laugh love" on a chick in his back bedroom as the general public won't see or distinguish the difference between the ones that do it right and professionally.
Customers are going to become a harder and harder sell when there are soo many out there but reputation, word of mouth and most importantly the quality and customer treatment will be what builds a lifelong customer base, Bert Grimm knew that and he had three shops runnin at one time but Bert Grimm was "The Name" and his main shop was the legacy that cranked out many more legendary tattooers.