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PM0705-38_pgsC4,C1-11.qxd
★ NZ TATTOO & ARTS FESTIVAL ★ BIG CEEZE ★ NEWPORT TATTOO ★ USA $10.00 Canada $10.00 #166 MARCH • 2016 PRESORTED STANDARD US POSTAGE PAID Grand Forks ND PERMIT #322 Publications Mail Agreement #40069018 BUYER’S GUIDE FOR BODY MODIFICATION PROFESSIONALS ISSUE 166 MARCH contents 12 Point 2 Point SOM 16 Newport Tattoo 18 Ask Angel 14 APP Flash History 26-27 by Ohio Tattoo Museum Show/Expo 28 advertisersindex 99cent Body Jewelry 43 AAB Style 50 APP 21st Annual Conference & Expo 2016 32 APT 7th Annual Tattoo Trade Show 2016 44 Body Art Solutions 24 BodyJewelry.com 31 Body Shock 47 Bicknee Tattoo Supply Company 26-27, 49 CHAMPS Trade Show 39 Delta Gloves 34 Desert Palms Emu Ranch 17 Derma Numb 21 DPS Tattoo Products 7 Dr Piercings Aftercare 20 Eternal Tattoo Supply 52-Inside Back Cover Friction Wholesale Tattoo Supply 13 H2Ocean Natural Aftercare 9, 36, 51 Invictus Body Jewelry / Salesone 5 Ink Mayhem / Laughlin Tattoo Convention 33 Metal Mafia IFC-1, 4 42 Art Gallery NZ Tattoo & Arts Festival 46 PAINful Classic: Billy Wayne Davis Micky Sharpz USA 10 Monster Steel Back Cover Myke Chambers Ink Inside Back Cover Needlejig 25 NeilMed Aftercare Cover Sponsor 48 Nuclear Tattoo Supply 23 Painful Pleasures 6 Palmero Health Care 37 PPIB 45 PRIDE Aftercare 11 Rejuvi Labs 31 Signature Needles / H2Ocean 51 Tat Soul 2-3, 11, 35 Tatt2Away 29 Tatu you 37 Tattoo Goo 15, 45 That’s The Point 22 Tommy’s Supplies 19 Welker Tattoo Needles 52 PAINMAGAZINE 8 michael@painmag.com Art Director Bill Wetsel art@painmag.com Contributing Writers Elayne Angel Jay Cousins Austin Ray Darin Burt Judi Perkins Tanya Madden Account Executive Jennifer Orellana Best Business Card Contest Sexy Side Makani 40-41 Sales Coordinator Michael Gonzales 30 Communicating 38 Big Ceeze Editor-In-Chief R Cantu Editor Sandy Caputo Product Spotlight H2Ocean Artist Profile Publisher Ralph Garza 24 36 NZ Tattoo & Arts Festival staff editor@painmag.com jenn@painmag.com 505-332-3003 Executive Assistant Richard DePreist richard@painmag.com 505-275-6049 PAIN Magazine 9901 Acoma Rd. SE Albuquerque, NM 87123 adinfo@painmag.com General Inquiries: admin@painmag.com www.painmag.com www.facebook.com/painmagazine Subscriptions: painsubscriptions@gmail.com Printed in Canada Publications Mail Agreement #40069018 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to: 737 Moray St., Winnipeg MB, Canada, R3J 3S9 contacts Fax 505-275-6510 Editorial 505-275-6049 cover sponsor NeilMed Piercing Aftercare Fine Mist NeilMed piercing aftercare gentle mist saline spray with a special mist tip is isotonic, drug free, preservative free, no burning or stinging. See page 48 www.neilmed.com/usa/paftercare.php Call Toll Free: 877-477-8633 x3089 Copyright 2016 PAIN Magazine. All rights reserved. Published monthly by Pain, Inc. Subscriptions available for $39/year (U.S. funds). Send requests to address listed above. Please mail address changes, and include label from previous issue. For all other information call (505) 275-6049. For submission guidelines, log on to our website at www.painmag.com. Pain, Inc. assumes no responsibility for contents herein. Opinions expressed in articles are strictly those of the writer. Newport Tattoo in Newport Beach, California. page 14 I t is officially Spring Pain readers and you know exactly what that means! The coats, scarves and mittens are coming off and people are beginning to line up at your door. Are you ready? Did you know that according to a recent medical association report, sixty percent of patients who switch primary physicians do so because of a breakdown in doctor-patient communication. We believe that this holds true for the tattoo artist/client relationship as well. Please join Darin Burt as he discusses key points in communication and connecting with your clients. Next, any retailer not offering gift certificates is going to be missing out on sales. For a minimal outlay, you’ll have the potential to generate a great deal of profit and fulfill a variety of customer requests. Check out Elayne Angel’s column this month for the pros and cons of gift cards. Are you missing out on sales because you don’t offer them? Lastly, Pain Magazine needs you! Send us your most recent work for a chance to be featured in the Art Gallery or as our Artist Profile of the month! Please email for submission specs. We can’t wait to see what you’ve been hiding. Cheers everyone! PAINMAGAZINE 10 PointtoPoint C Jay Cousins THE CANADIAN PROVINCE OF ALBERTA overing an area of nearly 4 million square miles, Canada is the second largest country in the world by total area after Russia and makes up most of North America. Canada has a population of 35 million people. To the south, Canada shares the world’s largest land border with the United States as well as the longest coastline. Alberta is bounded by the Province of British Columbia to the west and Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories to the north and the U.S. State of Montano to the south. Alberta, Canada is one of only three Canadian provinces and territories to border only a single U.S. state and one of only two landlocked provinces. The government of Alberta, as in all of Canada, is organized as a parliamentary democracy. As Canada’s head of state, Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state for the government of Alberta. Her duties in Alberta are carried out by the current Lieutenant Governor. The Queen and lieutenant governor are figureheads whose actions are highly restricted by custom and constitutional convention. According to Alberta Health Services (AHS) the City of Alber ta follows a document called, “Guidelines for Personal Service Establishments.” The purpose of the guidelines are to clarify the expectations of operators of PSE’s and provide guidance on the prevention of health hazards associated with services that could involve blood or bodily fluids. The PSE document covers tattooing, body piercing, ear piercing, micro- pigmentation, tattoo removal and many other services Canadians use on a daily basis. Even with the PSE’s in place, health officials in Alberta continue to encourage residents to research any facility providing a ser vice that could transmit viral or bacterial infections such as hepatitis or serious skin infections. “Body ar t is something that should be done in as safe an environment as possible,” said Dr. Chris Sikora, a medical officer of health with Alberta Health Services. Concerns about health and safety at tattoo shops came up in March 2014 after AHS shut down a home based operator in Edmonton, Alberta due to unsanitary conditions. The Notice of Closure identified 11 critical areas including tattoo needles and tubes contaminated with ink and blood and tattoo needles being re-used on multiple clients. Other critical violations included inappropriate work surfaces which could not be adequately disinfected between clients, insufficient access to hand washing sinks, tattoos being conducted on the tattooist’s bed which is not a surface which can be cleaned or sanitized, and the lack of an adequate autoclave to disinfect tattoo and piercing equipment between uses. According to the AHS, tattoo shop closures are unusual in the Edmonton area. Most of the closures were were initiated at home based tattoo shops. According to documents on the AHS website, three other tattoo shops have been closed by the health authority in the Edmonton Zone since 2011. Nine tattoo operators in the Calgary Zone have been shut down in the same period and another six were shut down throughout Alberta. Alberta Health Services conducts routine inspections on tattoo operators. Part of that inspection is to assure that operators are in compliance with tattooing regulations and guidelines from Alber ta Health Services. Mr. Sikora also confirmed it’s particularly important that those receiving tattoos from home based operators follow the rules very closely. Most of the time, a home based tattoo operation is not going to be an inspected facility. “ If the tattoo shop has a store front that is clearly identifiable, there’s a better chance that it will be an inspected facility,” added Sikora. He suggests clients ask for an inspection report from Alberta Health Services and check their business license. “It’s perfectly within your right as a customer to ask for an inspection report or business license to ensure tattoo shops are conducting business safely. If the tattoo artist is unable to provide these basic documents, customers should contact AHS or their local regulator.” Although a majority of Alberta tattoo shops are extremely safe and have passed their routine inspections and a majority of the closures occurred at home based tattoo shops, the Alberta Health Service has published tattoo and piercing safety guidelines on their website. It’s called “Think Before You Ink.” The guidelines include a section called, “MUST-HAVES” for any tattoo or piercing shop in Alberta. The Alberta Health Services website, www.albertahealthservices.ca/eph.asp has a punch list of the 12 “Must-Haves” in any tattoo shop in the Alberta, Canada area. The Alberta Health Service recommends all residents check the website before considering getting a tattoo in Alberta. O Jay Cousins works for the Albuquerque Environmental Health Department. He started working for the city in 1985. In 1994 he started working for the restaurant, swimming pool, and body art inspection program. He has approximately 600 facilities in his jurisdiction, including body art establishments. He started doing body art inspections in 1999 and has conducted over 500 body art facility inspections since then. Jay is also a high school and college baseball umpire and works as a fill-in umpire for the Albuquerque Isotopes. PAINMAGAZINE 12 N ewport Tattoo is one of the oldest shops in Orange County, California. Located in Newport Beach, home to some of the best surf waves in the world, Newport Tattoo has been in business since 1989, back when there were only a handful of other shops in the area. Kareem Masarani has been a tattoo artist at the shop since 2001, and has been the proprietor since 2006 when he claimed the opportunity to buy the business. Four years later, he opened up a second shop down the beach in Costa Mesa. It all sounds pretty sweet and simple. But Kareem insists that there's a lot more to the story. continued on page 22 PAINMAGAZINE 14 Ask Elayne Angel The Ins and Outs of Gift Certificates This isn’t exactly a piercing question, but it is related to my piercing business and I’ve seen you answer questions like that in the past, so I hope you can help me. I had a customer ask me for a gift certificate last week, but I don’t have them in my shop, so I just said no. Then this week, TWO more people wanted to buy them, so we could definitely have made more sales if we had them. Now I’m rethinking it but wanted to ask your opinion. I have seen gift certificates at the office supply store and you just fill in the blanks, but those looked kind of cheap and unprofessional. Also one of the ladies wanted a gift certificate for her sister who wants an industrial piercing. She wanted to pay for the piercing fees (we count it as two) and jewelry, too. But I don’t know if those forms could work for that. A Elayne Angel Author The Piercing Bible— The Definitive Guide to Safe Body Piercing President, Association of Professional Piercerst ny retailer not offering gift certificates is going to be missing out on sales. For a minimal outlay, you’ll have the potential to generate a great deal of profit and fulfill a variety of customer requests. Since my studio closed after Hurricane Katrina, I no longer deal with certificates, but I recall that there are some unique considerations when it comes to selling this product in a piercing studio. Some people will want to purchase a certificate for a certain dollar amount, such as $50 or $100. Dealing with fixed amounts is obviously easiest. But others will wish to pay for a specific piercing (and often jewelry and aftercare product(s) too— especially if you suggest this). A complicating factor in the situation you mentioned is that you can’t be sure whether the recipient of that certificate is even a candidate for an industrial piercing until you evaluate her anatomy. Nor can you know if she’ll be interested in an alternate placement you might suggest based on her build, should she fail to meet Do you have any suggestions? I don’t have any experience and don’t want to get into something that is more trouble than it is worth. Thank you very much, F. the requirements for the desired piercing. Still, you don’t want to turn down business. Fortunately, this challenge is not an insurmountable one. To provide optimal satisfaction, I offered all options, including certificates by dollar amount, for a piercing fee only, for a “full package” of piercing, jewelry, and aftercare products, and everything in between and beyond. If a patron wishes to pay, figure out a way to make it work with your system. The complexity of your options will depend on your studio’s fee structure(s). If your pricing is comprised of a single cost including piercing and basic jewelry, this is simplest. However, even if you use an a la carte method of separate piercing fees and jewelry costs, you should still be able calculate a minimum cost that will entitle the gift recipient to what the purchaser wishes to give. You can write a certificate for “One Navel Piercing and Basic Curved Barbell,” for example. But in your documentation, PAINMAGAZINE 16 whether digital or hard copy, you must have a dollar amount recorded, so the value of the certificate can just be applied to the purchase, even if the piercee ends up with a different transaction. The commercial fill-in-the-blank style of gift certificates is not particularly impressive, but they are very economical and can do the job. If possible, get the type that can be filled in on a computer and printed out, unless you or a staff member has talent with calligraphy. This type of document should be hand-signed by both the gift-giver and also a studio employee, manager, or owner, depending on your policy. By request, I have allowed purchasers to sign “Anonymous” on the “From” line, or leave the “To” line blank, or you can write it to “Bearer.” I stocked professionally printed, numbered certificates containing my logo and studio information. They came with a register similar to that used for checkbooks, in which to record the details. Nicely framed sample certificates were displayed in my jewelry case and on the walls, along with informative signage: “Available in any amount. No expiration date.” Written policies governing the sales and documentation for certificates are crucial to assure consistency in your operations and provide a system of checks and balances. If poor records are kept, customer dissatisfaction can result, as can loss of revenue. Dishonest employees could issue unpaid-for certificates to their friends, and other types of fraud may be possible if you don’t establish standardized procedures for issuing and accepting certificates. Always take certificates back from the client at the time they’re redeemed, or your records will be much harder to keep. For example, if someone “loses” a gift certificate and you honor it without receiving the physical document, you’d need to keep clear records to make sure nobody comes in to spend that same certificate at a later date. I’d suggest you inform patrons that certificates are like cash: if lost, they can’t be spent. If a certificate-bearer’s purchase is lower than the face value of a certificate, it is not standard practice to give cash back. In these cases, we simply issued a new certificate for the balance. Having the statement “no cash value” on your certificates and “no cash refunds” on store signage can help to forestall potential arguments. Having the words “no cash value” on the certificate is also wise. A wonderful newer alternative to consider is the studio-branded, hard-plastic gift card. If my business were still open, I would definitely stock these. You can get them with magnetic stripes like credit cards and/or barcodes that can work with your POS system. You control the value of the cards electronically, and they are also reloadable and reusable. They have a number of other advantages. Statistics show that only 80% of a gift card’s value is redeemed, on average1, and that plenty of gift cards go unredeemed2. Many clients often spend above and beyond the value of the gift card as well. According to the National Retail Federation (NRF), more than 80% of holiday shoppers are now purchasing at least one gift card, so this is a huge market. Plastic gift cards are not just for the big retailers anymore, and I think they’re surprisingly affordable for the value they offer. They can also be programmed as loyalty cards to monitor sales, customer preferences and histories, and more. PAINMAG.COM Cer tificates or cards are great for indecisive gift-seekers and those who are unsure about the jewelry size a recipient wears. They’re definitely preferable to selling jewelry that might end up being unusable, and isn’t returnable. Gift certificates also make it easy to take part in community fundraising events such as raffles and silent auctions. This is especially worthwhile for your business when contributors are listed by name and/or logo with the event information. It is good to support local efforts, and this enables you to specify a dollar amount, rather than donating a particular piece of jewelry, which may not be useful to many of the potential participants. Do your best to accommodate your gift-giving customers. If you establish your studio policies and adhere to them faithfully, gift certificates or cards are well worth the effort. O 1 http://www.consumeraffairs.com/gift-cards 2 http://www.consumeraffairs.com/gift-cards “The mission of the Association of Professional Piercers is to circulate vital health, safety, and education information to the professional piercing industry, health care providers and the general public.” 1-888-888-1277 www.safepiercing.org Concluding Thoughts At the time of this writing, I have no hard evidence that UK authorities would interpret the piercing of a white indigenous adult female’s genitals for adornment as “female genital mutilation.” However, if a UK body piercer performed a female genital piercing on an adult woman from a UN/WHO/UK recognized “FGM-affected community” the legal outcome gets trickier to predict. If the piercing were discovered by a healthcare provider, the situation would create an ethical dilemma for the healthcare worker, compelled by law to report any alterations. If the reported incident were investigated by law enforcement, it could lead to criminal prosecution of the body piercer, counter staff, shop owner, and/or a friend(s) that accompanied the piercing client (anyone that “aids, abets, [counsels] or procures”) for violation of the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 carrying a penalty of a fine with up to 14 years imprisonment. To mitigate risk, a UK piercer could refuse to pierce female genitalia, while continuing to pierce male genitalia. As another option, UK piercers could sort clients by using the same geographical criteria as the National Health Services and law enforcement; however, in practice, I doubt denying services based on country of origin would go over well. It would probably lead to accusations of xenophobia and racism. Therein lies the crux of an ethical dilemma. Most people will not believe that every injury of the female genitals is “mutilation.” “Female genital mutilation” is understood to only happen in “FGM-affected communities.” It’s common sense that Janet Jackson’s, Christina Aguilera’s, or Lady Gaga’s pierced genitalia is not “female genital mutilation,” and as such the definitions of and rules for “female genital mutilation” should not apply. However, “common sense” is not universal; it is influenced by life experience, education, class, economics, religion, ethnicity, sex, gender, country of origin, etc. Healthcare workers, police, legislators, and the public operate under this blind bias. Few want to admit that they see and treat others differently, that is because it directly clashes with other deeply held Western values of tolerance, decency, and fairness. continued on page 20 PAINMAGAZINE 18 app continued In March 2015, the UK Home Affairs Committee recognized the “double standard” of pressuring other communities to stop their “mutilation” practices while allowing UK females to have genital cosmetic surgeries. They have appealed to parliament to amend the 2003 law in order to criminalize female genital cosmetic surgery. This action will likely meet allegations of patriarchy and sexism. Many Westerners fail to realize that our understandings of medicine and science (such as “necessary” or “not necessary”) as well as violence, mutilation, harm, pain, etc. are always shaped by culture. Ones most deeply held religious and moral beliefs, including notions of what is “right” or “wrong” are shaped by the culture one is born into. The dominant culture within any particular nation is in a more powerful position to propagate its beliefs. The UK government and anti-“FGM” organizations genuinely desire to protect immigrant women and their daughters. Most Westerners, this author included, would find it repugnant to defend the most commonly told story of a practice that physically restrains a very young girl crying against her will, to have her clitoris cut out and her vagina sewn shut, a procedure that endangers her life, sexual pleasure, and ability to procreate. However, the anti-“FGM” campaigners risk weakening their public support when they overreach their claims to consider all practices regardless of invasiveness, all females regardless of age, and all physical and psychological consequences regardless of the wide range of experiences and perceptions, as the same. Once the UN labels a community as practicing “FGM,” then at the international level, those community adult women’s legal “rights” to consent to any genital alteration are stripped away. I’m not saying we should do nothing for individuals that want to be helped, or that we should not impose policies to protect minors, particularly in our own countries, but I do believe definitions and regulations that could specifically deny a female adult the choice to consent or not to consent to altering her genitals, whether by: piercing the genital tissue; or shaving, trimming, bleaching, dyeing, lasering, or waxing the pubic hair; or surgically altering the appearance, etc., violate current commonly-held notions of sexual equality and fairness. Ultimately, the course of action is best decided by the piercers and the women of the UK, although international piercing communities should assist when asked. Currently, an e-petition is circulating that UK citizens can sign requesting that the government legally recognizes female genital piercing is not mutilation. UK citizens can write and call their elected officials. They can email responses to all names and department heads associated with the anti-”FGM” regulations. Everyone can email news agencies that spread the story. At its source, this is an international issue that will keep occurring as a result of the definitions and policies of United Nations and the World Health Organization. Since the medical field and personal grooming industries may be affected, alliances should be sought. Body piercing communities and their allies should simultaneously apply pressure for legislative changes at both the local as well as the international levels. My concerns about this current issue in the UK are somewhat eased by the excitement of what the future may hold with this opportunity for the UK piercing community to unite behind a common cause. The original article has been edited and footnotes and citations have been removed for this publication. Please contact the author with questions: treasurer@safepiercing.org O PAINMAGAZINE 20 shop of the month continued “My girlfriend brought me to Newport Tattoo in 1994 when she and her friend went there to get a tattoo. I'd done art my entire life, and it was so cool to watch the tattoo artist, and I asked him one question after another. At the time, I was painting, and tattooing seemed like a cool medium. He made it look really easy, and the next day I persuaded my brother to give me five hundred dollars so that I could get a tattoo kit out of the back of a magazine. I went ahead and tried to tattoo myself. . . it wasn't until later that I realized I didn't need to put ink in the machine to do that.” After tattooing some friends, Kareem quickly accepted that this was a skill that was going to take some time to master. He lucked into an apprenticeship, but before finishing, he found himself in Alaska, living in his van and working in a fish factory. One day he stopped in a local biker tattoo shop just to check it out, and before long he had a job there. It was a real-life learning experience, for sure. “It was really an opportunity to sharpen my skills. I also dealt with a wide array of people because in Alaska people are just a little different,” Kareem says. “I also found out that I never wanted to live through another Alaskan winter.” From the coldest to the warmest. Kareem moved to Las Vegas for another tattooing stint on the strip. And after finally landing at Newport Tattoo, he eventually decided it was time to do art and do things his way. “It wasn't about telling other people what to do, but rather not having anyone tell me what to do,” Kareem says. “It's a lot more stress in running your own shop, but throughout the years, I'd learned what NOT to do. . . there's not a lot of attitude in our shop and it's very welcoming. All I'm looking for (in staff) are people who want to improve as tattoo artists and as people and want to move forward. And keep it cool.” “I treat the business like a plant,” Kareem adds. “I figure as long as you feed and water it regularly then things will go well.” The building where Newport Tattoo is located has an odd layout, and in redesigning the space, Kareem instituted an open environment that leads to a better sense of camaraderie among artists and a better experience for clients. “It allows the creative juices to flow,” Kareem says. “When (clients) see us laughing and having a good time, and that we don't hold ourselves to a typical cubicle job, it turns into a really great experience.” Being located in a beach community means Newport Tattoo sees a fair share of walk-ins looking for that small commemorative tattoo. But there's no simple flash – everything is custom. Being that the shop has been around for so long, its built a reputation with the locals for quality work, and the artists have many loyal repeat clients. “We got rid of all flash quite a while ago. It's not like it was twenty years ago where there were these common pieces. . . nowadays because of the internet there are so many different things that people request,” Kareem says. “We have a diverse group of artists, and so when somebody walks in, whatever they want, there's an artist who can handle that style.” “It's a gift that we get to make a living making art. The worst day here is way better than any other job I've ever had. . .and I was even a barback at a titty bar,” Kareem says with a laugh. “There's an experience in getting a tattoo, and there's an energy in a shop like this. . . when everyone is in sync it's unbeatable.” O Newport Tattoo PAINMAGAZINE 22 Newport Beach, California www.newporttattoo.com Communicating with Clients TattooInsider ccording to a recent medical association report, sixty percent of patients who switch primary physicians do so because of a breakdown in doctor-patient communication. When you think about it, tattoo artist and client, aren't too far apart from doctor and patient. You're both dealing with a person's wellbeing, and expressing yourself with clear and concise communication is a key to providing them with good care. As a professional tattoo artist, your goal should be to make your client feel more informed and more confident in your ability to give them the most satisfying experience possible. A Essential to communication is being able to quickly establish rapport with your client. Simply listening to your client is one of the easiest ways to get off to a good start. The first step is to give your client your undivided attention – turn off your cell phone, take off your headphones, and close the door to the work area (with the client's permission) if there are any outside distractions. In one-on-one communication, it is not only critical that the listener really does listen, but that the speaker also feels heard. One common cue that a person is not feeling heard or understood is that their statements continue to be repeated. A useful technique for helping the client to feel understood is reflective listening, which is basically repeating back to the person what you think you've heard. Something along the lines of, “So, if I understand what you're saying. . . .” Reflection lets the clients know that you are listening and trying to understand their point of view. It also provides an opportunity for them to correct any misunderstandings and to share additional information. Focus on nonverbal communication. The manner in which you communicate to a client is as important as the information being communicated. A client is looking for both verbal and nonverbal cues. To show that they have your attention, lean forward, maintain eye contact, nod appropriately, and don’t cross your arms. Studies show that people's perception of time spent increases if the person they are meeting with sits down. Ask yourself: Do I appear unhurried? Available? Do I provide emotional comfort and take time to answer questions? These are factors that impact a client's perception of their provider whether it be a doctor, lawyer or a tattoo artist. Speak in a “language” that they can understand. You don't need to give a technical how-to lesson on tattooing or piercing. But make sure that you explain procedures and aftercare methods on a level that your client can truly understand. By keeping it simple and using familiar words, you avoid any potential miscommunication that may arise if you go more of a textbook route and overuse fancy jargon that only you and your fellow artists understand. Ask First. Once you are finished discussing the details, you can safely assume that your clients are going to have some questions; many times, they’ll be too nervous or shy to ask without you prompting them. If you notice that your client is being particularly quiet, be sure to ask if she has any questions. This will help to get you both on the same page and may also help them open up about any concerns they may be having (which can be helpful for you to know about as well). Take a cue from Patrick Swayze dealing with customers in the movie Roadhouse, and Be Nice. It may seem like something simple, but a little kindness can go a long way, especially when it comes to making clients feel at ease. There are a lot of people who walk into a tattoo or piercing studio and are immediately anxious simply because they don’t know what to expect. Lose the rockstar persona. By keeping a kind and compassionate disposition, it can quickly calm your client’s senses and relieve any fears they may have. Something as simple as a smile can make all the difference. O PAINMAGAZINE 24 TattooShow Photos courtesy Bradley Garner, www.bradleyggarner.com F or many New Zealand is the land of sheep, the mighty All Blacks rugby team, and hairy-footed Hobbits (it was the filming location for Lord of the Rings). It's also the home to the NZ Tattoo & Art Festival. The event, now in its fifth year, brought together 8,000 tattoo fans and more than 250 artists - over 150 of those being internationals from a wide range of countries. “I think New Zealand's culture and tattoo tradition make the festival unique,” says organizer Brent Taylor. “We always try to give the visiting international artists an insight into Maori culture. New Zealand being so far away from Europe and America means the artists treat it as a holiday convention rather than just a working convention creating a unique vibe.” continued on page 34 PAINMAGAZINE 28 To enter your business card in our monthly Best Business Card Contest, simply mail your card to PAIN Magazine, 9901 Acoma Rd. SE, Albuquerque, NM 87123. Cards are selected based on what we think is cool, creative, or otherwise worthy of attention. All cards will be entered into a contest for “Card of the Year” in 2016. The owner of the card selected by our distinguished panel of judges will win $100. WINNER MUST CALL IN TO CLAIM PRIZE. PAINMAGAZINE 30 TELL THEM YOU SAW IT IN TattooExpo “We are very lucky with the amount of international artists that make the trip down under for the convention. . . it's a long flight & we appreciate it greatly that they choose to attend our event,” Brent adds. “Of course, all of New Zealand's best artists were also in attendance as well.” The line up included some of the top talent in the tattoo world including LA Ink star Dan Smith, Best Ink winner Teresa Sharpe, American realism star Paul Acker, Best Ink model & judge Sabina Kelley, Swedish tattoo artist & model Cleo Wattenstrom, American black & grey master Carl Grace, Tahitian tattoo artist Manu Farrarons, lettering master Big Meas, new-schooler Dave Tevenal, and dot work specialist Dillon Forte. Tattoo competitions were extremely challenging to judge, Brent notes, as the level of talent exceeds expectations each year. Best of the Day awards went to Karl Van De Linden and Emma Kerr (with a moth under boob piece). New Zealand legend Dean Sacred won Best of Show with a Hanya leg tattoo. But this show isn't just about ink – it's about the culture and community surrounding the art. “New Zealand is a small country and for the event to continue to be successful and grow we feel we want to provide the public with more entertainment than just the tattooing alone, ensuring everyone has a great time whether they got tattooed or not,” Brent says. “The burlesque girls are always a fan favorite and the FMX and BMX riders always put on amazing shows the entire family can enjoy. Music has always been apart of the event, and creates a real party vibe!” “There are always people new to the tattoo scene in attendance, but we also get lots of hardcore tattoo collectors from around the country who come to get a tattoo from some of the very best in the world.” Brent says, “they are knowledgeable, and the artists seem to enjoy that people are there to collect a piece in their style from them. We always have a great deal of walk-ups happening. . . it's fun for everyone involved.” O NZ Tattoo & Arts Festival New Plymouth, New Zealand November 28-29, 2015 www.nztattooart.com PAINMAGAZINE 34 H2Ocean, the leader since 2001 in developing natural health care products using patented sea salt formulas, continues to develop natural products for safe and effective healing without using harmful chemicals. H2Ocean is a family owned and operated small business that serves multiple industries, selling Sea Salt based Natural Products to Tattoo and Piercing Studios, Dental Offices, Veterinarians, Medical Centers, Podiatrists and other clients. Their Natural Products include mouthwash, lotions, numbing antibacterial products, nasal sprays, first-aid sprays, ointments, tattoo and piercing aftercare, skin protectants, small and large animal wound care, diabetic healthcare products an organic vegan friendly line of products. You will see an H2Ocean Booth at most Tattoo and Piercing Conventions throughout the year supporting the shows and artists. Often times, hosting one of their extremely talented H2Ocean Team Members in their booth tattooing or spreading the truth to artists around the world. They are long time members of trade associations including the National Tattoo Association (NTA), American Professional Tattooists (APT), Association of Professional Piercers (APP), European Association of Professional Piercers (EAPP) and European Union of Tattoo Research. H2Ocean has 5 US Manufacturing Facilities that produce their patented products and are proud to be able to claim their products are 100% made in the United States. The owner of H2Ocean, Eddie Kolos, is a hard working entrepreneur who started the company from the ground up. He always has been and currently still is an active traveler to Conventions both domestic and internationally. Eddie Kolos said, “We are just a small business, with big-hearted employees. We are from a small town (Stuart, FL), with big expectations. We are not a fake company, they are the salt and soul of healing you with Ocean Science. We are thankful to the Tattoo and Piercing Industry and Artists who have helped make it what it is today.” H2Ocean’s support of the Tattoo and Piercing communities is second to none when it’s about the care of the artist and the body art. H2Ocean supports Tattoo Trade Shows and attends more than 50 shows each year. They were the first to form a Professional Pro Team of Artists to give back and help to research & develop the line of products. They currently have more than 80 Professional Artists who have been selected to be a part of their Elite H2Ocean Team of Artists. This includes both National and International Artists. H2Ocean has been built on hard work, vision, trustworthy employees, great customer care and a continued growing line of innovative products that possess the healing powers of the ocean. H2Ocean is proud to have been part of the evolution of the public’s perception of the Tattoo and Piercing Industry over the past decade. They’ve traveled the convention circuit for years, healed millions of tattoos and piercings with their products, and have made close friendships with thousands of Artists. They watch and work together to bring standards and respect the art deserves. You can now find H2Ocean products in more than 10,000 retail locations including; Walgreens, CVS, Amazon, Independent Tattoo and Piercing Studios, Hot Topic, Piercing Pagoda, Spencer’s, Albertson’s, Safeway and in other countries worldwide. O PAINMAGAZINE 36 PAINMAG.COM PAINMAGAZINE 38 PAINMAGAZINE 38 Big Ceeze got his first tattoo at 17. It said Mom. “That was the only way she’d let me get one,” said Ceeze, who’s been an artist since he was five. “It was cool, and I wanted to tattoo, so I started making machines and jacking up people.” His formative years were tough: gangs, drugs, abuse, violence. Few adults who cared and the early loss of the only two who did. He took in a cousin who’d been shot and subsequently paralyzed, who with a large settlement check, in gratefulness bought Ceeze his first professional machine. “I was a scratcher for a long time,” said Ceeze. Change, which began inwardly, came when he left gang life, moved away from the neighborhood and started going to church. “I went from this anger rage and suppressing feelings to accepting God into my life,” he said. “Now I’m emotional. I love my kids. I used to push them away.” He feels he’s earned his faith. “And I know there’s someone there, God, who loves me more than anything in this whole world. It’s all I ever wanted.” His wife, Sandy, is an extension of that love. “God helped me to win the lottery, which is not money, it’s my wife and the woman she is,” said Ceeze. “She encourages me, supports me, and pushes me to be who I am to help me be successful. She’s everything.” Since marrying Sandy, his career has been climbing. “Because we make God the center of our relationship, the goals we’ve set for ourselves are being answered.” He owns his own shop. He’s been on Ink Master. He’s travelling the world. He’s selling his paintings for substantial sums. “Every sponsorship I have is because of her. She goes out and exploits me. She puts me out there like a cheap hooker,” he said laughing. Humor and love spill over in abundance from Ceeze. His shop name recognizes the importance of his clients and the relationships he builds with them. “I strive to please all my clients and make them happy. It’s not the money that drives me; that will come. It’s the happiness and satisfaction I get from my clients.” Notably a young woman with Lou Gehrig’s disease, getting her first and last tattoo to commemorate her father who had recently passed. “I thought, ‘Thank you, God, for giving me this gift to do what I do, because that’s what I love.” O PAINMAGAZINE 40 PAINMAG.COM PAINMAGAZINE 42 PAINMAG.COM illy Wayne Davis is being promoted as a “thinkingman’s hillbilly,” and if that sounds like an oxymoron, you may want to first give his debut album a listen. Everything from his name to the album’s cover practically screams “Blue Collar Comedy Tour,” but he would puzzle the halfwits who attend such shows. He instead offers a refreshing take on an oft-stereotyped “country” sensibility, one that can only be toppled if more artists like Davis step up and let their voices be heard. B A native Nashvillian who has since put down roots in Seattle (even placing second in 2010’s Seattle International Comedy Competition), Davis’s fish-out-ofwater status gives him plenty of leeway to fuck with urbanites, as he does on a bit about colored pencils (you do the math on that one). He has fun playing with this confusion (i.e., that he should be a close-minded rube, according to his accent) when in reality, he gets down with all sides. In a bit about how rednecks and gay dudes dislike each other, he notes that they don’t seem to realize they both hate sleeves. When a joke about diabetes doesn’t go over, he claims the white people in the room who aren’t laughing simply don’t have any black friends. His taste in music runs the gamut and doesn’t exactly prove that he’s non-judgmental in regard to race, though going out to a small-town bar with actual live bull-riding – wherein he’s concerned for the lives of the black men there – sort of does. Moreover, Davis doesn’t mind taking the piss out of so-called liberal institutions. While discussing his move to Seattle, he talks of how he read the city was a “utopia of progressive liberality” that rained open-mindedness every day. “Take off that Patagonia and soak it in!” he jokes in a cheeseball tourism voice. “You’re not wet, you’re a better person!” But it doesn’t take him long to wonder, “Where’s all the black people?” before realizing how “fucked up” it is that, with exception to sports players in gated communities, they all live in Tacoma, and how “all the gay people” live on a hill. Not only do the citizens of this allegedly progressive place look down on him for the way he talks, but they’re really not as progressive as they claim to be, anyway. Considering his utterly calm demeanor on stage, it’s no surprise that Davis has worked with folks like Louis C.K., Mitch Hedberg and Colin Quinn. Relative newcomer though he may be, his confidence is infectious in such a way that it almost makes the duddier jokes go over better. He nonchalantly shuts down hecklers throughout as if it’s his job. After a guy yells for a “Tennessee joke,” Davis asks him if he sees anywhere on Davis’s person where the heckler could insert a quarter before quickly concluding for him, “I don’t take goddamn requests.” Elsewhere he informs a clearly-very-drunk woman that the performance is a “monologue, not a dialogue.” His effortless ease with both the crowd and his material is admirable; some comedians will play up their seriousness for laughs, but it’s Davis’s lightheartedness that really makes him shine, whether he’s talking about Texas bravado or terrible grammar. All in all, Billy Wayne Davis is an exercise in tolerance, and not in the way that might be expected, but for big-city, blue-state, bleeding-heart liberals. Davis is a reminder that not every large, bald, Southernaccented meathead of a guy can be judged on face value alone. Maybe, just maybe, he also thinks rednecks are assholes, or that a guy at the Texas border asking whether or not you’re a faggot is ridiculous, too. Of course he’ll still perform that same joke in Texas in the meantime, because they’ll laugh even though they don’t realize the joke’s on them. He can hang with the hicks because he understands them, but by absorbing their asinine behavior and later mocking their ignorance, Davis is both funny and subversive. v PAINMAGAZINE 46