Winter Blahs turn out just fine.

   As usual, Cleveland gets pounded with snow another fine march day. It takes me over twice as long to get to work, slipping and sliding all the way. So, little by little all the rest of the usual suspects at Gen X show up, shivering, covered in snow and aggravated. We all get settled in for another day of tattooing and the phone starts ringing..."I am gonna be late"...then..."I am gonna need to cancel my appointment" etc. So, I figure this is just gonna be one of "those" days and I will just do my thing and deal with it, but we all had a shitty start to the day, we all are sick of the cold and every miserable thing it brings with it...but we all had a really cool day. We joked ...as usual... and laughed and nobody was complaining or anything. I know this is no big deal but as I have said previously, I am trying to be a bit more positive, which means instead of concentrating on the negatives of the day and talking about, I am gonna try and recognize and encourage the positives which hopefully will result in more good days than bad. So, it was just nice to have an easy day where we all had some fun, laughed and got along...the way it should be everyday. None of us are brain surgeons...shit, none of us even graduated high school...but we have one of the Coolest jobs on earth and need to be grateful for that. Anyways, enough of my babbling bullshit...Just wanted to say...So...in the words of Ice Cube..."Today was a Good day".

Life is short...Make fun of it!

  OK, just want to talk a bit about the importance of having fun...with whatever you are doing. I was talking to Melanie, my apprentice today, and told her that once you know what you are doing, with whatever, then you need to have fun with it. What I mean by this is let go a bit, don't try to control or force what you are doing, loosen up on the grips and let things flow. Usually when you do this it Greatly improves whatever you are doing and the overall experience. Plus it makes for a way cooler environment. Now let me clarify, I am not telling you to completely lose track of what you are doing but just get in your groove and let things happen. I am not very good at doing this yet but when I do succeed at it things are SO much nicer, I am usually more satisfied with whatever I was doing and had fun doing it. The time flies by and I feel better about myself. So, give it a shot and even if you are like me and it does't always work for ya...once in a while it will and it will be that much sweeter. 

We don't do Piercing...

   But if there is someone who can convince me that they are qualified and competent as a piercer in the area I would be happy to send you the business. We get calls every day about this and I have no place to send them that I feel confident would do a CLEAN and Proper piercing. I don't believe however that we could do piercing as well and do it RIGHT without spreading ourselves to thin. So, that is why we don't do it...that and the fact that there are soooo many places in the area doing a half assed job of it with inferior jewelry just so they can do it cheap and as we all know, the average local consumer is more concerned with whether something is CHEAP rather than good and Clean. So, there would be NO WAY to do it Right and compete with the Hacks in the area. Anyways, if you know of someone that pierces in the are that has good business practices, morals and isn't a flake, hit me up!

Ever learning and growing

   Just a quick post to let you know my view on being an artist...any kind of artist. I am constantly buying and using any and all kind of information I can find that has to do with art and even more so when it applies to tattooing. Now we have all bought something that we have used, watched, read...whatever...and felt unsatisfied to say the least, but I am "trying" to be a bit less negative than I have been most of my life and look at things a different way. Any of the stuff that I have bought to try and advance my art has taught me something, even if its something NOT to do...but most of the time I get a lot more out of it than that. And another way to look at it is that even if it wasn't the best information I am helping to support a fellow artist and spending my money in the tattoo/art community.
   Anyways, I just finished watching Mike Devries dvd "Animal Style" which was very informative and inspiring to say the least. And this inspired me to go back and watch some of the older dvds I have again even just to refresh myself. So, my point is...never stop learning and striving for greatness. I have been doing this for 20 years and I am no where near where I feel I should be but I keep trying. So, do the same, don't stand still too long or you will grow stagnant and it will show in your work!
   Get up and DO SOMETHING!!!!

I always recognize things TOO late

   Just a quick note to remind all of you to stop...look around...and recognize those people around you that truly have your back. Now, theres not usually many of them, but in my case, I always see it after they are gone. I have a friend, that I don't see much anymore cause he moved out of town, and didn't see much when he lived here, cause I always figured he would be there. And before you know it he is gone. He still supports me and gives me inspiration via emails etc and I should have let him know that he is a good friend and I consider him Family. Thanks bro! ...n in case you can't figure it out...it's you Mr. Barbarino.
   So, let your friends and family know you appreciate them from time to time!

Stigma Rotary Tattoo Machines!

   OK...So, I know I have posted before about using the Stigma Hypers, but I have to post again since as in any business, you have loyal fans etc. of the competition posting nasty things about these fine people and their products. Now, not often is it that when you purchase tattoo equipment or anything else for that matter, that you end up getting checked up on by anyone, let alone the owner/inventors themselves. They ask my opinions, answer any questions or concerns I might have as well as we have now developed a friendship. Artemis and Petra, may have their flaws like all of us do, but I, personally have not seen them yet.
   I am only a local tattoo artist and I find myself getting behind in answering questions and emails, sometimes taking up to 10 days to reply, yet the people at Stigma have always answered me in less time than that and they are a known worldwide for their tattoo machines. Now, I have dealt with a lot of the supply companies in the tattoo business over the last 20 odd years and NO ONE...n I mean NO ONE has ever treated me with the respect and caring that they have. I even recently inquired to 4 other supply companies about questions I had about the rotary machines they were selling and as of now (4 weeks later) I have only heard back from one and it was a form letter not answering anything I had inquired about. So, I guess my business is NOT important to these other companies who I am not going to name but I still feel important to the family at Stigma. It's kind of funny because one of the other companies, who I was using their machines and promoting them at the time, couldn't and still has not returned any of my many emails or multiple phone messages, but had enough time to post pics of the Expensive new car they just bought, and house etc. (and this should tell ya how long ago this was) on myspace and brag but wasn't a bit concerned with those who were buying and using their products. As far as I am concerned, a company like that is Absolutely USELESS to the tattoo community as a whole.
   So now on to the machines, I cannot comment on all of them but I personally, hove only used the Stigma Hypers and recently received a Stigma Fly. I have also used 4 or 5 other brands of rotary tattoo machines and while they all run slightly different, none of them that I have used personally have any sort of adjustment (or give) and none are as consistently exceptional as Stigma. So, the Hypers have been a blessing all the way around, they are lightweight which has helped greatly with hand fatigue as well as feeling like I have WAY more control over the machine...being able to work different angles, turn or adjust it. Then we have the fact that there is nothing to tinker with other than the "give" adjustment screw, so what does that mean...well, it means that the machine runs the same Every time I pick it up. No more endless tuning and adjusting a machine only to have it need re-adjusted by the end of the day. They also come with both rca connections or a standard clip cord connection so whatever you prefer is usable. The only thing to do with this particular machine is to lubricate it periodically. They run smooth and consistent everytime and I have been using mine for over 2 years now with no problems other than the time I dropped one which was my own fault. As far as the Fly machine goes, I haven't used it enough to really give an accurate opinion on but I will get back to ya on that in 3 or 4 weeks...just check the blog. I do really like the addition of the needlebar stabilizer which makes it so there is no need for rubberbands. You can adjust it light or firm depending on how many rubberbands you were used to using on your machine. They also changed the tube vice which I really like as well because I use disposable tubes and sometimes the vice on the Hypers would cause a dent in the tube so if you had to adjust the tube it would just slide back into that divet.
  So, there you have it, my personal opinion on the Stigma Hyper rotary tattoo machine and the company itself. They are awesome and I would feel confident in recommending them to Anyone! You can find them at   stigma-rotary-tattoo.com   or    youtube.com/StigmaRotaryTattoo

Instant Gratification and Attitudes

 Most of our clients are some of the coolest people you would ever want to meet but in general ( and not All, but a lot) the new walk-ins or clients coming in are so brainwashed by the media that they expect instant gratification. Now, there are certain exceptions to this but as a general rule, in my beliefs, I think just walking into a tattoo studio on a whim and getting tattooed is just a Bad idea.
  Unfortunately, there are a lot of people coming in that run the gamut from just ignoring us when asked if they need help to being downright rude and trying to guilt us into tattooing them immediately, even if that means ignoring or canceling someone else. This leads me to my next point of, don't come in with a bad attitude and in a rush and expect us to drop everything to pacify you...and don't expect us not to get a bit annoyed with you if you are being un-realistic and rude. We want you to have a positive experience when you get tattooed with us so the key to that happening is to be respectful and listen to your artist, even if that means setting up an appointment for another day and having to come back. If I thought I would get a better tattoo by waiting a week or even a month instead of getting a "rushed" tattoo today then guess what...I would gladly wait!
  So, with that said, I must say that if this is you or someone you know and you can't either be patient and or respectful then you will be asked to go elsewhere from now on...And "No, I am not just being a Dick" I am tired of all of the artists at the shop being abused and aggravated by these un-grateful and rude people. Sorry for the rant but thats the way it is!