AboutThe GYPSY - Professional Tattoo Artist and Body Piercer Expertise I can accept questions on proper tattooing and piercing procedures, including but not limited to, licensing, sterilization, studio promotion, safety, what to look for in an artist/studio, aftercare, apprenticeship, studio management and proper design/piercing placement. I can also rate artistic quality. We also can answer questions on tattoo/piercing resources, ie; books, videos, studios and artists/piercers. PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING BEFORE ASKING YOUR QUESTION: I will NOT answer "How To" questions. If you want to know how to tattoo or pierce do the right thing and seek out a formal apprenticeship. Tattooing and piercing are not a "Learn On Your Own" professions. ALSO: Please DO NOT ask me about tattoo or piercing prices. Rates vary from region to region. You will need to check with studios in your area for their current rates.
Experience
Past/Present clients I tattoo/pierce over 1200 people per year. Multiply that by 31 years and I have tattooed and/or pierced approx. 37,200 people.
The GYPSY founder of Skin Art Creations Tattoo Emporium® is a State of Kansas licensed Tattoo & Piercing Artist & Trainer and has been in the Tattoo & Piercing Industry since 1976. He is a Professional Member of APT (Alliance of Professional Tattooist), and has taken and passed the APT Tattoo Mastery Test. His formal art training and experience has helped him win numerous awards both Nationally and Internationally. The GYPSY's art has been exhibited in museums World wide, including the Smithsonian. He has also appeared on television, documentaries, albums, radio talk shows and in numerous magazines. Along with his Wife Debbie they have developed and maintained numerous projects including resource and shopping sites. WE INVITE YOU TO VIST THESE SITES: www.ubtat2d.com - www.ablazable.com - www.emerald-city.us - www.sekpress.net - www.freaky-links.com and www.pluribusunum.net
Question Me and a close friend of mine are in an economics class and we have to start and run a business, hypothetically, and see what it takes to keep and make profit for a year. we wanted to ask an expert about as much as we can, as far as insurance, licensing, hiring and how to make money doing this.
thanks
Answer Chansce,
You picked one hell of a business to "Hypothetically" start and run. Lets start with the last part of your question first; "How to make money doing this." Besides the obvious, business sense, orgainization, management skills, etc., you have to be a skilled, qualified and trained tattooist. This type of business is built on reputation and it takes years to build and develop that reputation. Anyone wanting to get into this business should try to find an apprenticeship with a qualified tattoo artist or piercer in a licensed studio. It is not as simple as buying a starter kit, picking up a machine or needle and starting to tattoo or pierce and the money just comes rolling in. There is a lot to know from sterilization to placement, needle depths, anatomy, client handling, business practices, needle making, jewelry type and more. Not to mention the legal aspects of licensing, insurance, etc. Working with skin is a whole lot different than drawing on paper or whatever you can imagine. I have seen a lot of people who can draw or poke holes in their body, but tattoo and pierce very poorly. Four extra words of advice
here;
First, you can not learn how to tattoo or pierce from a book. Secondly, you can not learn how to tattoo or pierce by watching someone else. Thirdly, tattooing and piercing is not a get rich quick profession, it takes years to get established and see the rewards of your work. And last
but certainly not least, You can not practice on your friends or children or yourself to learn.... Soon you will have no friends.
I am a firm believer that people who do not tattoo or pierce should not own a studio. More and more I am seeing people getting into this business because they think there is a lot of money to be made. They treat it like they are operating a convienance store. Get the customers in and out and if you have a problem with an employee fire them and hire the next person through the door to replace them. Only an experienced tattooist or piercer can truly understand the demands of dealing one on one with the client. And only an experienced tattooist or piercer can judge what type of people will best add to the reputation of the studio. You see, this business is really not about profit it is about the art. Profit is the reward that follows the application of good art by skilled, qualified people and you need to be one to know one.
Licensing requirements vary from state to state and region to region. Some states regulations are governed by health departments others by boards of cosmetology. In some states you are required to have a state license as well as a city and/or county license. While other states just require a county and/or city license. Some states have strict, comprehensible laws that require that you prove your qualifications for licensure i.e.; New Hampshire, Kansas, California. While other states just require that you buy an expensive license and pass a safety inspection without proving qualifications of any kind i.e.; South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma. A good example of poor licensing requirements are the ones for the state of Texas where-in you pay a fee for a license that just covers the facility. It is what is commonly referred to as an umbrella license. Anyone working in the facility is covered by the license. This is very archaic and irresponsible licensing as it does not ensure that people working within the facility are qualified to be performing any procedures. You are at the mercy of the professionalism and management decisions of the studios owners as to the tattooists qualifications. So as you see you need to do a lot of foot work in order to find out what the licensing requirements are for your area. Then you must, in some way, be able to prove your qualifications to your clients that you deserve to pocess that license whether it be through state requirements or your own responsibility.
Insurance is not cheap and is not all encompassing. You need a liability policy for your studio as well as a comp policy. You will also need a profession (malpractice) policy for $500,000 to $1,000,000 as well as a property policy to cover your contents. If you have a business vehicle you will need a full coverage policy for that also. There are a lot of companies that offer these policies you just have to do research to find them.
To start a business like this and do it properly you are looking at an initial investment of around $50,000 or more. Good equipment is not cheap not to mention supplies, display, inventory and back-up capital. Typically you cannot expect a return on your investment from a 3 to 7 year period if any at all. Remember what I said earlier; "This type of business is built on reputation and it takes years to build and develop that reputation." You cannot do bad work on people and expect to stay in this business. You also need to keep in mind that this is a very stressful business, you are decorating another human being.
So you can see what it takes to start and run this type of business. I have been doing this for over 32 years and I have maintained it through the high times as well as the low times. I will never be rich but I am comfortable and I have managed to support my family though at times I had to work a second job to do it. I really did not start seeing the fruits of my devotion to this artform until around 1992, sixteen years after I got my start. There are times that I honestly wish that I had picked a more profitable profession but then I come to my senses and realize that I could not have picked a more satisfying profession.
