Specialties

Here’s a bit I wrote a few years back…

I overheard a younger tattooer recently bashing one of the industry veterans’ work as “irrelevant” due to lack of “specialty.” Now – So much of this situation can be a hornets nest of conflict. First of all: there’s the respect issue, some of these old dudes were tattooing in shops without so much as a photocopier, let alone printer, computer, ipad, google, or instagram. Their style was determined by the demand. Most of the general population had only seen a handful of tattoos ever (in their life), let alone the 250 we see before breakfast (like we do today). Versatility was their livelihood. The freedom to specialize is a gift that wasn’t afforded to a lot of guys, they had to make their living doing whatever tattoos came through the door.

The veterans of the industry cleared the wood, picked the rocks, dug the roots, and planted the grass that we picnic on now; and selfishly bitch about. Are we making the environment better? If we aren’t we should be. I agree with specialization but I also believe that unless an artist puts in their time meeting the demands of the market and clientele (with gratitude) they don’t really have the footing to bring something new to the table; and if it’s a mimicking of trends it can be a slippery slope. (We don’t see too many barbed wire armband specialists these days.) 

I’ve heard the old timers use the expression, “a fry cook isn’t a chef,” and I’ve also heard it rebutled with, “a chef isn’t a saucier.” Well ok, but you don’t get to be a saucier without some time on the line. If we don’t understand the context (as well as the content) of the specialty we don’t understand the specialty. It’s like being a chef whose secret ingredient is ketchup. If the ketchup runs dry, or people figure out that it’s fuckin’ gross – you’re up shit creek. The old guys deserve respect. They may not do what you currently like to see but our tastes change and what goes around comes around. They’ve provided more for us than we could ever for them (By cultivation of demand alone). I guess the point is try not to be a cunt. The people you pass on the way up are the same ones you pass on the way down and the world is smaller than you think. 

Gatekeeper

Hi there! I'm Taylor, you may know me as Sterling Skull reception, or gatekeeper, or most recently Tater (thanks Chris). I love writing, creating and I love tattoos; so what better way to use my passions than to bring you a personal experience of our studio via a blog! Welcome, please stay a while!