It’s never too late to add some tips to the ongoing process of tattoo studio etiquette. As the saying goes, “good manners cost nothing”. Too true. No one wants to deal with a dick who just breezes in and expects the world, running roughshod over everyone and everything in his/her way. That’s exactly why the folks at The Modified World in Ann Arbor, Michigan put this short little video segment together. No more excuses, people. There’s plenty of relevant info here to keep you in any tattoo artist/piercer’s good books. One little niggle that I do have with the video, however, is that I don’t believe that it’s necessary to tip tattooists.
This is probably going to piss a lot of people off. The fact of the matter is that tattoo artists are just that – artists. Waiters get tips. Porters get tips. Hot dog vendors get tips. Artists don’t get tips. Artists get paid (usually). In my mind, many different skill sets fall under the umbrella of artist: actors, filmmakers, painters, sculptors, fashion designers, writers, tattooists, etc. I’m a writer. When I write an article or a short story or for that matter, a film, I get paid. There are no tips for doing what I’ve done, nor do I expect to be tipped. I created something from nothing, sold it and got paid. And there were many, many, many years where I didn’t even get paid for my work. Tattooists are handsomely rewarded for their artistic process. If you’re a tattooist and you want to get tipped for your work, become a waiter. Or, better yet, charge more for your work in order to cover the 10-20% extra that you feel you need for doing your job.
That’s all I want to say about that.