Aren’t tattoo artists swell? I mean it. Here’s a group of people who bring joy to millions of art hungry people around the world on a daily basis and all they ever ask for in return is a little bit of cash and a quick photo of their work on your body once they’ve finished. Just like that, and you’re set with something important that you can keep for a lifetime. Not only that, but it also seems to me that tattoo artists are some of the most generous people currently working in any sort of professional context. How many times have you seen a news story about a particular tattoo artist doing something for a charity or an all around good cause? And, it seems that even when these artists are doing something that thrusts them into the limelight, there is always an underlying reason for doing what they do.
Such is the case with the world record for most tattoos inked in a 24-hour period. We all heard about Kat Von D inking 400 people back in December of 2007, with 100% of the profits going to Vitamin Angels, a charity which helps provide much needed nutrients for children in third world countries. Then, this past June, Von D’s ex-husband Oliver Peck broke the record by tattooing 415 people with the number 13 at his Elm Street Tattoo studio in Dallas, Texas. The record was destroyed on October 25th by Derek Kastning, a Tyler, Texas tattoo artist, who did 726 tattoos and subsequently donated all proceeds to the Humane Society of East Texas. But that wasn’t to be the end of it, no way. In November, Hollis Cantrell of Phoenix, Arizona took the record to the next level, tattooing 727 people, with a percentage of the proceeds going to non-profit charities.
Finally, this weekend, John Streightiff of TNT Tattoo and Body Piercing in Tyrone, Pennsylvania is setting his sights on the record yet again. Streightiff is tattooing a one inch stick of dynamite on anyone willing to give up $15. All proceeds will go to Grandma’s House, a charity which helps children suffering from HIV.
There you have it, all these artists doing something that gives them a great deal of publicity, but using the proceeds from that publicity to help their communities and others in the world. It’s not just the record holders who are charitable and considerate people, either. A quick search through this blog and the internet will reveal tons of instances where tattoo artists have used their skills to give back to others. So give it up for the tattoo artists, they often do more than just tattoo.